Red Oak Manor
410 North Louisville St. Harlem, GA 30814
706-556-8222
Let’s take a trip to the country, where you can hear the crickets chirping and see a sky full of stars at night. Not but thirty minutes from Augusta, you’ll find yourself in the small town of Harlem, Georgia. At the very heart of Harlem is the Red Oak Manor. The Red Oak Manor is Harlem’s best kept secret! It’s a family-owned Bed and Breakfast and restaurant in a 136 year old home.
Renee Dean from the Red Oak Manor, has lived in Harlem since she was a little girl. “It’s our family business. We bought the property in 2007 and spent fourteen months really changing it from a single-family home into all of the things that Red Oak Manor is,” says Renee. “We have the bed and breakfast, the event facility, and of course The Acorn Restaurant,” says Renee. Renee works daily at Red Oak Manor with her two parents, Murl and Ken Meyer. Lee Ann Meyer, Renee’s sister and co-owner at the Red Oak Manor, lives on site and works there in the evenings. All of Renee's kids have spent their afternoons growing up working with their mom after school. “There’s some things you just can’t put a price on and being together as a family and having the ability to serve your community is so much more important than a million dollars,” says Renee.
Outside of the Red Oak Manor, you’ll find the property has plenty of oak trees. Renee and her family loved the sight of the beautiful trees and that’s how they decided upon the name of Red Oak Manor and The Acorn Restaurant. The Acorn Restaurant at the Red Oak Manor serves American comfort foods. “Everything is homemade, right down to the ranch dressing,” says Renee. Some of the most popular dishes available are their fried fish, burgers, and their Philly cheesesteak. “It’s not a chain and it’s not what you’re going to find anywhere else,” says Renee.
Each of the rooms available at the Red Oak Manor are different and a full breakfast for two is included each day. You can spend the morning exploring Harlem or sitting in a rocking chair with your coffee on the Red Oak Manor’s porch. A firepit and a gazebo can be found out back and is the perfect place to be if you’d like to enjoy some relaxing time in the country.
Renee noticed that there was a service gap in Harlem and wanted to offer a solution. “There was no place to have a party that wasn’t in a church fellowship hall. There wasn’t an event center even for just a baby shower,” says Renee. With Renee’s thirty years of photography experience, her parents' cake baking skills, and her sister being an event director, they decided to put their talents together and create the perfect event package. “People would want to get married at church, but the fellowship hall wasn’t big enough for a reception. It’s just too far to have a ceremony in Harlem and have to drive to a different reception site. We are close enough to where you could have the ceremony at church and the reception here or you could just do the entire wedding here,” says Renee. “We do the cake, catering, photography, directing, and we have the bed and breakfast if you want to do a honeymoon suite overnight or have out of town guests,” says Renee.
Renee would like to invite you to visit Harlem this October and join in on all the festivities happening! There are many fun things to discover down the main street of Harlem. There are boutiques to shop at, a veteran owned coffee shop, ice cream parlor, a salon, and more! On October 2nd, the 32nd Annual Oliver Hardy Festival takes place and celebrates the birthplace of Oliver Hardy. There will be a parade, opening ceremonies, vendors, and the Oliver Hardy Museum will be open. On October 16th, The Harlem Merchant’s Association is hosting a Ladies Night Out. They will welcome fall with a vendor fair, storefronts, free concert, prizes, and wine!
Visit Renee Dean and her family at the Red Oak Manor at 410 North Louisville St. Harlem, GA 30814. The Acorn Restaurant is open Monday through Saturday 7am to 2pm for breakfast and lunch and Monday through Friday from 5pm to 8:30pm for dinner. If you’d like to place an order for pickup, please call 706-556-8222.