Banks Bed and Breakfast is the only 1897 historic stay located on North Carolina’s first paved highway. What does that mean for our visitors? It hearkens back to a time when travelers explored this part of the state on a new road, built for cars that stretched across the state and was known as the Central Highway and later Hwy 70. The original paved section between Raleigh and Garner was paved in or around 1917 or 1918 and is considered the first paved road in the state. It helped make Raleigh and Garner well connected to the rest of the state.That history of welcoming travelers continues as we are uniquely positioned to be able to offer you a one of a kind experience.
The home where Banks Bed and Breakfast is located housed members of the Banks family from 1897 until 2018. So, for over 120 years this home sheltered the same family sleeping, playing, working, cooking, and rearranging furniture. Every dent has a story and every story holds a different memory. This was a home that was built, added onto, and had windows and walls moved as the family grew and changed. You can go to the library and engage with books that date back as far as the antebellum time period. Family Bibles still sit on the shelves and some books show the evidence of young boys who shot BB guns in the house.
Sitting on the back porch you can imagine what those woods might have looked like as the farm fields they once were. On the front porch you’ll see Main Street and many of it’s original buildings now repurposed for today. You also have a good chance of seeing trains go by on the track that divides us from Main Street. Once a small town located next to the capital city of Raleigh it has now merged into a seamless part of Wake County. What was once a longer trip into Raleigh is now about a ten minute drive to museums, shopping, and restaurants. But, head in the other direction and you will find museums, shopping and restaurants right in Garner too.
Here you can sit down and imagine what it might have been like for people to live during different time periods, several wars, varying cultural expectations, and changing political challenges. A house can get built, but a home stands the test of time for as long as someone loves it and understands its importance to the community. So, if you like being part of a unique stay that blends history and modernity then Banks Bed and Breakfast is the stay for you. And you can join more than a century of travelers who have come down our road and experienced this house and what garner has to offer.
