The Parker House

They really care about the details here. Comfortable and immaculate. Not frilly, but replete with the basics – great common area, good beds, generous and friendly owners. Highly recommended for GAP riders!

I have been staying at the Parker House for years. There are so many reasons I return year after year. The Inn is immaculate, right on my favorite bike trail in a quaint town, next to an excellent restaurant, the rates are reasonable and best of all — it has a DIY kitchen. Whether I’m with my Biker-​BFF or a group, we take advantage of the open kitchen arrangement and cook a dinner and our breakfasts when we stay here and relax&dine in one of the 4 available dining areas. There are ample pots and dishes and modern appliances too. Food and the fun of food prep is central to our vacations here. Another unique feature is that the owner Mary does not stay in the house. She stops by every day and is just blocks away, but we like that she is not hovering over us as other innkeepers tend to do. There is a WBFP, bike barn, AC, one TV, local library, very comfortable beds and great showers. This «Inn-​away-​from-​it-​all» has it all.

My wife and I stayed here one night during September. I was biking the Great Allegheny Passage/C&O Canal from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC and Confluence was a stop over town for us. I chose the Parker House because their website presented a nice, simple décor (I hate when B&Bs go overboard with tacky nick-​nacks). Because it was mid-​week, we had the entire house to ourselves. Our room was very comfortable, nice bathroom, and lots of light.
The Parker House has a number of interesting architectural touches, plenty of common space, a full kitchen and a rack to lock bikes in the back. Keep in mind, the Parker House does not provide breakfast. However, about two blocks away there are a couple of restaurants (as well as the bike shop) and a bit further is a decent bakery, combination pizza shop (we ate there — it’s good). It’s a small town though, so options are somewhat limited.
Lastly, the manager of the Parker House, Larry, was extremely gracious and an all around interesting guy.
If you’re a cyclist, or passing through Confluence, the Parker House is a good option.

We rented the whole house — sixteen people in seven bedrooms — for a family reunion weekend, and loved it. I can’t speak for how the dynamic would feel for those just seeking a single room (although this is, I suspect, most of their business), but it was perfect for our needs. It’s an older building, recently and seamlessly expanded to accommodate a healthy crowd. It’s charming without being cluttered with country knick-​knacks. The proprietors are helpful while respecting your privacy. It’s comfortable and clean. The wireless internet and satellite television are nice (since cell service is pretty much nil here). And the house is right on the river (as is pretty much everything else in town).
Confluence is obviously in the middle of nowhere, but it’s a beautiful nowhere. It’s in the heart of the Laurel Highlands, a stone’s throw from the Yough River, a short walk to decent eating and the Allegheny Passage bike trail, and a short drive from Fallingwater, river rafting, etc.
I’ll close with an anecdote about small town hospitality. My brother’s kids left behind a few items in a downstairs closet. They live more than an hour away in Pittsburgh, so retrieving their toys would have been no easy task. But he called the Parker House, and they knew of someone who was going to be traveling to Pittsburgh the following weekend. The toys were carried along and dropped off. How awesome is that?