Sample St. Augustine B&Bs during annual tour

The "painted ladies" are dolled-up for the holidays and ready to welcome a parade of visitors during their annual tour.

Guests can sample "the oldest city's" quaint and quirky historic bed and breakfast inns from 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 11 and 12. Many of the 25 inns on the 17th annual Bed and Breakfast Holiday Tour reflect the colorful Victorian "painted lady" hues, including The Penny Farthing Inn and The Carriage Way Inn.

Others have their own distinct style, such as the Castle Garden, located in a former 1887 carriage house that served the mansion now home to Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. The B&B's exterior resembles a medieval castle and is made of coquina stone.

Some inns are relatively small, including Our House Inn with just three rooms and two studio garden cottages. Others are comparatively massive. The Casablanca Inn, a restored 1914 Mediterranean Revival, has 23 suites and rooms.

The tour takes place during St. Augustine's annual Nights of Lights, when the city is draped with more than 2 million tiny white lights. They're on palm trees and buildings in the historic colonial district, nearby beaches and the historic lighthouse.

"The tour is always a lot of fun and it's a good way to see what the bed and breakfasts have to offer," says Katie Kalieta, co-owner of The Old Powder House Inn. "And each inn has partnered with a restaurant to offer a sampling of food, beverage or dessert."

The Old Powder House is a former Victorian home built in 1899 on land that once housed a gunpowder storage building in the 1700s.

"We used to do it (the tour) on one day but now there are so many inns here that we split over two days," says Bruce Kloeckner, proprietor of the Castle Garden. "There used to be 11 inns in town and now we have about 26 and it's very competitive."

From 2,000 to 2,500 people attended last year's tour, he says.

Innkeepers say that the majority of their guests are Florida residents.

"We are within driving distance to much of Florida so people come for weekend getaways," says Kloeckner.

Half the inns will be open on Dec. 11; the other half Dec. 12. Many will have art displays and musical entertainment. Old Town Trolley provides free transportation multiple drop-off points for those who prefer to ride.

Tickets are $25 through Tuesday (after that they're $35) at www.staugustinebandbtour.com. A portion of the proceeds goes toward The Empty Stocking Fund which provides food and gifts for needy families.

wbelcher@tampatrib.com

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