Anniversary in Vermont

Chester Vermont is one of those pretty little Vermont towns that we usually just pass through on our way north. For our 39th wedding anniversary we decided to make it our base. Chester is a small town, there is no way around that. In many ways it is the quintessential New England Village. It has the obligatory town green with pretty houses and a church or two surrounding it. To find out what new in Chester visit Chester.

Of course the downside of staying in a village of three thousand people is the lack of anything very substantial to do. Depending on the season there are many ways to entertain yourself in the vicinity if not in Chester proper. Weston Playhouse in nearby Weston offers regional theatre which unfortunately for us didn’t begin until June 20th and we were there the 8-10th. If you are going to be in the area late June through mid September then check out their website for the varied and interesting selection of offerings. Westonplayhouse.org.

Weston is a very easy drive from Chester even in the evening. Another thing you may want to consider if you are coming in the summer or the fall are vintage train rides. There is one in the area that goes from Bellows Falls to Chester Depot. Check out their website for schedules and fares and also other train options. www.rails-vt.com.

Of course being Vermont there are lots of outdoor activities, horseback riding, kayaking or in the winter skiing and snowmobiling. Anyone who knows me knows that there is little to no chance that I will be doing any of the above things however I applaud all the outdoor enthusiasts and certainly Chester makes a good base for many of these activities. Okemo which is Al's favorite ski slope is only about 15 minutes away and Magic Mountain is even closer.

Quick Tips:

I went in search of some historic things that we could do and I came up with two that required a minimum of driving and offered a maximum of interest. On the way to Chester we took the scenic route 9 west and turned north to Manchester Vt. Our destination was Hildene, the summer home of Robert Lincoln, the only surviving child of Abraham and Mary Lincoln. Beyond being a historic site this is also a venue. The weekend we were there they were preparing for an antique car show on the grounds. Additionally the gardens are lovely and offer scenic views. While we were visiting there were several different artists in the garden taking advantage of the beauty and trying to capture it on canvas and film.

While you are in Manchester you will want to take advantage of the very upscale outlets that dot the main street. It is not at all like a mall but rather small groupings of shops. It was very crowded and parking seemed difficult so we passed on this trip but I will come back to look them over on a less crowded weekend.

Our second historic site was the Calvin Coolidge Historic Site which is located in Plymouth Notch. Don’t even look for the town of Plymouth Notch. Most of what was the village has been incorporated into the historic site. I was totally unprepared for how well done this would be. You check in at the Visitor Center and find the time of the next tour. While you are there you can watch a short video and visit the museum. You will be guided to the family buildings, which includes the home where Calvin was born and also the house he was staying in when his Father swore him in as President. You then are allowed to wander at your own pace through the rest of the buildings, a church and barn and General Store. Allow several hours and there is a small restaurant if you want to have lunch. The cheese factory also offers some excellent shopping and allows you to tour their facility to see how cheese is made.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting to Chester Vermont is easiest done by car taking route 91 north to exit 6 in Vermont Then take route 103 to Chester, or alternately you may choose to go to exit 7 and go through Springfield Vt on Rt 11 to Chester. One reason for our choice of exit 6 is that it goes by the Vermont Country Store in Rockingham. If you are coming from the west Rt 11 might be your route of choice . For a scenic drive up through the Berkshires on Route 7 would be a nice option. The nearest major airport is probably Manchester NH which is services by most airlines including Southwest another choice would be Burlington Vt which has daily service from many major cities.

There is no public transportation in Chester and in the small downtown area walking will cover most stores with the exception of the Pear Tree.

We were looking for a Romantic getaway and I checked out B&B's that are located in Chester. The Inn Victoria caught my eye. They have a very nice website that gives you a very good idea of what to expect and I have to say that our stay exceed my expectations in every way.

Our hostess Julie was there to greet us and not only did she recognize my name but she remembered that it was our anniversary. We felt like old acquaintances immediately as we discussed England and some of the areas we both knew. Small world, we agreed.

