The Colonial Hotel

09/12/2026

I love it when a plan comes together. Our kitchen layout is evolving. We won't be able to finalize it until the menu gets resolved, but I wanted to share this with you. 😊

09/10/2026

The room designs are still in progress, but here's the general idea. 18 rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors, including 4 one-bedroom suites with king beds and private balconies facing downtown Irvine, 2 junior king suites, 1 ADA king room, 4 double queen rooms, 7 standard king rooms.

08/29/2026

06/15/2026

Sweet Lick K**b, Irvine. 😍

05/27/2026

Who is your favorite mural artist in Irvine/Ravenna/Estill County?

05/05/2026

Did you know that a 40s-era Ford Woody Deluxe like this one averages about $80,000 on the collector's market?!!! The 30s-era Woodies can fetch over $100,000! 😮

05/02/2026

The Citizen Voice & Times was an Estill County institution for almost 5 decades. We are thinking about naming the bourbon and wine bar “The Citizen”. Thoughts?

05/02/2026

“Keep your hogs off the street. The ordinance will hereafter be strictly enforced.” 🤣🤣🤣

05/02/2026

Here’s a photo dump of some photos that I took today from old newspapers in the hotel, some dating back to 1927. (Check out the one with the old car being loaded onto a ferry in 1924 to cross the Kentucky River near Cow Creek - back before the Irvine bridge existed.)

05/02/2026

In the spirit of the running of the horses tomorrow, I thought I would post this photo that I found today in an old newspaper at the hotel. The article’s caption says, “AN INNOVATOR - - Mrs. Coleman Benton was winner of the walking horse class in one of the county fairs held here in the 20s. Mrs. Benton was an innovator in riding astride and has been, until recent years, an active and expert equestrian. The fair in which she rode for competition was a revival effort and was her last time to show in competition. Her husband, Coleman Benton, was a noted judge of horses and operated a livery stable for a number of years here. The Bentons now live in West Irvine.”