Vermont Escape

We begin our trip by traveling off the highway up old route 5, a road that always brings back childhood memories of vacation trips to Canada for me. Sometimes we stop at the outlet mall in Brattleboro and sometimes we keep going until we get to Basketville in Putney. After either one of these quick stops we head up to Rockingham where we hop onto route 103 for the next leg of our trip. Route 103 travels for 60 miles from Rockingham to Rutland through the pretty towns of Chester, with its stone village and Ludlow the home of Okemo ski resort . Both towns have plenty of places worth a stop. There is multitude of choices of places to stay in all price ranges,I will include 2 in my journal. From Rutland we head up route 4 often ending up at Quechee Gorge ( which is the Grand Canyon of Vermont). Route 4 travels through the mountains and valleys of central Vermont and includes charming views and goes straight through the picturebook town of Woodstock.

Quick Tips:

The only plans you need to make are hotel reservations especially in the fall during folliage season and in the winter near the ski resorts. At some of the more popular restaurants reservations are a good idea but there are plenty of choices if your favorite is booked. I like to play the rest by ear and stop when the mood moves me. Every trip is a little different this way, though I have favorite antique shops that I like to hit on every trip.

Best Way To Get Around:

You need a car to see this area the back roads are some of the real treasures and there is not a lot of public transportation available.

UPDATE
CLOSED 2009

This is our favorite romantic getaway hotel. From the outside it looks like a large 2 story motel. Looks can be deceiving. As you walk into the lobby it looks much more like a ski lodge with a roaring fire and sofas located in a conversation pit.

This Inn has the friendliest and most helpful staff anywhere, and if you are a repeat visitor they act like they know you. You will also find a note in your room welcoming you back from the managers.

I look forward to arriving here by 3:30 when tea is served in the game room, its free and includes cookies and pastries and on a cold winters day is a welcome treat.

The rooms are country in design and some have four poster or canopy beds. There are also family suites that have a seperate sleeping area for the children as well as their own tv. All the rooms have either a balcony or a deck with chairs for sitting and taking in the views. The bathrooms are large and modern and the rooms have extra pillow and blankets in the closet. They have good lighting for reading and a comfortable chair.

The Inn has an indoor pool, spa and workout room. Outdoors they have tennis courts, basketball hoops, hiking trails, a pond with row boat and bikes to rent. Breakfast buffet is included in the price and includes made to order omlets, blueberry blintzes and much, much more.

Zola''s Grill serves wonderful dinners and there is a more casual pub on the lower level for snacks etc. What more could you ask for.

This looks like a barn from the outside and inside it is just as rustic with tables on two levels ( the upstairs is an open gallery where you can look down to the basement store and the maple sugar making equipment in the center). We followed the hostess up to our small table on the second floor and watched in amazement as the waitresses dashed up and down the wooden stairs with plates of food and handfuls of dirty dishes.

The kitchen is open to the counter and from our perch we could watch the meals being sent out. There is always a crowd here but the prices are good and the food is better, so its worth the wait.

Their menu warns that every pancake item is served with real Vermont maple syrup , artificial syrup extra. This sums up their philosophy, only the best ingredients are used. I had an order of hand cut thick french toast with a cinnamon sugar coating, delicious. My husband had a huge 3 egg cheese omelette with rye toast and home fries.

This particular time they were slow to refill our coffee which I am sure had more to do with the number of diners being served by each waitress than with inattention on our waitress's part. Anyway the food was so good we were willing to forgive anything.

Crowley Cheese Store is a small roadside store that offers Crowley Cheese produced in their own factory in Healdville. They offer vermont cheddar in mild, medium, sharp, extra sharp, dill, caraway and hot pepper among others. The store also has a variety of other Vermont products, mustards, maple syrup, jams and jellies, crackers and spreads. Its a great place to stop to pick up the makings of a roadside picnic which is what we usually do. This is not a slick outet store but a small old fashioned store with lots of atmosphere and chatty help.

During the ice age the Ottauquechee River carved a 165 foot chasm that today is referred to as Vermonts Little Grand Canyon. The best views are from the bridge that spans the Gorge on Route 4. As you are heading east you cross the bridge and park on the far side. The hiking trail begins there, right off the parking lot, and it is a mile walk to the bottom of the gorge. It is a good family activity and even small children ( my friend went with her 3 children 5-10) can manage it. I prefer the gut-wrenching views from the sidewalks that run along both sides of the bridge. It's hard to decide which view is better: north or south. I'll leave it to you to decide. If you are not planning a trip to Arizona in the near future ,this is a nice alternative.

The Hood Museum is located on the campus of Dartmouth College. It was a total suprise to me. I had no idea that such a marvelous museum existed in this small corner of the north of New England. As it turns out this is one of the largest and oldest college museums in the country. They have a beautiful Rembrandt, it is a picture of his wife Saskia in Fantastic Costume with Plumbed Hat. I got a photographic pass but I was not allowed to photograph it because it is on loan, even though quite a permanent loan. Too bad, its quite lovely. Highlights of the collections are the 9th century BC reliefs from the Palace of Ashurnaisirpal II. There are also works by Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keefe, Marc Chagall, Benjamin West, Delacroix and a Van Dyke Etching. This museum alone makes a ride up north worthwhile. The musuem is open Tuesday thru Sunday.
Call for hours: 603-646-2808.