Our room, the Princess Beatrice, is the least expensive of their rooms. I know, it’s our anniversary, why was I economizing? Ah well, this is one place where even the least expensive room has charm and amenities to spare and the website had assured me it would be comfortable. The room itself is small but there was plenty of room for the two of us. As you enter, the queen bed dominates the space and the covering is a luxurious red and gold. The headboard is brass and there are lights on both sides of the bed for reading. Only Al, however, got a night stand.

I sat in the comfortable chair to use my laptop and the adjacent antique marble top bureau to hold my cup of coffee. There is Wi-Fi throughout the house. The room has lots of natural light from three windows. The walls are covered in floral wallpaper and the curtains are lace.

We have a wardrobe to hold our clothes and our bathroom is across the hall. So that we did’t shock our neighbors, we were provided with two robes. The room is air conditioned but does not have a TV.

On the first floor the public rooms include a parlor, a dining room, and also a guest area with a computer, free coffee and tea, and a fridge with soft drinks and water at a nominal 25¢ charge. There is a small area with a couch and chair and a TV with lots of DVDs to watch. There is also a decanter of sherry if you care for an evening drink. A tray of brownies was put out in case you get the urge to munch and after watching TV; Al did have the urge.

Julie was more than happy to show me three of the rooms whose guests had not checked in yet, they have 7 rooms available. All of them were drop-dead gorgeous and made me wish I had thrown caution to the wind. One had a Jacuzzi tub and separate shower and the other had a claw-foot tub in the room and a fireplace.
They were both huge and had decks out the back. On the third floor, there is a two-room suite that also has a magnificent bathroom and a grand bed. Don’t get me wrong, our room is cute, but these are exceptional.
Breakfast is served from 8-9am

We wanted someplace a little special to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We asked Julie our hostess at Inn Victoria for a suggestion. She recommended the Fullerton Inn and since all we had to do was walk out the door and walk down the street to get there we thought it sounded like a great idea.

The Inn has a very historic look and a wonderful presence opposite the town green. There is free parking right along the green if you are not staying within walking distance. As you walk up you will notice the large front porch where you have the option of taking your meal or there are dining rooms inside. We opted to eat inside for no good reason except that the porch was quite full of people and we wanted a little more privacy. The dining room seems quite dark compared to the outside but we found it romantic with the candles on the tables and the soft music playing.

We began the meal with drinks and I was pleased to see that they served Stella Artois. Al was very pleased with his CC and ginger and my Stella was served icy cold just the way I like it.(sorry warm beer lovers) The menu at the Fullerton is diverse. The specials the weekend we were there included grilled shrimp with pesto honey glaze and toasted pecans, Montreal grilled strip steak, Cajun blackened salmon, pork tenderloin with maple and brown mustard marinade and tri colored cheese tortellini with Alfredo sauce.

I chose the grilled shrimp special and Al went with a balsamic glazed Black Angus Sirloin. We began with appetizers. I chose the fresh mozzarella and tomato salad served over greens with a balsamic glaze and basil dressing and Al had a bowl of french Onion Soup. Our waitress was wonderful she gave us two spoons so we could share the soup and two salad forks for the salad. There really was more than enough salad to share it was huge and delicious too. Even though it was early in the season the tomatoes were particularly flavorful.

I loved my shrimp, they were nice and firm with a great glaze and what’s not to like about toasted pecans. The rice pilaf had chunks of apricots in it and the side of veggies were perfect. Al’s steak was cooked just the way he likes it, a little short of medium and his baked potato was well cooked which he is a stickler about.

I forgot to mention the bread basket and it deserves a mention. It included some terrific corn bread with cranberries in it and I swore I saw a blueberry too.

To celebrate our anniversary I finished with a blueberry creme brulee and Al had the chocolate volcano cake. Both were excellent but the creme brulee is made in house and I prefer that.

Great service, excellent food, romantic atmosphere, a near perfect anniversary dinner.

