From Whiskey Runs to Ecological Sanctuary: The Tides Inn Continues to Evolve O
ne of our region’s most enchanting sunset-watching spots is the Tides Inn. Today, you can order up cocktails like the Lancaster Lemonade and Palomas from the Golden Eagle Grill on the golf course, the Chesapeake Restaurant, and the Fish Hawk restaurant by the pool. The resort even offers mixology classes at Fish Hawk during the summer months. It wasn’t always so easy to order up a drink here, though. The Tides opened in 1947. E.A. Stephens and his wife Ann (aka Big
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Steve and Miss Ann) transformed a 25acre farm overlooking Carter’s Creek. The hotel became a beacon for families and couples looking for peace, fun, and riverside elegance. At the time, you couldn’t buy liquor by the drink, meaning it wasn’t legal to walk up and order a mixed drink from a bar. That meant you had to bring your own bottle of liquor to the Tides Inn to enjoy a hard drink. “When the Tides Inn opened, Lancaster County was a dry county, and guests would bring their own liquor to
Visitors & Business Guide to Lancaster County
Tides Inn, ca. 1950s; the Miss Ann; liquor lockers still in use.
enjoy,” says Jason Trollip, Managing Director of the Tides Inn. “Their bottles were kept in one of the 100 handmade walnut lockers in the Golden Eagle Room. If you showed up empty handed, the resort hosted guests on a boat ride, called a ‘Whiskey Run’– aboard the 127-foot Miss Ann,” After, The Tides would bring you what was called ‘the set up.’ That included glass, ice, mixers, and garnish. Tides employees would help guests create drinks using the liquor they brought along with them. While
