Tilghman Island Inn
By Maryann Hammers
Quick, pack your bags. We found a batch of great Veterans Day offers — including free accommodations just for servicemembers.
Connecticut
Abbey's Lantern Hill Inn, a six-room country B&B convenient to the beach and Mystic Seaport, is set on six peaceful acres. Rooms feature wood-burning fireplaces and Jacuzzi soaking tubs. Throughout November, veterans and active duty military personnel receive 25-percent off. (Regular rates start at $119.) Call (860) 572-0483.
Florida
Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys welcomes servicemembers with its Heroes Salute. Discounted rates start at $119 (the regular starting rate is $199 to $249). Situated along the Atlantic Ocean, the resort offers diving, kayaking, kiteboarding, standup paddleboarding, and tennis. Accommodations include guestrooms and two- and three-bedroom villas, and the 60-acre resort also has a full-service marina, four restaurants, saltwater lagoon, five swimming pools with private cabanas, and a spa. Enjoy military savings on spa treatments, SNUBA and dive excursions, Segway tours, and a kids’ camp. Show ID upon arrival. The military rate is valid through Nov. 23, 2015. For more information, call (877) 484-9342.
Maryland
The Tilghman Island Inn, a 20-room waterfront property remains one of the last unspoiled communities along the Eastern Seaboard, boasting views of sunrises, sunsets, sailboats, and seabirds. Throughout November 2015, active duty and retired servicemembers staying between two and seven days get discounts between 5 to 50 percent off, including meals. The longer you stay, the better your discount, especially if you sign up for “The American Plan,” which includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The offer is complicated, but it’s all spelled out here. Servicemembers also get a $10 coupon toward dinner. The inn is less than two hours from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia and four hours from New York City. Call (800) 866-2141, and use discount code VETERANS DAY.
Michigan
For the entire month of November, Inn at Black Star Farms in Leelanau Peninsula wine country offers 30-percent off to active duty military and veterans for Sunday to Thursday night stays. The inn is nestled below a hillside of vineyards and overlooks barns and pastures. Rates include a full breakfast, nightly hospitality hour with wine and hors d’oeuvres, bottle of wine, private use of the sauna, expanded tasting in the on-site tasting room, and use of walking and skiing trails. Regular prices start at $240, so your discounted nightly rate begins at about $170. Call the innkeepers at (231) 944-1251.
Maine
At the head of the village's sloping town green and overlooking the river, the historic Captain Lord Mansion in Kennebunkport, is an easy walk to galleries, restaurants, and shops. Accommodations at the four-diamond B&B are spacious and luxurious with oversized four-poster beds, gas fireplaces, and marble baths. From Nov. 16-19, the rate for veterans starts at $149 (regular rates start at $229). Call (207) 967-3141.
North Carolina
Sanderling Resort, a four-diamond resort North Carolina’s Outer Banks celebrates Veterans Day with a Heroes Welcome discount of more than 40 percent to current and retired servicemembers. Starting Nov. 11, military rates start at $119, plus get an additional 20-percent off spa treatments, resort dining, and shopping. Traveling with civilian buddies? If they donate at least $5 to the Outer Banks Public Safety Auxiliary, they’ll get a 20-percent discount off their nightly room rates. The luxurious oceanfront resort offers tennis, golf, beaches, and outdoorsy activities. The offer is valid through March 11, 2016. Call (877) 697-4613.
Ohio
When you book two or three nights over Veterans Day at The Inn At Dresden, you get one night free. The elegant Tudor house with ten themed guestrooms is surrounded by countryside. Call (740) 754-1122.
Pennsylvania
Pennsbury Inn, a historic and elegant B&B on eight acres of sculptured grounds bordered by woodland trails, is near plenty of outdoor activities, Amish farmlands, and antiquing. On Veterans Day, accommodations are free to active duty and honorably discharged veterans with ID. You also get an extra 10-percent discount for consecutive nights leading up to or following Veterans Day. This offer is for first-time free-night guests. Regular rates start at $140 a night. Call (610) 388-1435.
B&Bs Nationwide
For the seventh consecutive year, hundreds of inns and B&Bs honor active duty and retired veterans with free accommodations on and around Veterans Day through the B and B for Vets program. A list of participating B&Bs is on the website, with new inns and B&Bs added daily. Book directly with the inn where you wish to stay. Don’t delay; rooms fill up quickly. Proof of military service will be required.
Find additional offers at BnBFinder. The directory lists military offers on its Military Specials/Salute Our Heroes page, which incudes free Veterans Day stays, as well as year-round room-rate specials. Provide the innkeeper with proof of service upon check-in.