Formerly known as Raspberries and Thyme this has always been one of our favorite restaurants in Vermont, so when we found out that it had changed owners and had a new menu and name, we were apprehensive. As we walked in the front door, we realized that cosmetically not much has changed except that the spinning dessert case was nowhere to be seen. What was somewhat disconcerting was that we were ignored for over five minutes as we waited to be seated. The waitress was very busy serving on the porch, she never saw us but someone came out from the kitchen, looked at us and went back into the kitchen. He never acknowledged that we were there or said anything like "The waitress will be right with you". I found this rude in the extreme and in about one more minute we would have been hitting the road and going back to the Fullerton Inn where we knew we would get a good meal.

The interior has been carved from a former home so you have many of the features of a house. The tables are wooden with lace table cloths under glass covers but the napkins are paper which really is unacceptable if you want to be considered fine dining.

We finally did get a table and had menus in our hands. It is a very limited menu and I wasn’t sure I was going to find anything that appealed to me since I refuse to pay $17.95 for a chicken breast, I don’t care what you do to it. Al, of course, was in his usual glory because they had a sirloin steak with champs (which we learned later are mashed potatoes) and he has never met a steak he didn’t like.

I finally decided to throw caution to the wind and ordered the salmon which was herb-encrusted and served with a tarragon sauce over fettucini. While we were waiting for our entrées, a bowl of very good olives and a bread basket with cheesy herb biscuits was presented. With the edge taken off our hunger, we were much more inclined to accept the changes that we had found. Our waitress was very good, she never hovered but she never left us feeling neglected either.

Our meals were enjoyable. Al’s steak was served with a red wine sauce which he loved and was cooked less than medium which was as he had ordered. My salmon was tender and flavorful and I found the tarragon sauce to be very satisfying. It was a very light Alfredo type sauce. What struck us, as unusual, was that no vegetables were served with either meal and no salads are offered.

For dessert we shared a tart tatin which was lovely, served with vanilla ice cream and a caramel sauce which was very sweet. They have a pastry chef so desserts are made in house. I still miss Raspberries and Thyme but not quite as much as before we ate here.

Route 9 is a scenic Vermont road that runs east to west along southern Vermont. We had arrived on Interstate 91 and headed west toward Manchester. As we were leaving Brattleboro we realized that we were hungry and we needed to find somewhere for lunch. It wasn’t long before we came across the green and white building with the giant ice cream cones in front. Now if that doesn’t get your attention nothing will.

Be warned, the entrance is in the rear. We are notoriously bad at finding the entrance to buildings and we parked on the side. There are several other doors that look like they probably were the entrance at one time but they are not used now. Once we had gotten in we were instantly overwhelmed by the board listing all the special. A warning, the menu will not included these specials and the waitress is not going to list them for you, this is a diner and even in Vermont you are going to get a little of that diner attitude that makes them so unique. An example, when I asked the waitress to tell me about the raspberry pie she looked at me like I was mental (what could I possibly want to know about pie) and said “it’s made here” which actually was exactly what I wanted to know .

This is not one of those sleek gleaming diners. It looks like a local joint, the floor is black and white linoleum tiles. The booths are wooden and the seats are cloth, some of it a bit rough but if it is a little run down that only adds to the charm. An antique jukebox has a place of honor on one wall and the whole atmosphere is bright and country with everyone was talking and laughing and best of all eating. Everything we saw go by us looked great.

The menu is large, even without the specials. There is a whole page of Mexican food which was a surprise. There are weekly and monthly specials and daily blue plate specials. They run the gamut from pulled pork and rotisserie chicken to Swiss steak and lamb shanks. There certainly is a huge variety of offerings.

Since it was lunch we went a little lighter. I opted for a grilled cheese, you have your choice of bread and of cheese. I chose Swiss cheese on whole wheat. They also offer American and cheddar. It was served with potato chips.

Al got one of the foot-long hot dog with sauerkraut and macaroni and cheese. Oh my, this was mac & cheese the way your momma made it if your momma made it homemade. It was great, the best of comfort food.

Now of course the raspberry pie...It was homemade and delicious. Exactly what I was hoping for. Al got the bread pudding, it was big and really good with loads of cinnamon.

Prices were good and food was great, what more could you want.

