We're back with our series, Inside Atlanta—each week, we sit down with influential locals to talk about what Atlanta means to them. Today we’re chatting with Lori and Paul Worrell, innkeepers of Stonehust Place Bed & Breakfast. With backgrounds in architecture and teaching, Paul and Lori’s inn keeping story began when they turned an empty southern plantation home into a bustling, award-winning bed and breakfast in Louisiana.


They came to Atlanta in May 2013 to be closer to family and are continuing their inn keeping journey at Stonehurst Place, TripAdvisor's #1 B&B in Atlanta. Paul is the front man of the inn, doling out recommendations in town and keeping guests feeling pampered; while Lori mans the stove in the kitchen, dishing up delicious breakfasts of eggs benedict and melt in your mouth cornbread. Today we get a tour of The Big Peach led by the Worrells themselves.

We live in… Midtown. Inn keeping is a 24/7 occupation, so we live on-site at Stonehurst Place in a cottage behind the main house. We absolutely love the city life, and Stonehurst Place’s prime location in buzzy Midtown, makes it easy to indulge in our love of walking to get a great meal. We feel like we have to pinch ourselves when we see the lights of the tall buildings that surround us at night. 

We Wish People Knew… Atlanta is green and lush, the neighborhoods are beautiful, and the people are full of southern hospitality. Before we moved to Atlanta, the city was the place we drove through on our way to another destination.

We thought it was a concrete jungle – hot, busy, and to be avoided. After we moved here we realized that what you see from the interstate is not Atlanta at all. There are more food choices than there is time to enjoy them! There is so much to see and do, no matter your age or interests.

You Can Find Us… spending time with our children and grandchildren. We have family memberships to so many Atlanta attractions – Stone Mountain Park, the High Museum of Art, the Georgia Aquarium. We love to take our older grandchildren to explore these places and more.

It’s Dinner Time, We're headed to… Campagnolo is our top pick, though we feel like we’ll never exhaust our list of restaurants to try. We also love Ecco, South City Kitchen and Empire State South. The best steak we’ve had so far was at Bones, and we had a lovely Thai experience at Tamarind Seed. We eat at Einstein’s quite often, simply because the menu has such a unique variety and the service is excellent. Fresh to Order is our spot for quality, speed and low cost.

Clock strikes 5 o’clock, we're drinking… a good beer for Paul, who loves to try any local brews. The best spot for that is just two blocks away at Gordon Biersch Brewery.

If We Had to Stay in a Hotel, we’d check into… Stonehurst Place, of course. Staying at Stonehurst Place is such a wonderful experience, and our guests are so varied. We have a large percentage of guests from outside the United States, probably because of Midtown’s easy proximity to to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Just as equally, we also have business travelers, vacationers and couples on romantic getaways or getting married at Stonehurst Place. With such a diverse clientele, Stonehurst Place is interesting and different every day.

Atlanta’s Best Kept Secret Is… Oakland Cemetery. We took a bike tour and spent some time riding around in the cemetery. It’s full of history and stories. 

When We're Playing Tourist, we go to… The High Museum of Art--Paul’s the grownup in the family, and he thoroughly enjoys an afternoon there. He’s equally happy watching the Braves play. For Lori, the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola never grow old. Being an avid Gone With the Wind fan makes the Margaret Mitchell House a good way to spend an hour or so.

We Get Our Sweat On… at Fitness 1440.

We Love Spending Our Money At... Atlantic Station. The inn keeping life results in a lot of online shopping, but Lori loves the feel of Atlantic Station when time permits.

Story by Tiffany Jaquins. The Atlanta expert for About Travel, Kate Parham Kordsmeier, can be reached on twitter @KPKords or via email at kpkords@gmail.com. Don't forget to like us on Facebook.