Riverview Mansion Hotel

I paid a lot for several nights and expected a nice room. Instead, it looked like it hadn’t been dusted in ages, and when I was getting ready for bed I found several roaches. I asked about a refund or at least a room change to somewhere without insects, but the person running the place talked down to me like I was a child.

Beth may be the nicest host I’ve ever met. The real highlight, though, was the charming bar, which reminded me of the best European pubs. Tony has put together an amazing beer and wine selection, the best I’ve seen anywhere. It’s also a great base for seeing Garden of the Gods, Bill Smith Springs, and the many other parks and waterfalls nearby.

My wife and I have loved every minute of our stay. The owners and their whole family, including Jamie and Patricia, are wonderful people who clearly care a lot about this place. Riverview Mansion is beautiful, and the staff are great. Thanks for having us. We’ll be back.

Beth was lovely and responsive, and offered to be reachable any time if we had concerns. She lives in the back and upper parts of the home with her family and pets, but they were very quiet. I ran into her cute, friendly little dog outside a few times. The bar downstairs has a big beer and wine selection. On weekends the owner can cook and serve food there or bring it to your room. Like much of the local food, it was good, mostly fried, and served in huge portions. I didn’t run into other guests or customers, though there may have been someone else staying there. Divers down is another local place that stays open fairly late. The Victorian-style room was large and had its own bathroom, mini fridge, and coffee maker. The fridge had packaged pastries, yogurt, and bananas for breakfast. It smelled odd at first, probably because a previous guest had left old food in the freezer, which I threw out. After that it was fine. The home has Wi-Fi, though it was spotty. I did have cell service in Golconda, unlike some of the surrounding area. We were welcomed with a gift bag of snacks, a bottle of wine, and bath items like loofahs and a hairbrush. The riverview inn is a distinctive, dark historic house with interesting antiques and eclectic decor. It was well placed for hiking in Shawnee forest and visiting nearby attractions, including breweries in Paducah and the Superman Museum in metropolis. At more than $200 a night, it felt a bit expensive, and there may be cheaper places around, but I had a very pleasant stay and would recommend it to anyone after a different kind of experience.