In January, Fort Worth’s own Azalea Plantation Bed and Breakfast hosted the Fort Worth Moms Blog staff for our start-of-the-year staff meeting. It was heavenly! Who knew this oasis was right here in our own sweet city? Because of the welcoming, friendly service they showed to us, we are thrilled to share this jewel with you.
Owners Richard and Martha dedicate their lives to making Azalea Plantation a retreat for its visitors. Martha — a grandmother to two — shares her story and her mission with FWMB readers.
My dream of owning my own bed and breakfast started about 25 years ago, and I STILL consider it my “dream job!” My husband, Richard, and I used to travel with a group of three other couples. We often stayed at B&B’s.
My friends would say, “Martha, YOU could do what she did and maybe even BETTER.” Of course, those encouraging words would fuel the fire that was within me to start looking around for a big, old lovely house that could be converted into an inn.
We were living in Lubbock, Texas at that time, but decided that we would love to come back to the DFW area to open the B&B because we had called Arlington home during the 1970s and 1980s and had friends and family here. After almost two years of looking at various properties, we spied a tiny ad in a real estate magazine for this BIG house. We arranged to see it later that day and came back and BOUGHT it the very next day! We’ve never looked back!
Since we both have the GIFT of hospitality, the idea of having people in our home that don’t “belong” to us never bothered us. We simply decided to treat everyone that came to stay as our personal GUESTS and learn from there. We put up a little plaque that read, ”What we lack in experience, we make up for in enthusiasm.” Evidently, that WORKS! We have been a booming business since March of 1994 — 22 years of true Texas hospitality!
We learned early on that most everyone wanted a KING BED and a TEXAS SIZE WHIRLPOOL TUB. So, we proceeded to start upgrading all of our rooms and suites to make that happen. We delight in serving really nice BREAKFASTS, so over the years we have perfected several very popular gourmet breakfast menus. You could stay for 10 days and not have the same thing twice! Most all of our glowing reviews mention the great breakfasts and the fascinating conversations that happen as guests are gathered around the dining room table.
We have had guests from 42 states and 19 different countries, but most of our guests are locals. DFW area folks LOVE just getting away to the Azalea Plantation to celebrate an anniversary or birthday. We also host girlfriend getaways; bachelorette parties; bridal luncheons, showers, and dinners. Our minimum for luncheons and dinners is 10 people (max is 22). We also provide a charming venue for boutique weddings and intimate receptions.
The Carriage House has our two suites . . . the newly remodeled Magnolia Suite (downstairs) and the elegant Evening in Paris Suite upstairs . . . both with private entrances. Upstairs in the main house is the Rose of Sharon Room and the Lily of the Valley Room. Please go to our website to check on availability and pricing.
We look forward to having YOU as our special guest SOON !
Martha is a native Texan, who has been happily married to Richard for 50 years. They have always been entrepreneurs and have worked together for the past 35 years. They met at Texas Tech, where both were studying business. Martha loves to decorate, entertain, cook, and spend time with her two amazing granddaughters, Kelsey and Katie. When she and Richard need to get AWAY, they love to go on cruises.
Martha has been the proud owner of the Azalea Plantation B&B since 1993 and has served on the Board for the Texas Bed and Breakfast Association for 8 years. You can contact Martha at 817-838-5882 or [email protected].
