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Recently, Spectrum News visited Sherman Inn to speak with one of the owners, Jim Reagen, regarding the history of the Inn and the guest experience of staying at an old school. Click here to watch the video and read the entire article.

5-Star Sherman Inn Wins 2022 Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Award For 2nd Year In A Row Ogdensburg’s 5-Star Sherman Inn Ranks Among World’s Top 10 % Great Reviews Earn Bed & Breakfast A Place Among Travelers’ Favorite Inns Worldwide OGDENSBURG, N.Y. - TripAdvisor has announced that Ogdensburg’s historic, award-winning Sherman Inn has been recognized as a 2022 Travelers’ Choice award winner for the second time as one of the world’s top bed and breakfasts and small inns. This achievement celebrates businesses that consistently deliver fantastic experiences to travelers around the globe, having earned consistent 5-star traveler reviews on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months. This is the second year in a row that Ogdensburg’s Sherman Inn has been honored as one of the best lodging places in North America and the world. “I want to thank the hundreds and hundreds of guests from around the world who have stayed with us over the past year who took the time to write the reviews that made this award possible,” said Donna Reagen, co-owner of the Sherman Inn. “Over the past year, we’ve met a lot of wonderful people who have paid us the highest compliment during their stay - they’ve told us we made them feel like they are part of our family. As Innkeepers, there is no higher compliment.” “When Donna and I purchased the Sherman Inn, our goal was to save a unique and historic landmark while continuing to offer a great lodging place in the heart of Ogdensburg,” said James E. Reagen, co-owner of the Sherman Inn. “I attended kindergarten in this building many years ago. So it’s a terrific honor to be recognized by our peers for a second year in a row for preserving an important part of Ogdensburg’s and our region’s history.” “When we took over the Sherman Inn on Friday, March 13, 2020, the Covid-19 Pandemic struck, the U.S. international border with Canada closed, and New York State ordered an end to ‘non-essential travel,” recalled Reagen. “This was not an ideal time to take over a lodging place. But my wife and I believed in Ogdensburg, we believed in what the Sherman Inn could be to our community, and we believed we could save this very special lodging place in the heart of our community.” “Congratulations to the 2022 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Winners,” said Kanika Soni, Chief Commercial Officer at Tripadvisor. “The Travelers’ Choice Awards recognize the best in tourism and hospitality, according to those who matter most: your guests. Ranking among the Travelers’ Choice winners is always tough — but never more so than this year as we emerge from the pandemic. The Travelers’ Choice Awards highlight the places that are consistently excellent - delivering quality experiences time and time again even while navigating changing customer expectations and new ways of working. Based on a full year of reviews from customers, this award speaks to the great service and experience you provided guests in the midst of a pandemic.” The Sherman Inn is a 120-year-old former elementary school that was turned into a small Bed and Breakfast in Ogdensburg in New York State’s North Country on the U.S. - Canadian border, less than an hour from Ottawa, Canada’s capital. The Inn celebrates Ogdensburg’s history with each Presidential Suite telling the story of the different U.S. Presidents who visited the community over the past 200 years. Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel platform, helps hundreds of millions of travelers each month. Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to browse more than 878 million reviews and opinions of 8.8 million accommodations, restaurants, experiences, airlines and cruises. Whether planning or on a trip, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to compare low prices on hotels, flights and cruises, book popular tours and attractions, as well as reserve tables at great restaurants. Tripadvisor, the ultimate travel companion, is available in 49 markets and 28 languages.

Check out the May 2022, Vol. 2, No. 2 edition of the Sherman Inn Gazette! The U.S. - Canadian Border is now open and visiting Sherman Inn is just one of many great reasons to visit Ogdensburg. Check out our list of 25 great ideas for Spring and if you're into golf, we have 15 courses within driving distance from the Inn. And don't forget, if you're scrambling to find that perfect gift, consider booking a stay with us at an internationally recognized destination. Read The Gazette Here

Happy Valentine's Day! The January 2022, Vol. 2, No. 1 edition of the Sherman Inn Gazette is online! Plan your Valentine's Day stay, view our list of 25 upcoming local events, hear what guests are saying about Sherman Inn, and more... If you'd like to receive our newsletter in your inbox, you can sign up here.

