B&Bs especially inviting in September

Growing older is not all fun. We're prone to arthritis, rheumatism, gout, vision loss, hearing loss, memory loss. Some need new knees, new hips, a pacemaker.There ought to be rewards for those of us who keep up the pace. And there are, somewhat. September is Senior Discount Month among the nation's bed-and-breakfast inns.Fall is one of the best times of the year for seniors to travel. Children are back in school, the crowds are gone, most attractions are still open and, barring another hurricane, the weather is mellow, not overly hot.Discounts vary. It could be four nights for the price of three, or 20 percent off the rack rate or the cost of dinner at a local restaurant or even a gas discount card.But the discounts I like best are the ones that credit you for every year of your life, the older the better. These rewards are rare, and some of the best have been canceled -- perhaps because too many 100-year-olds turned up to claim half price or possibly a free room.The Inn at the Crossroads, a B&B in Charlottesville, Va., is taking that risk by again offering a September Seniors Special of $1 off for each year you've lived beyond 50. Thus a 60-year-old gets $10 off the room rate, and an 80-year-old's rate drops $30.Though the September special was interrupted by Hurricane Isabel last year, at least one 93-year-old managed to claim his $43-a-night discount. Seniors get a regular discount year- round, says owner Jim Stern, paying $89 to $129 for rooms that cost younger couples $139 to $169, so with the special September Seniors Special, an 80-year-old pays only $59, double occupancy. The rate includes a full breakfast, with baked apple pancakes, the specialty of the house, Stern says.B&Bs are ideal stopovers for seniors in no hurry to start the day's activities. I like to dawdle over breakfast, have several coffee refills and chat with successive groups of fellow travelers and the innkeepers. You learn a lot about the area you're in and about other parts of the country that the visitors hail from.Brimming with history, Charlottesville could be a refreshing detour for snowbirds yearning to get off I-95. The inn is within a stone's throw of the homes of four presidents. Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, is 10 minutes away, as is Ash Lawn- Highland, the home of the fifth president, James Monroe. James Madison's huge Mont.pelier estate is particularly fascinating in the fall, not only for its peek into the lives of James and Dolley Madison, but also for the contributions of its later owners, the DuPonts, who trained racehorses. The lesser-known birthplace of World War I President Woodrow Wilson also is nearby, in Staunton. For information, 866-809-2136 or www.crossroadsinn.com.Colonial Williamsburg is another beckoning stopover on the road south, and the Williamsburg White House is another B&B with creative September senior specials.Historical in itself, the 1904 Williamsburg White House, the oldest B&B in the town, is little more than a half-mile from Merchant Square at the start of the Colonial village. Seniors can roost midweek in the first-floor Jefferson Bed Chambers: three nights for $400, double, breakfast in the Reagan Dining Room. They can mingle with other guests over afternoon wine in the Diplomatic Reception Room and settle down with a book from the JFK Library when they've finished sightseeing for the day.Owners Debbie and John Keane offer $20 off gasoline costs and 20 percent off dinner in the Seasons on Merchants Square. Never mind that every room has a presidential theme. "It's a nice, quiet place for seniors to relax," says Debbie Keane. And you have to be only at least 55. For info, 866-229-8580 or www.awilliamsburgwhitehouse.com.Seniors heading north before the snow comes will find exquisite scenery, lots of good eats and a few solid deals. I love the rock- ribbed coast of Maine in any season (except maybe January- March), but September is especially inviting, with innkeepers eager to fill rooms vacated by the summer crowd.One September offer comes from the Lakeshore Inn in Rockland, in midcoast Maine: Seniors over 60 who stay at least two nights get a $124 rate, double occupancy, 20 percent below the regular rate. The inn, built in 1767 yet conveni.ently modernized, offers a full breakfast, which could be challah French toast, zucchini frit.tata, spinach quiche, buttermilk blueberry pancakes or an egg and three-cheese casserole.There's also an enclosed hot tub. "We love seniors," says co-owner Jim Masson, 67; 866-540-8800.Though not all have creative offers, most B&Bs will provide at least a 10 percent discount for AARP members, who have to be at least 50. For a di.rectory of B&Bs in this country and internationally, visit www.bedandbreakfast.com. Click "Advanced Search," then "Special Packages," and select "Seniors Are Special" from the dropdown box