Dwayne Britton's last step was a short walk across the Courthouse Square. Lake Martin Living reported that he crossed the historic sidewalk carrying a freshly printed certificate of occupancy for The Miller Hotel. That paper closed out three years of preservation work on a Broadnax Street building that had stopped being a hotel so long ago that most people in town had forgotten it ever was one.
This matters to anyone in Dadeville with a guest list for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Out-of-town family can now sleep on the square. They can get breakfast from a bakery downstairs and dinner from a restaurant in the same building. The owners planned it that way: the hotel, the restaurant and the bakery were set up to feed each other, so a guest's whole day can happen within a few steps of the courthouse lawn.
A Hotel Nobody in Town Remembered
Corporation papers to build it were filed in July 1923, and the brick hotel opened on March 10, 1924. It was named for Nora E. Miller, who came to Tallapoosa County from Georgia in the 1870s. With her husband Alva she ran a mercantile, a cotton gin and the Miller Ferry. After Alva died in 1904, she donated land and money for the Miller Covered Bridge in 1908. Later she worked with the Alabama Power Company to support the hydroelectric projects that created Lake Martin.
Over the next several decades the building gradually lost its identity. It held a pharmacy in the 1960s and Smith Furniture in the 1970s, then doctor's offices, barber shops and restaurants. It finally fell into disrepair and was used mostly for storage.
"I've been here all my life," Britton told Lake Martin Living. "I can't tell you how many times I've walked this sidewalk and I've never seen a plaque on that wall that said it was a hotel."
He bought it almost by accident. The magazine reports that a realtor friend he was helping with a nearby downtown remodel insisted he look at the old brick building. He put in an offer, and he had driven only about a mile out of town when he got the call that it was his.
Built Around the Visitors Dadeville Was Already Getting
The idea for the hotel came from a number Britton heard on a morning radio show. About 60,000 people a year travel to the region for weddings, and there wasn't much upscale boutique lodging close by. According to Lake Martin Living, his plan was a place where people could come "after playing at the lake all day with their family," do laundry and eat at a good restaurant.
That plan still fits holiday guests. Visiting relatives need the same things wedding guests do: a comfortable room, a meal they don't have to cook, and a spot close enough to the host's house that the day doesn't depend on who has the car.
Britton worked with local architect Steve Taylor on a restoration that kept the original building instead of gutting it. Workers stabilized the structural beams under the floors. They kept the original transom windows above the guest room doors and pulled the historic door hardware and baseboards out of the debris to reuse them. The original 1923 room numbers were still attached to the framing when work began.
Three Businesses That Feed Each Other
Two separate businesses share the main floor. Miller's on Broadnax is the restaurant, led by Chef Dennis Kirkland. The Grand Bakery is run by Taylor Nobles. General manager Stuart Brasell, who ran Alpine Bay Resort on Logan Martin Lake for two decades, described how the pieces connect in an interview with Lake Martin Living:
"We want them integrated because we all help each other out. The restaurant will be doing room service, and we will have a breakfast menu for the people that stay. The bakery, I think, is going to make some kind of cookie or something for the hotel that we'll leave in the rooms."
For a host, this means the building covers almost every hour of a guest's day. Here is how the posted hours line up.
| Day | The Grand Bakery | Miller's on Broadnax |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Tuesday to Wednesday | 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Thursday | 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Friday | 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Saturday | 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Sunday | Closed | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
The restaurant's menu sheet gives slightly different evening hours than its homepage. It lists Friday dinner ending at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday as brunch from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. followed by dinner from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Call before booking a late table, and ask about holiday-week hours while you're on the phone.
Saturday is the day to bring the whole group. On the brunch menu dated August 2026, a traditional breakfast is $12, shrimp and white cheddar grits $18, steak and eggs $19, and French toast $8. The regular menu leans Southern, with fried green tomatoes at $11, smoked-meat platters from $15 to $18, and grilled salmon at $22. The restaurant notes that prices can change and that prices in the restaurant take precedence over the online menu.
At 6:30 a.m. on weekdays, the bakery is the earliest option for guests who wake up before the host's coffee pot is on. Its list covers cookies, cakes, breakfast rolls and muffins, sourdough and other breads, brownies and cupcakes, and the bakery says availability varies. If you need a holiday cake or a few loaves for the table, call 256-307-1332.
What the Rooms Are Set Up For
There are 11 rooms, each styled differently. They include five king rooms, one double queen room and fully accessible ADA suites. Brasell chose large bathrooms over in-room appliances. "I'd rather have more space than a refrigerator in my room," he told Lake Martin Living. A shared corridor has a coffee bar, a microwave, an ice machine and guest laundry.
The setup affects how you plan for guests:
- Leftovers: without in-room refrigerators, guests need a plan for Thanksgiving leftovers. The host's fridge is probably the answer.
- Laundry: guest laundry on site helps relatives staying through a long holiday week.
- Room count: with 11 rooms and only one double queen, a large family should reserve early and expect to spread out.
- Getting around: the hotel's website lists free parking, elevator access, Wi-Fi, room service, onsite dining and the bakery.
You can book online at the hotel's website. The front desk is at 256-827-3004 and [email protected]. The site doesn't show room rates, so ask for them when you call.
December From the Balcony
Some guests will want to stand on the second-story balcony. It extends over the sidewalk and looks across the courthouse lawn. Lake Martin Living reports that Britton and Brasell want the hotel to take part in downtown traditions, including antique car shows, holiday parades and planned art exhibitions on the square. The freshly cleared basement is set aside for a possible grand ballroom and community event space.
The first holiday parade the balcony could overlook is listed on AllEvents. That listing puts the Dadeville Christmas Parade on Sunday, December 6, 2026, at 2 p.m. and credits it to the Lake Martin-Dadeville Area Chamber. Check the time with the chamber before you plan around it. If that date holds, the Sunday timing matters. Miller's on Broadnax serves Sunday lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and The Grand Bakery is closed Sundays. Family coming in for the parade can have lunch downstairs and be outside when the parade starts. Pick up any baked goods on Saturday.
Last year's square calendar had a downtown open house in early November and a tree lighting at the end of the month. The 2026 dates for those events will come from the chamber and the City of Dadeville. Use last year's schedule only as a rough guide to the season.
If you're hosting this season and want local advice on where to put family up, where to eat, or what's happening on the square, Lake Area Realty's broker-led team works on Dadeville every day. Lake Area Realty Inc is glad to help, whether you're hosting family this winter or starting to think about a place of your own near the lake. Schedule a Free Consultation.