Santa and Mrs. Claus stopped by the Sherman Inn a little early to visit with our grandchildren. We very much enjoyed his visit. Santa wanted to see Donna's 10 Christmas trees that brighten each of the rooms at the Inn. Each tree has its own theme in keeping with the unique nature of each room.

"Some of our guests have been waiting two years to get back to their cabins or their properties in Canada...I think they were excited after this long wait," said Jim Reagen, Sherman Inn co-owner. Guests told Reagen they would be back if they couldn't get over the border. No one came back. Read the full article on WWNYTV here: Americans visit Canada for the first time since March 2020

The annual Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Award is awarded to the top 10% of bed and breakfasts and small inns in North America and determined by reviews left by guests after their stay - the Owners, Donna & Jim Reagen have been overcome with support. “We were quite taken aback and very pleased and grateful to all the people who have stayed with us and thought enough of us to write a review,” said Reagen. “It’s wonderful that we’ve gotten people who stay at our lodging place and had such a great experience that they want to share their thoughts with others.” “People really like to see the historic elementary school repurposed and given a new life,” said Reagen. “When they actually see the rooms, they’re just taken aback and can’t believe the furnishings and the antiques. The rooms feel like you’re staying in a very special place and I think that’s really reflected in the reviews.” To read more about Sherman Inn's history, the owner's comments and the full article on NNY360, click here.

Ogdensburg's Sherman Inn recently mentioned on NorthCountrynow.com after gaining some notoriety from being named Travelers' Choice Award Winner as one of North America's top Bed & Breakfasts by Tripadvisor.com. Read the full article on NorthCountryNow.com here...

We're pleased to announce that Sherman Inn has been recognized as a 2021 Travelers' Choice award winner! This achievement celebrates businesses that consistently deliver fantastic experiences to travelers over the last 12 months. Congratulations to all the winners of the 2021 Travelers’ Choice Awards. I know the past year has been extremely challenging for tourism businesses. What has impressed me is how businesses adapted to these challenges, implementing new cleanliness measures, adding social distancing guidelines, and utilizing technology to prioritize guest safety. The Travelers’ Choice Awards highlight the places that are consistently excellent - delivering quality experiences time and time again even while navigating changing customer expectations and new ways of working. Based on a full year of reviews from customers, this award speaks to the great service and experience you provided guests in the midst of a pandemic.” - Kanika Soni, Chief Commercial Officer at Tripadvisor To see traveler reviews and popular amenities of Sherman Inn, visit our Tripadvisor page.

Canadians are back at area Bed & Breakfast and Hotels around Ogdensburg. They aren't coming from Canada but places like Cancun and Florida. A 74-year old cab company owner has made it her mission to get them home (Need a ride? View transportation options to get to and from Sherman Inn, the airport, and in and around Ogdensburg here). There are lots of rules, but by coming back by land, Canadians can avoid mandatory hotel quarantines in Canada as long as they test negative for COVID-19 in Ogdensburg. While Canadians wait for COVID-19 test results, they stay at area bed and breakfast and hotels. "Having these COVID tourists staying with us was not part of the business plan but it has certainly helped at an important time for us," states Sherman Inn Co-Owner, Jim Reagen. This hasn't just been good for hotels and cab companies but has had a ripple effect throughout the area as Canadians visit restaurants, stores, museums, and local attractions - all places that are hoping visitors like what they see and come back again. Click here to view the original story and TV broadcast on WWNYTV Channel 7 News.

Check out our recent television ad! Sherman Inn is a luxurious bed and breakfast in Ogdensburg, NY. Each of the Inn's guest rooms is named for a U.S. President, with a private bath, internet, and cable TV. For relaxation, there is a parlor, a library, and an outdoor fire pit. And of course, there is breakfast every morning! It's only 9 minutes to Canada and 4 minutes to the St. Lawrence River.

