Glen-Ella Springs Inn & Restaurant

Beautiful area and beautiful grounds.
Stayed in a queen room for $ 160
It’s an old building and the doors don’t quite close right. The key got stuck in our lock whenever we used it.
Breakfast is provided and it was really pleasant.
I’d love to come back and stay for a few days to decompress.
The room was on the small side but overall I’d say it was well worth the money.

Glen Ella Springs Inn was lovely. We chose it for its proximity to Tallulah Falls School where we had an early morning appointment. It is a family run historic inn with only 16 rooms. We stayed in a queen room on the ground floor which opened onto a wide porch, complete with rocking chairs, overlooking the pool and meadow. Our host told us the pool was filled with spring-​fed water and that it was pretty cool most of the year. We visited in early November and the leaf color in the area was beautiful.
We were surprised when our GPS directions guided us onto a dirt road leading to the Inn. About the last mile of the trip is on a gravel/​dirt road. We were greeted in the office and escorted to our room. There are several umbrellas for guest use in a holder outside the office and there is artwork by local artisans available for sale in the lobby.
Our room was small but comfortable, with wooden plank floors and whitewashed wood plank walls. You have an actual key, on a brass key chain, for the door – no electronic keys here. There is no television in the guest rooms, but our host told us there was a television available in the common area for guests.
The room included a Keurig coffee pot with coffee pods and assorted creamer/​sugars. A sign posted near the commode in the bathroom said the commodes can be a bit finicky and that guests should not flush anything other than a reasonable amount of toilet paper but we had no issues with the plumbing. The bathroom had plush grey towels and even a darker washcloth suitable for removing makeup.
We noticed that we had no/​poor cell phone service in our room (AT&T) but there were several places around the grounds where we had acceptable reception.
After getting settled, we strolled around the grounds. There are areas with beautiful gardens and benches, including grapevine gazebos which are illuminated at night. The common area for guests is a small cottage-​style building with a porch swing out front. There are sofas and chairs inside with a fireplace, and a smallish (maybe 27-​inch) television and instructions on how to use the remotes. There is also a small kitchenette area with complimentary coffee/​tea, soft drinks, water and snacks such as popcorn and granola bars for guests. There are also books on the bookcases for guests to read.
There is a path through the meadow to a firepit which can be used in the evenings and there is a restaurant on site, but we did not have the opportunity to visit either of those.
Our room had a wall mounted heater as well as another space heater in case it got really cold. The rooms are not extremely well insulated so you will likely hear noise from other rooms and foot traffic as other guests walk down the wooden walkway (or pull their suitcases) to their rooms, but because the inn is small, there won’t be too much noise. We did hear other guests returning to their rooms while we were sleeping, but the noise level wasn’t bad and didn’t last very long. The only concerning event was that we heard someone at our door while we were in bed… clearly trying to use a key to open the door. We called out «wrong room,» but when they persisted, their key actually opened our door. Fortunately, we had engaged the chain lock on the door so the door didn’t open fully. At that point, they realized their mistake and went on down the porch to their assigned room. We did report that to the innkeepers so they could make sure the keys are properly calibrated. We did not feel endangered, and this is certainly not a high crime area, but we wanted to make sure the innkeepers were aware that some of their keys must work on more than one door, in case guests were concerned about the security of any valuables in the room.
Guests with mobility issues might have difficulty navigating the walkways to the Inn and the gardens, and I don’t believe there is an elevator onsite.

My wife and I have dined at the restaurant a number of times. It’s a little pricey but my wife loves the place. The service is always great and the food is good. No complaints.

My heart hurts today to have to leave a review like this but I feel that I MUST.
It is EXTREMELY important that we support businesses that are in line with our morals and ethics. Today I contacted the Glen-​Ella Springs Inn to inquire about touring the facility for a venue for my partner and I to celebrate our 7^th anniversary and to hold a wedding ceremony. We were willing to rent the ENTIRE inn and close it off for this occassion and weekend. We had fallen in love with the place and had our hearts set on it.
Unfortunately we were turned down because they do not allow gay ceremonies and offered to REFER us as if we were SECOND CLASS citizens.
Beware, the beauty and charm of the place is overshadowed by owners and management that have the heart to turn down a ceremony based on LOVE.
YOUR MONEY IS YOUR VOICE!!!

I am absolutely in love with Glen Ella and its staff!!!
My husband and I got married at Glen Ella, April 17, 2010 and it could not have been a more perfect day. Luci and Ed (the inn keepers) made sure everything went just as planned and really exceeded our expectations. We rented out the entire bed and breakfast for our wedding weekend which made for a very intimate occassion. We had the ceremony in the lower garden, cocktail hour around the pool, and the reception in the pavilion. Everything looked amazing… mainly because Glen Ella takes such good care of their gardens all year long. 130 people attended our wedding and there was plenty of room for dancing and mingling in the pavilion. Ed and Luci made sure we were able to relax the entire weekend and took care of everything for us. We were able to spend time with our family and friends hiking, around the bonfire, and playing games in the field without worrying about all of the final details of our wedding. We were so impressed with Luci and Ed during the planning process that we even had our Rehearsal Dinner and Bridesmaid luncheon here.
We had a buffet dinner for our reception and the food was delicious! We missed the appetizers during the cocktail hour due to pictures but when we arrived at the reception Luci had made us a plate of all of the appetizers and they were delicious too. Luci and Sherry (our wedding director and florist) made sure we had everything we needed during the reception– our wine glasses were never empty. Little things like this really made us feel special. We never felt like we were just another wedding at Glen Ella which made all the difference in the world.
All of the other reviews are true! You really feel like family when you are here.
If you are thinking about having your wedding at Glen Ella I highly recommend it! My husband and I had an amazing wedding weekend and it is all because of Ed, Luci, and the staff at Glen Ella!

Note: this post reviews only the restaurant and not the inn.
Our family has dined at Glen-​Ella Springs several times over the years since we have a relative who lives nearby. There are few choices for a high end meal in this area of Georgia and Glen-Ella’s location gives it a special charm. Located in Clarkesville, Georgia in the north Georgia hills, Glen-​Ella is a bed & breakfast in addition to offering dinner to the public. The historic property boasts more than 12 acres, a swimming pool, a fire pit, an herb/​flower garden and wonderful views. I have never stayed at Glen-​Ella but from what I have observed it would make for a very refreshing weekend, with the option of hiking nearby or relaxing and playing games on site.
Most recently I dined at Glen-​Ella for dinner in April 2012. Unfortunately, the food seemed to have taken a downward turn as compared to my previous visits — we heard that they have gone through several chefs in recent years which might explain the drop-​off.
First the highlights — the crab cakes and spinach salad were both good. If I find myself dining here again I might ask to have the crab cakes on the spinach salad or order one as appetizer and one as main dish. The trout, previously a favorite of my grandmother’s was practically inedible. Poor grandma pushed it around on her plate but was not able to enjoy it. The lamb chops and ribeye were passable but really nothing special and the vegetarian wellington tasted quite odd — kind of a mess of cheese and doughy pastry, not at all what I expected. The ravioli special was also fine but nothing memorable. Service was mostly good but seemed a bit amateurish for the level of restaurant it appears the owners are going for; still, anyone who can handle a large group (we had 6) should be commended for getting mostly everything right.
I was really excited about going to Glen-​Ella this last time but unfortunately it did not live up to years past for me. Still, with such a beautiful view and location, it is a worthy destination especially if you can stay overnight. Perhaps they will change chefs again in the near future — hopefully this time it will be for the better and we can return for a nostalgic dinner that lives up to our earlier visits.