Our Daily Show! Growing The Riverbend By RBGA: Green Tree Inn
ELSAH - Green Tree Inn in Elsah is a one-of-a-kind bed-and-breakfast experience.
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Located at 15 Mill Street in downtown Elsah, Green Tree Inn is a great spot for locals to enjoy a weekend getaway or visitors to engage with the village along the Mississippi River. Owner Megan Cunningham shared that she didn’t always expect to run a bed-and-breakfast, but she loves the experience and she’s grateful for groups like the RiverBend Growth Association for their support.
“Running a bed-and-breakfast is a lot of different adventures and challenges,” she said. “We get all kinds of people who walk through our door and stay at our inn. I love to sit down at breakfast with people and hear their stories or share my stories.”
Cunningham shared that it was “a dream” of hers to one day own an inn, but she never thought it would happen. She moved to St. Louis from a metropolitan area in California, then met her husband, who was also interested in opening a bed-and-breakfast.
In recent years, the two wanted to get out of the city and enjoy a slower, smaller town. When the Green Tree Inn came up for sale, the couple decided it was now or never.
“It was a dream. I don’t know that it’s something that I ever really seriously thought would happen in my life,” Cunningham remembered. “When this bed-and-breakfast came along, it was like, well, do we do it or should I wait and just let it keep being a dream?”
They decided to jump in. They received the keys on Oct. 1, 2025, from previous owners Connie and Gary, and they immediately had guests to welcome.
The past nine months have been “a little bit of a blur,” but Cunningham loves her new role. She previously spent 10 years working as a chef, so she enjoys cooking and sharing meals with the guests.
“I do love food and I do love serving breakfast. I get a lot of compliments on my food. I aim to please,” she said. “I want everybody to have a good experience, especially at the breakfast table. Cooking is just something that I’m really passionate about.”
She also enjoys learning new skills, like how to run a marketing campaign or how to manage a website and social media. She is appreciative of organizations like the RiverBend Growth Association, which offer learning opportunities and help connect the Green Tree Inn with other businesses in the community.
Like the RBGA, Cunningham believes in the larger community. She is passionate about supporting Elsah and the people who support the inn. She wants to introduce more events to the village, and she is thankful to the RBGA for its investment in her new hometown.
“I think Elsah as a village is really important for us to lean into. I know RBGA is also invested in Elsah,” she said. “One thing that is a goal for us as a business is to encourage more tourism in Elsah and bring some more visibility to Elsah. Groups like RBGA, I think, really help us with that.”
For more information about the Green Tree Inn, you can visit their official website. To learn more about the RiverBend Growth Association and how they can help you or your business, visit their official website.
Cunningham encourages people to come out and enjoy a getaway at the bed-and-breakfast.
“If you need a little escape, feel free to give me a call and I can talk you through it if you have any questions,” she added. “We look forward to meeting more people and having some more folks come through the door.”
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