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Be Blissful in the Backyard of Love at Hibiscus Coffee and Guesthouse

November 9, 2012 by Jill Tanner

Getting hitched like a local is effortless in the Backyard of Love, behind Hibiscus Coffee and Guest House. Located in the heart of Grayton Beach, this whimsical little gem embodies the very spirit of the area. There are many places in SoWal to tie the knot, but if you want a more intimate setting, look no further than the Backyard of Love. With seating for 80 people, this is the perfect place to host your wedding events.

Hibiscus Guesthouse opened in May of 1994 when Kurt, Barbara, and their son, Warren Tape moved to SoWal from Louisiana. Burt’s Barn, one of the oldest buildings in Grayton, was about to be torn down when Kurt happened upon it and bought it, then moved it to the spot where Hibiscus Guesthouse stills remains to this day.

The Tape family restored it back to its former beauty and opened for business. In 2006 they built the new guesthouse to accommodate their ever-growing client base. Each year, business gets better as tourism in SoWal continues to grow. The quaint bed and breakfast style hotel stays nearly full throughout the year.


The Tapes believe the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. They are always trying to yield to their better selves, and to that end they have a “Be…” board. It hangs out in the front of the guesthouse and has been up for sixteen years. Each day, a word is written on the board as motivation for passers by to “Be Better”. Many people believe the “Be” of the day speaks directly to them - Be Kind, Be Gentle, Be Dreaming, Be Positive, and so on.

As for weddings, the "graytest" news of all, is that you and your party don’t have to leave the property. Chef Colin Smith at Café’ Hibiscus serves breakfast and lunch daily with delicious menu items from vegan sausage biscuits to gourmet tacos. Hibiscus Guesthouse has twelve guestrooms, sleeping a total of about thirty-five guests, making it easy to accommodate your family’s needs. While having your rehearsal dinner or reception in the Backyard of Love is the norm, many have said I do there, as well.

Colin offers sample menus from which to choose, or he will customize for your tastes creating a menu tailored to your needs. Café Hibiscus specializes in vegan and vegetarian fare, but more often than not, they are serving up the goods for the carnivores. Because Hibiscus is a BYOB venue, you purchase your own spirits and they provide the bartender, or you can have a self-service bar.

Whether you want to have a wedding, family reunion, bachelor party, or a reception, Hibiscus Coffee and Guesthouse can surely suit your needs. 

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Jill Tanner's picture

Jill is a long-time SoWal local transplanted from Georgia. Jill enjoys writing movie scripts in her bit of spare time.

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