Dayton to Madison, Ohio, is about 3.5 hours by I-70 and I-71. Stay in one of eight adults-only rooms at a Lake Erie winery near 19 covered bridges.
Vincent William is an adults-only inn with eight rooms above our restaurant and wine bar, in a stone and slate mansion that opened to guests in 2024, with Lake Erie beyond the north windows. Estate Cabernet Franc is grown, pressed and poured on the property; the 2022 vintage received Double Gold at the 2025 Ohio Wine Competition. Read our story.
Worth the drive
Why stay with us
Preble County, west of Dayton, keeps eight covered bridges, including the Roberts Covered Bridge in Eaton, the oldest in Ohio. Ashtabula County, which borders Madison, has 19. They include the Smolen-Gulf Bridge, 613 feet long and the longest covered bridge in the United States, and the Harpersfield Covered Bridge, built in 1868 over the Grand River. A day of driving between them passes Grand River Valley wineries such as Harpersfield Vineyard and Ferrante. Back at Vincent William, the restaurant serves American cooking with Italian and Irish family roots from Executive Chef Jeff Gable, and the wine bar pours estate and local wines.
On the estate
What’s waiting when you arrive
Your room, dinner and the wine bar share one estate on Lake Erie.
Stay
Eight rooms, adults only
Every room has a private bath and one king or queen bed. Choose a private rooftop patio, an in-room Jacuzzi or a room with a separate living area. Standard breakfast is cooked to order and included each morning.
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Menu
A table at the inn
Chef Jeff Gable’s kitchen buys in season from West Orchards, Bonner Farms and Rainbow Farms. Join us Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner; the wine bar serves the full kitchen menu, wine and cocktails.
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The estate
Lake Erie, right outside
Walk the estate’s private shoreline or spend an afternoon above the lake. The pool and shared outdoor hot tub are for registered guests, May to November 1, weather permitting. Ask about arranging a massage when you book.
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The inn
Find the room you want to come back to
A private patio, an in-room Jacuzzi, a separate living room or a queen bed by the water. Compare the room details, then check current rates and availability.
A stay worth planning around
Leave Dayton around 12:30 p.m. to arrive near the 4 p.m. check-in. Two nights, Friday and Saturday, give one full day for the bridges. The 2026 Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival runs October 10 and 11; with eight rooms, book that weekend early.
Malabar Farm, near Mansfield
Malabar Farm State Park near Lucas is a short detour from I-71 south of Mansfield. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Louis Bromfield built it in 1939 as a working farm to show conservation methods such as contour plowing, and Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall married there in 1945. Tours of the Big House run seasonally; check times before you go. Route 4, I-70, I-71 and I-271 carry no tolls.
Friday arrival from Dayton
Leave Dayton around 12:30 and you reach the inn near 4 p.m., the start of check-in. Check-out on Sunday is 11 a.m. After three and a half hours of interstate, walk the acre of estate Cabernet Franc beside the inn or go down to the private beach below it. Dinner is served until 9 on Friday, and the kitchen buys from West Orchards in Perry and Rainbow Farms in Madison. Dinner and wine bar drinks are billed separately from your room.
Saturday: two 1860s bridges and one from 1998
Eat breakfast first: it is cooked to order from 8:30 to 10 from a standard menu, with coffee and fresh juice included. Then drive to the Mechanicsville Road bridge in Austinburg Township, built over the Grand River in 1867; at 156 feet it is the county’s longest single span and is believed to be its oldest. Next is the Doyle Road bridge, a 94-foot Town lattice from 1868 over Mill Creek. The Netcher Road bridge in Jefferson Township, finished in 1998 on timber arches, shows how the county has kept building them. Stop at Harpersfield Vineyard on the way back, and return for dinner at 7. The covered bridge guide has the Harpersfield bridge details.
Two rooms for two couples
The covered bridge weekend works well with friends in a second car. With eight rooms, book two at once, especially for the October festival. Every room has a private bath and a king or queen bed, so two couples do not share a bathroom. For a first-floor stay, ask about Suite 101.
See all eight rooms to pick two, check Suite 101 for the first-floor option, and reserve a table for four.
The drive
Getting here
Route 4 to I-70 east, I-70 to Columbus, then I-71 north to I-271 and I-90 east to the Route 528 exit in Madison. About 253 miles, with no toll roads.
Set your destination to 1300 Belleair Avenue, Madison, Ohio. Check current navigation before leaving and allow for traffic and stops. Once here, your room, the restaurant and the wine bar are on the same property.
Good to know
Common questions
When is the Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival in 2026?
Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11, 2026. The festival office is in Jefferson, with activities at bridge sites around the county, including Harpersfield and Smolen-Gulf. From Dayton, arrive Friday to have both days. The inn has eight rooms, so reserve early, and note that the heated pool and hot tub stay open until November 1, weather permitting.
Can you drive across the Ashtabula County covered bridges?
Most of them. The majority of the county's 19 covered bridges carry public road traffic, including the 613-foot Smolen-Gulf Bridge and the Harpersfield bridge from 1868. A few are open to people on foot only, so check the county's covered bridge map, and watch posted height and weight limits if you are driving a tall vehicle or towing.
Can we drive up from Dayton for one night?
Outside summer, yes, on open dates; the two-night minimum applies in summer only. At 3.5 hours each way, one night covers dinner, breakfast cooked to order between 8:30 and 10, and an 11 a.m. check-out. Arrive Wednesday to Saturday so the restaurant is open on your night here; it closes Monday and Tuesday.
Vincent William
1300 Belleair Ave.
Madison, OH 44057
(440) 428-1300
Opening Hours
Wednesday
12 to 9 pm
Thursday
12 to 9 pm
Friday
12 to 9 pm
Saturday
12 to 9 pm
Sunday
11 to 8 pm · Brunch to 2