Sunbright Inn

Sunbright Inn occupies a restored 1886 Queen Anne Victorian mansion at 30 Live Oak Avenue West in DeFuniak Springs. The house was named Sunbright by its builders, James and Abigail Sherman, and it is linked to a Florida governor who served from 1917 to 1921, with one of the guest rooms dedicated to him. After a full renovation it opened as an eight-room boutique inn, and it has picked up local preservation and design awards in 2024 and 2025.

The eight rooms vary widely in size and layout, from compact king rooms to a large deluxe room with a king and a queen and a family room with a king and two single beds. Each has a private bath, individual climate control and period furnishings, and the rooms include fireplaces, flat-screen TVs with streaming, coffee and tea makers and walk-in showers. Some rooms open to private balconies. Guests can also book add-ons such as in-house massage, charcuterie boards and flowers.

The inn runs with digital check-in and keypad entry, with check in from 3 to 9 p.m. Breakfast is not included, though cafes and restaurants are close by downtown. Parking is free in a secured on-site lot, and the grounds include a fenced garden. Pets are not allowed. Space is available for small gatherings and events.

Location is a big part of the appeal. Lake DeFuniak, the nearly circular spring-fed lake at the center of town, is about an eight minute walk, as are the Walton County Heritage Museum, the Walton-DeFuniak Public Library and Chipley Park. From there, the Circle Drive loop passes the Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood and dozens of Victorian homes, and the shops and cafes of Baldwin Avenue are a few blocks away.

Sunbright Inn suits couples, history buffs and small wedding parties who want to stay inside the historic district rather than out at the interstate, and who prefer a house with character over hotel amenities.