On Christmas eve in 2014, National Public Radio and North Country Public Radio reported how Ogdensburg and Heuvelton played an important role in the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, role in tracking Santa Claus's journey from the North Pole. Ogdensburg's Sherman Inn recounts the story in its Franklin Roosevelt room. Was the NORAD Santa Tracker born in Ogdensburg? Or Heuvelton? BY DAVID SOMMERSTEIN (NEWS DIRECTOR) , IN CANTON, NY Dec 24, 2014 Tonight is the night; the big, jolly guy dressed in red has made his list and checked it at least twice. Rudolph and the gang are harnessed and ready to go. What may be overlooked during the last minute holiday hustle-bustle is Santa Claus and his entourage will in fact fly through United States military airspace. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, tracks Santa every year with state-of-the-art equipment. Believe it or not, the whole thing was born in New York’s North Country, in St. Lawrence County. The question, though, is exactly where? Was it Ogdensburg? Or Heuvelton? Our Christmas tale begins not on a white winter evening, but rather during the hot summer of 1940. Much of the world has already taken sides in the second Great War. Canada has joined the allied forces with the British. The United.States has remained neutral up until now, but President and Commander-in-Chief Franklin Delano Roosevelt, realizes it may not last long. American troops are using the North Country as a training ground. The Ogdensburg Pubic Library’s genealogy and local history specialist Sandy Putney takes up the story. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was up here in the area inspecting the troops and must have had it in the back of his mind that something needed to be done between the United States and Canada. And history has it that he called Prime Minister McKenzie King in the evening and said “Can you meet me in Ogdensburg tomorrow?” The prime minister agrees. On the morning of August 17, 1940, FDR is in nearby Norwood checking on his military’s readiness. It’s a steamy summer day. With the top down, the President’s elegant black vehicle leads his entourage south west down the roads of the North Country. You can picture it — a warm wind blowing back Roosevelt’s hair. His long cigarette holder clenched between his teeth, on his way to a historic meeting with Prime Minister of Canada, in Ogdensburg, or so history has it written. Prime Minister William Lyon McKenzie King ferried across the St. Lawrence from Prescott. The two leaders met at the train station in Ogdensburg and quickly disappeared into FDR’s private railroad car. Persis Boyesen is the official historian for the city of Ogdensburg and the adjacent town of Heuvelton. As she and Sandy Putney explain, this is where the historical record gets a little complicated. In a short time, the railway car was moved to Heuvelton, where both heads of state remained overnight. There’s a little bit of controversy. Supposedly it was hot during the day, so they moved the railroad car out onto a spur closer to Heuvelton, so there’s been a little bit of discrepancy as to actually where the document was signed. Politically and technically, it’s called the Ogdensburg agreement. But some of the local old timers, I know in 1948, a woman wrote and said “They were in Heuvelton, get it straight.” Call it the Ogdensburg agreement. Call it the Heuvelton declaration. Regardless, when the president and the prime minister emerged from the private care the next morning, the document they produced is a landmark agreement between the United States and Canada. It voices the need for a permanent joint board of defense uniting both countries. Right here, on the St. Lawrence county railroad tracks. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD is born. Which brings us back to our Christmas tale. Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, NORAD uses highly sensitive radar to identify anything that flies over the United States and Canada. In 1955, a misprinted phone number in a Colorado newspaper add added one more duty to NORAD’s list: tracking Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Again, Ogdensburg City Library’s Sandy Putney. There was a local newspaper station that was inviting people to call and find out where Santa was, and the phone number that they printed, was one digit wrong. And it went to an unpublished phone at NORAD. Major Jamie Robertson of NORAD in Colorado Springs has the rest of this Santa tracking history. What happened was the phone started to ring, and usually when that phone rang, it usually caught people’s attention because it’s usually the Commander and Chief. The gentleman that answered the line, he says he got a call from a 6 year old girl wanted to speak to Santa Claus. He thought initially that someone on the staff was trying to play a game on him and yank his chain. The NORAD official looked closely at his radar screen and told the girl that yes, indeed, he could discern Santa’s sleigh coming down from the North Pole. The tradition stuck. Every year, on Christmas Eve, NORAD helps children around the world track Santa Claus as he travels on his annual journey.