Peppertrees B&B Inn sits in the West University Neighborhood. The inn comprises four houses of varying sizes, ages and décors with a central garden.

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By Joan F. Barrett

Tasty tidbits, historic homes and door prizes await those who tour six locally owned and operated bed and breakfast inns Saturday.

Adobe Rose Inn, The Big Blue House, Catalina Park Inn Bed & Breakfast, Peppertrees B&B Inn, The Royal Elizabeth Bed & Breakfast Inn and Sam Hughes Inn have teamed up to open their doors for A Taste of Tucson's Bed & Breakfast Inns, a fundraiser for UApresents, a partner in the event.

UApresents brings performing arts from around the world to Tucson and Southern Arizona.

The inns' location, in historic Downtown or University of Arizona neighborhoods, made UApresents a natural for the benefit, according to Chuck Bressi, who owns and operates The Royal Elizabeth with Jeff DiGregorio.

"We definitely recognize that the arts community is a market that enjoys the B&B experience," says Bressi. The event is the brainchild of Bressi, DiGregorio and Jim and Marion Hook, owners and operators of the Adobe Rose Inn.

Marion Hook considers the tour an opportunity to introduce ticket holders to the special ambience of each establishment. The Adobe Rose, built as a home in 1933, shows off desert landscaping just east of campus in the Sam Hughes Neighborhood.

Inside, Southwest décor mixes with antiques, such as a barrister's bookcase from Pennsylvania. Architectural details include an 8-foot-high green-and-gold stained glass window, likely installed in 1976.

Sam Hughes Inn, which offers lodging in the same neighborhood, went up as a private home in 1931. Its exterior displays a Mediterranean design, complete with red-tiled roof, and a brick sunken garden at the rear.

Three of the participating inns — The Big Blue House, Catalina Park Inn and Peppertrees Inn — stand in the West University Neighborhood. The Big Blue House, the newest B&B, opened its doors last January.

Tucson's Ronstadt family built the Queen Anne-style house with solid redwood in 1900. A high porch surrounds the Cape-Cod-blue structure, which still has its original maple floors and woodwork.

Four houses with a central garden contribute to the Peppertrees Inn. The houses vary in size, are 15 to 105 years old, and feature Parisian, Southwestern, Mexican or traditional European décor.

At the Catalina Park Inn, original artwork by local artists provides a contemporary touch to the 1927 home. Mexican mahogany doors, crown moldings and oak floors also enrich the interior.

Built in 1878, the Royal Elizabeth Inn stands Downtown in the Armory Park Neighborhood. The Victorian interior features 17-foot-high ceilings; California fir, brought by covered wagon and carved on site; and myriad antique furnishings in excellent condition. (See today's Accent section for more on the Royal Elizabeth and the couple behind it.)

"Each of the inns will be showing off in small bites what they do for their breakfast," notes David Scott Allen, UApresents director of development. For example, participants can expect strawberry bisque at the Royal Elizabeth and Irish oatmeal with maple cream and homemade banana ice cream at the Adobe Rose.