Stone House Antiques Center
Route 103
Chester, VT

I have always stopped at the Stone House Antiques center in Chester ever since it opened. You never know what you are going to find. It is a multi dealer shop with mostly open displays. This isn’t a high end antiques store, it is more about country collectibles and kitchen chachkees than serious art however it is no less enjoyable to poke around. There are two separate buildings and one of the buildings has seen more incarnations than the other. Beyond just antiques it has crafts, local Vermont products and by the time you go just about anything else is possible. I rarely leave here without having found something that I can’t live without.

The Pear Tree
177 South Main St

Now this is a very interesting shop. Intermingled among a smattering of antiques you will find a variety of interesting products. In the kitchen and bath department you will find a nice selection of Caldrea products, beautiful soaps and farm house products. There are pretty home decor items like glass bells to cover your plans and mercury vases and bowls. There are throw pillows scattered around the pieces of furniture for sale. I tried the most wonderful lemon and verbena hand lotion and I can’t believe that I didn’t buy it because it made my hands so soft. There are robes, candles, scent sticks, and some very pretty stationary. They even have lots of great baby gifts. This is a fun place to poke around they have a unique and eclectic collection of items.

Misty Valley Books
58 The Common

An amazingly well stocked local independent book store. They have a whole display of local authors, with some of the books signed. There are also plenty of books about the area. What surprised me was the excellent selection they had of magazines. The walls are lined with novels, biographies, histories, and enough titles to please even the most discriminating reader. I found a book for myself as well as a very sharp pair of readers. If you have ever met me you know that one of my signature looks is my extensive collection of unusual glasses and they had a very nice selection here. They also had a case full of cooks books with I spent quite a while perusing.

Hopewells Books
The Commons

For a totally different book buying experience try this book store where they sell used books. What an amazingly diverse selection they had. Obviously because of the nature of a used book store it doesn’t make any sense for me to tell you what they have however rest assured that they will have an equally expansive collection when you visit. A really great place to poke around.

Robert Lincoln, the only surviving son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln built Hildene in Manchester Vermont in 1905 as a summer home. He had visited the area in the 1860s with his mother and his brother Tad and had found the area very attractive. He purchased 500 acres of land and had his house built in the Greek Revival style. At the time it cost $63,000.

The house remained in the Lincoln family until 1975 and in 1978 it was purchased by the Friends of Hildene who set about restoring the property. There are no surviving descendants of Abraham Lincoln which I found very sad.

Normally a visit would begin at the Visitor center which is in the old carriage barn. When we visited in June it was closed for renovation but was scheduled to reopen in July. In the carriage barn there is a film that plays on a loop and a gift shop. Hildene is located up a very long driveway, it is a full mile.

Entrance to the house was $7.50. There is no brochure or map to guide you around and it is a self tour. There was someone who welcomed us into the house and he was also more than willing to answer any questions we had. He also told us a lot about the Aeolian Organ which is in the entrance hall and was a gift to Mary Lincoln by her husband Robert. It is a pipe organ with a player attachment and 242 rolls of music. It has all been digitalized and the organs plays on a regular schedule. We were afraid we would miss it but have no fear, if you are anywhere inside the house you will hear it, it is quite amazing. Robert paid $11,500 for the organ which is about 1/6 of what he spent to build the house.

The house was modern from the moment it was built. It had electricity and modern plumbing and was really state of the art when the Lincoln’s moved in. There were 15 servants who kept things running smoothly at Hildene and of the 15, 6 remained here in Vermont and the other nine moved with the family to and from Chicago.

It was interesting to walk into the butlers bedroom and see how simply he lived. In the butlers pantry there is a call box with all the rooms marked so he would know where he was being called from. There are plaques in each room giving you some basic knowledge about what you are seeing.

On the second floor there is a room dedicated to Abraham Lincoln and it is here that you can see his stovepipe hat and the scultpures of his hands, they are big, you are encouraged to touch them or compare your hands to them.

The gardens are quite spectacular and well worth a walk especially in June when the peonies are in bloom.

I have been on a quest during the last couple of years to visit as many presidential sites as possible. When we visited Vermont in April we tried to visit but the site was not open. They are open from late May to mid-October. We visited the weekend of June 9/10 and little did we know that this was the weekend where admission is free. This saved us $15. Admission is $7.50 for adults, children 6-14 $2, and a family pass is $20. There is plenty of free parking.

