I decided to visit the John Denham house as a mid-way stop from my mother’s home in Florida to New Orleans. While a 9-hour drive once in a while isn’t terrible, I couldn’t resist cutting that time in half while finding two nights to myself in this amazing house. My goal for this trip was to dive head-first into some self-pampering and explore the town. I had been consumed by work and needed a little time to explore a new place. 

I had planned a few little excursions for my time there, including a “Dinner and Stories” package at a nearby BnB, The Daffodale House. Other than that, most of my plans included checking out little shops in the town square and trying local restaurants. 

I was in love with my room the moment I saw it. The hardwood floors and antiques around the room fit in well with the rest of the house, as well as the light blue paint and incredible bathroom with a clawfoot tub. Living in New Orleans, I have paid $35 for a one-hour tour of very similar houses of the same age, but being able to live in the home and experience it’s deep spirit was a beautiful experience. 

The room has a closet along with plenty of bathroom storage. I didn’t have any trouble finding room for my things. 

The clawfoot tub was to die for. The home was renovated back to its original 1800s floorplan and repainted the original colors. China I used during breakfast included real gold, and the cupola was open and available to guests to explore and enjoy. 

I was able to get a lot of rest during my stay, and while there was a desk in the room, I didn’t find it particularly suitable for working as I couldn’t find any outlets near it. However, I was easily able to work from bed. 

I spent my full day exploring the town. It had major Witches of Eastwick vibes with it’s small town square and gentle hills (my legs got a workout for sure, a few hours walking around there equated to a full-day of walking in New Orleans). A lot of the shops seemed to be closed, and various establishments seemed closed on strange days. I had been very excited to have dinner at The Social as the dinner menu looked good, however it was closed on Tuesday. Wednesday I found also many of the shops were closed. 

I saw that there was a winery in the town and thought it would be really nice to grab a bottle of wine, however the website had no information about visiting and the reviews on Tripadvisor steered my away. I did think I my still be able to find the wine in the local shops and restaurants, however, if it was there I never came across it. 

CowHaus was an adorable coffee shop and if I lived there I feel that would be my go-to place to enjoy a little work time and nice coffee. Best macchiato I have ever had. While there is a Ghost Tour in town, and Monticello is touted as one of the most haunted small towns, they were available the days that I was there sadly. 

 — Cleanliness

Amazingly clean. More so than the website makes it look. I felt like the space is cared for very greatly. 

— Safety

I felt very safe in this town walking around. There was always others walking around as well. However, I never walk around at night no matter where I am, so I can’t comment on that. 

— Area

The town of Monticello was very cute. It reminded me a lot of the town of Eastwick from Witches of Eastwick. Small town, a little stuck in time, gentle hills. I had dinner one evening at Rev Cafe and got to hear two local women talk shit and place a pageant. So… who can ask for better dinnertime entertainment? 

—Atmosphere

I would let that house swallow me up so that I could become a supernatural ghost caretaker. 

—Breakfast

Pam, the innkeeper, made a fabulous breakfast! Each morning there was coffee, water, and juice. Morning one we had a whipped fruit parfait that tasted just like Dole Whip from Disney, followed by a Wisconsin cheddar omlette along with homemade gluten-free bread and local satsuma jam. Morning two there was a lovely fruit cup, followed by pecan french toast with real maple syrup, along with sausage scrambled eggs. At the Daffodil House, I had one of the best raviolis of my life. I believe it was a spinach and cheese with a butter sauce. The food I had at the BnBs in town outshined any of the food I had from the local restaurants. 

—Sleep

I think I am cursed to sleep by stairs. My room was on the bottom floor so I did wake up a few times my first name to footsteps above me and being my the stairs I could hear when people walked up or down them. However, on my second night I was the only guest and slept wonderfully. 

—Hospitality

The BnB caretakers for both houses mentioned here were amazingly kind. I found the couple who runs the Daffofil house extraorindarly friendly and I could easily see myself coming back just to spend another evening with them. Pam, the inntaker at John Denham was sweet and considerate. I found the rest of the town a little less welcoming, but after all, it is a small town and I am an outsider, and I did feel that quite a bit. However, it wasn’t enough to stop me from coming back.

—Would I come back?

Yes! I loved the Denham House and I would love to come back, especially with a friend. I would even love my same room as the bathroom was incredible. However, I couldn’t be against staying in the other rooms that I was able to explore. The Blue Room is said to be haunted and I would give that a shot for sure. 

—Anything I would change?

My only critique is that the John Denham house would benefit from a professional photographer updating the website. The rooms are so much more gorgeous than the website implies. I expected something a little mustier from what I saw on the site. However, the rooms felt very clear, fresh, and welcoming. 

—Who is this for?

This house made me feel like I was an 1800s madame of the house, and I fantasized about waking up every morning and saying hello to each room and the ghosts there. I would recommend this house for anyone who is interested in staying in a beautiful Haunted Home, or someone who loves homes from this time frame. I also think the town and house would accommodate a create very well. Not much seems to go on in town, but because it feels a little stuck in time, I think this would be a great distraction free, yet inspirational place to create. 

—and is it haunted

I had no idea when I booked as the website didn’t say anything about it, but YES. I definitely heard movement when I was alone in the house. I also found multiple books citing the house as one of the most haunted houses in FL. When taking a bath I found an odd scratch mark on me and I hadn’t been around any animals or brush that could cause such a thing.