Autumn in Vermont: so inviting — the quintessential New England getaway. As temps dance and dip, chilling the clean air, vacationers’ hearts warm, as they are welcomed by the Green Mountain State’s legendary hospitality. Vivid foliage brightens the landscape, which is abundantly forested. Sugar Maples, source of high-quality syrup, are ablaze in brilliant shades of yellow, burnt orange and rich red. Alders and American Beeches mostly shimmer yellow. Sumacs’ finely serrated leaflets are transformed into combos of yellow, orange and red, or a solid dark red. Pin Cherry dazzles purplish-crimson. Red Oak, with its distinctive pointed lobes, blushes in scarlet, harvest red, russet and brick red hues, with some chartreuse and golden yellow. Amid this kaleidoscopic-changing terrain, sweater weather is embraced. Pumpkins are plucked. Haystacks are gathered. Mugs of steaming apple cider, swirled with cinnamon sticks, are cupped in upturned hands. Such fall-into-wanderlust pleasures — both soothing and stimulating — can be gratefully savored in many regions throughout Vermont. Where to begin? Here, a look at charming Woodstock and its treasures.
Woodstock Inn & Resort
Celebrating 130 years since founding its original hotel, Woodstock Inn & Resort — entwined with the legacy of Laurance Rockefeller and his commitment to nature conservation — is the village of Woodstock’s iconic accommodation, earning stellar marks for comfy luxuriousness, graced with Vermont antiques and artistic touches. Located on Main Street near eateries and shop-happy boutiques, which encourages pleasant strolls, the 100 percent smoke-free inn offers 142 stylishly renovated guest rooms that exude a sense of place and serenity. Its grounds are thoughtfully landscaped.
Woodstock Inn & Resort is intent on using locally created products as much as possible, as well as emphasizing produce grown in its 3-acre certified organic Kelly Way Gardens, where approximately 200 varieties of vegetables, 200 varieties of cut flowers, 75 varieties of berries and orchard plantings, 50 varieties of herbs and edible flowers and a mushroom glen supply the property. Its two restaurants — The Red Rooster and Richardson’s Tavern — serve winning fare. At The Red Rooster, fine choices include New England oysters on the half shell with smoked cocktail sauce, blackberry mignonette and burnt lemon; Vermont sweet corn soup with crème fraiche and marash red chile; a Vermont artisan cheese assortment accompanied by candied almonds, honeycomb, fruit purée and lavash flatbread; herb-crusted rack of lamb with vegetable tabbouleh and mint berry gastrique; and Vermont maple cake topped with candied pecan ice cream. A well-rounded wine list amply satisfies. Ask about inventive garden-to-glass cocktails. At the more casual Richardson’s Tavern, craft brews and spirits are cheered. Near the flickering fireplace, sink into wingback chairs and select the Billings Farm cheese fondue with sliced apples, grapes, house-made chips, sausage, cornichons and artisan bread; seafood stew with clams, mussels, shrimp, fin fish, tomato fennel broth, saffron aioli and toasted garlic sourdough; and a cookie plate stacked with chocolate chip, coconut macaron, raspberry jam thumbprint and maple.
The inn’s 10,000-square-foot, LEED-certified, Forbes four-star-rated, full-service spa unveils traditional and signature treatments, as well as calendar-driven thematic extras, such as this year’s Harvest Glow immersions: an apple-sugar body scrub; organic pumpkin pureé mud wrap; wild-lime scalp massage; peppermint foot massage; and hydrating body massage, followed by application of pumpkin-spice lotion.
Discover Abundant Recreation & Adventure
A heated indoor pool at the Woodstock Athletic Club, open to inn guests, is a year-round splash. (The inn’s on-site outdoor pool is seasonal.) Energize with tennis (the club encompasses 12 indoor and outdoor courts), pickleball, a roster of fitness classes, plus yoga and barre instruction in the expansive movement studio.
Staff at the inn’s activity center direct guests to mountain biking and hiking excursions (more than 60 miles of trails and paths are interconnected via meadows, woodlands and Woodstock village). A favorite route: Ottauquechee River Trail, which journeys through fields, countryside and along riverbanks. In Quechee State Park, explore its breathtaking Quechee Gorge, which at 165 feet is the deepest gorge in Vermont and a popular photography spot.
For a particularly memorable outing, New England Falconry (headquartered in Massachusetts) partners with Woodstock Inn to orchestrate hands-on Vermont guest encounters with these spectacular birds of prey. Fan of fishing? Woodstock Inn’s Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing program organizes ventures into picturesque streams and rivers, led by expert guides. Orvis equipment is available.
Relish Billings Farm & Museum, an exemplary living history experience replete with a Jersey cow dairy, where milking is often showcased.
At Billings, revel in wagon rides, scavenger hunts, Farmstead Garden talks, the 1890 farm manager’s house tour, sheep greetings, herbal lessons and art exhibitions, as well as eventful dates, such as the upcoming October Harvest Celebration, Family Halloween, Thanksgiving Weekend and early December’s Wassail Weekend.
Head to Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park for enlightening beauty. The National Park Service calls this singular jewel “the only national park to tell the story of conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America.” Marked trail hikes, a tour of the historic mansion, art shows, as well as other monthly activities are organized for adults and children. Step into this park that you might never have heard about, yet won’t soon forget.
At Vermont Institute of Natural Science in nearby Quechee, the extensive, climbable, ADA-accessible Forest Canopy Walk (see video, below) rises 65 feet above the Ottauquechee River. It features a 360-degree viewing platform and a fantastical spider web-like rope challenge, enhancing eco-loving perspectives of all ages. Spy squirrels, birds and other uplifting creatures that live on-high. VINS deserves applause aplenty for its wild bird rehabilitation accomplishments, engaging outdoor exhibits and impressive educational outreaches. This unique environmental oasis and its forward-thinking, supportive community are Earth’s champions.
Travel to Vermont to slow down and look up, to feel the hug of hospitality, to punctuate autumn’s unfolding with New England memory making, to pause life’s gallop of time, as another lap around the sun swings by. Crunch fallen leaves underfoot, tuning your ears toward birdsong that flutters on branches overhead, and notice that your rural rambles here elicit bountiful smiles.
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