Begin you visit at the visitor center. There is a film to watch, which is on a loop, to introduce you to our thirtieth president as well as a small museum with changing exhibits. What we saw were pictures and stories about his parents and grandparents, his sister, his wife, and sons. It chronicled his life from boyhood through his last years in Northampton Ma. I am embarrassed to say that everything we read was news to me as I knew zero about this very private man. His nickname of “silent Cal” may be a little to blame.

There are tours every hour that leave from the General Store. We ended up watching half of the video when we arrived at the visitor center and then going to take the hourly tour and then when we were finished with our visit we returned to the visitor center to see the end of the video and check out the store.

Frankly the tour is pretty lame, basically however you need to take it to get into the house where he was born, the barn and the house where he grew up and where his father swore him in as president. Yes, his father who was a notary swore him in right in their parlor after the unexpected death of President Harding. Our tour guide was sweet but had nothing of any interest to tell us and even Al thought she was the worst guide we have ever had. Plan on figuring most of it out on your own.

Upstairs at the General store, which his father owned during his lifetime, was the summer white house. There was a silent film that you could watch there about the time he spent here during summer of 1924. The room has remained much the same as it was then.

One thing not to miss is the Plymouth Cheese factory. Oh did I forget to mention that this is a whole little village not just one homestead. Yes, this is still an active cheese factory but on Saturday no one was working. There is a small but well stocked store downstairs and a museum upstairs, all you ever wanted to know about the production of Plymouth Cheese and even more. I bought quite a few items from the store, they have all Vermont made items and some like the cheese and some soap are made right here in Plymouth Notch.

Probably the biggest draw is the Church where the Coolidge family worshiped. It was built in 1840 and follows the Congregational tradition. It is built in the Greek Revival style with a beautiful wooden interior with perfect acoustics. It is no longer an active congregation which is very sad since it is a lovely church. There was a docent in the church who was happy to talk about the church which used to be her parish.

There is a small restaurant on the site which I will mention in a separate entry.

Don't leave the area without stopping by the cemetery to see the multiple generations of Coolidges, including the President who are buried there.

Located at
Route 100a
Plymouth Notch, VT.

Originally built as a tavern in about 1830 the Wilder House was the home of Calvin Coolidge’s Mother Victoria Josephine Moor and it was there that she married the future president’s father in 1868. Her sister and her husband lived here while Calvin was growing up. It was turned into a coffee shop in 1956 and today it is painted the same color mustard yellow that it was in 1923 when Calvin became the president of the United States.

There is no tour of the house and I suppose that is because there is nothing of a family house left to it. We walked in through the front door which takes you by the kitchen and through to the dining area. Were we welcomed and told to pick a table. When we arrived there was only one other table occupied but it wasn’t long before we had more company.

This is a simple restaurant and as we walked in we saw a blackboard on the wall with food items listed. Some were breakfast items and others were lunch. We didn’t realize that they had a printed menu, we were never offered one but later after some of the other tables had filled up we saw that they were given menus. I suppose it really didn’t matter too much because we were not here to have a big meal but rather to have a snack.

Among the offerings were ham and tuna sandwiches, grilled cheese, hotdogs, peanut butter and jelly and a fresh fruit platter with cottage cheese. On this particular Saturday they were offering corn chowder as the soup. I decided to have a cup of soup and a serving of rhubarb cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Al had bread pudding. The bread that is used here is from Baba Louis bakery in Chester and everybody was raving about it. We asked for water and the only water available is bottled not tap.

My soup came with a cup full of very good crackers. The soup was chunky with potatoes and carrots as well as corn. It was very good.

The cobbler was chunks of rhubarb covered with a crumbly sweet topping. It was a little sweeter than I like but it was still very good and there is no extra charge for the ice cream. Al’s bread pudding is redolent with cinnamon and also with ice cream. Mine was served warm his was served cold. Our whole little treat stop costed $9.85. All the desserts here are homemade on site and they really taste it.

This is the only game in town but it was worth stopping.