Experience true Vermont elegance at Woodstock Inn

Be active – or simply kick back and relax – at this midsize New England classic

Vermont’s Woodstock Inn & Resort is the quintessential Vermont country inn, although on a larger scale than many of New England’s numerous white-clapboarded, dormer-windowed hoteleries. Better still, it is the centerpiece of a picture-perfect village in the Green Mountains.

A massive fireplace provides a welcoming warmth

Despite its generous capacity of 142 rooms along with several dining rooms, a spa and other facilities, there’s a certain calmness and ambience at Woodstock Inn. It’s the perfect setting for a few days of peace and quiet, an escape from busy daily work and family life, or a secluded romantic interlude.

Located three hours from Montreal in east-central Vermont, Woodstock Inn’s accommodations are luxurious but cozy, from the “standard” Garden and Woodstock rooms to the large Collection rooms and signature Legacy suites. All rooms have beds of mahogany or cherrywood, with luxury linens and brass reading lamps, and include a sitting area. Suites have a separate parlour and are decorated with an eye to the area’s heritage.

The Red Rooster is the main dining room,
one of four dining options

What makes Woodstock Inn a particularly special destination, though, is its cuisine and spa. Its farm-to-table dining is nowhere more refined. All of its five dining locations follow this style, notably the Red Rooster and the seasonally operated Red Barns at Kelly Way Gardens, specializing in unique and heirloom produce varieties according to specific harvests.

Red Rooster is Woodstock Inn’s main dining venue. Among the eight main dishes offered on a recent menu were local chicken herb-roasted with summer succotash, tarragon pistou; maple cured cod with eggplant caponata, couscous, gremolata, grainy mustard and beurre blanc; and spiced carrot panisse with chermoula, chickpeas, carrot, tomato jam and soubise. The large lunch menu has lighter fare, recently offering mussels in a sauce of cider, brown sugar bacon, cream , herbs, pommes frites; Vermont grilled cheese sandwich and soup; and cauliflower Reuben with sauerkraut, house pickles, swiss cheese and rye bread. Full breakfast is served in the Red Rooster.

In a nod to the original 1763 inn, Richardson’s Tavern is warm and hospitable

Other dining options in the main building are Richardson’s Tavern, namesake of the original 18th-century establishment, that serves gastro-pub cuisine with a selection of local craft beers and spirits, and the Conservatory, which offers coffee/tea and light breakfast fare in the morning and serves late afternoon tea. The Inn’s main bar, adjacent to the Red Rooster, is a lively spot that serves up a terrific range of signature cocktails. Of note is an Old Fashioned that combines a top-shelf bourbon with a local maple liqueur for a truly Vermont creation. The Inn also operates several other dining venues on a seasonal basis: Perley’s Pourhouse at Saskadena Six is open during the ski season offers local brews and a full menu, In the spring, summer and fall there’s the Fairway Grill at the golf course and the Red Barns.

The Nordic Spa is always popular and includes 10 treatment rooms

The Spa at Woodstock Inn & Resort has 10 treatment rooms with service ranging from regenerating body massages, facials and manicures/pedicures to alternative reflexology and reiki therapies. Staff use locally sourced products wherever possible. Most treatments can be enhanced by add-on treatments, including Himalayan salt stones, eco-fin moisturizing therapy and a wild lime scalp massage. The spa follows a sustainable, green philosophy. For more information on the sap’s extensive lineup of treatments and therapies, click here.

Standard rooms are comfortable and well-appointed

Two centuries of history

Woodstock Inn has a colourful history, dating back to 1793 when Richardson’s Tavern opened its doors. The property eventually was enlarged and then replaced in 1892 by a new building named Woodstock Inn, noted for a six-storey tower at its heart. Laurance and Mary Rockefeller acquired the property in 1967 and decided to demolish the aging building two years later to create an inn that was modern and comfortable, yet traditional in appearance and atmosphere. This building has since been expanded and upgraded.

Laurance Rockefeller’s elegant suite is one of the Legacy Suites

The Rockefellers have long been connected to the village as part-time residents. The family home is now part of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, a short walk from the Inn. Across the road from the mansion is the Billings Farm and Museum, which combines a fully operating dairy-cow operation with educational exhibits and interactive programs. It’s worth spending a few hours at the farm, touring the historic manager’s house, barns and paddocks that house Jersey cows, sheep, goats, oxen and workhorses. The farm as well as the Inn are owned and operated by The Woodstock Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by the Rockefellers in 1968. Admission to the farm is free for Inn guests.

Activities

The Inn owns and operates its own ski hill, Suskadena Six

Woodstock Inn has its own golf course, cross-country skiing and even its own alpine ski area, Saskadena Six. A half-hour west is the giant Killington alpine ski complex, New England’s biggest, and adjacent Pico Peak. Also nearby are Okemo, Stratton Mountain, Mount Snow and Sugarbush. At the Inn, there are sleigh rides. It’s perfect winter wonderland for those who crave snow pursuits — or simply to curl up in comfy wingchair with a good book in front of the huge lobby fireplace.

There is also an extensive tennis facility, including indoor courts, as part of the Inn’s Woodstock Athletic Club. Facilities include a ball machine for one-hour hitting practice. Lessons are available, as are pickleball courts. The Athletic Club has a large gym with personal trainers, and offers yoga and barre sessions.

Beyond the winter season, there are numerous off-site activities such as hiking, fly-fishing and falconry, visiting maple-syrup farms and scenic drives through the mountains and the Connecticut River Valley, including nearby Hanover, NH and its exclusive Dartmouth College.

Packages and events

Winter fun for the whole family

Woodstock Inn has a number of winter booking packages aimed at both couples and families that include alpine and cross-country skiing, and other activities. A popular package provides two nights’ accommodation including breakfast and unlimited access to all on-site snow sports – alpine skiing at Saskadena Six, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and fat-tire snow biking. (Note that Saskadena Six is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.). Among other packages are for cross-country skiing that provides two nights’ accommodation and a US$300 credit toward lessons, trail passes and rentals for two adults both days. Meantime, American Express cardholders can benefit for a fourth night-free offer.

The Nordic Centre offers cross-country skiing, snow shoeing and winter fat tire cycling

Upcoming special events at Woodstock include Wassail Weekend (December 8-10), during which the village is fully decorated for the Christmas season, and a number of outdoor activities. The Inn offers its annual Wassail Dinner on Dec. 9. Even though it’s not fly-fishing season, casting enthusiasts can attend the monthly Fly-Tying for Charity evening, where guides from the renowned Orvis Fly Fishing School in nearby Manchester are on hand. Learn to tie specific flies for experts and novices alike. And next April 8, there will be a total eclipse of the sun, and Woodstock Inn will mark this with a weekend celebration April 6-8, offering “celestial cocktails” and culinary specials, as well as “crafternoons” with eclipse-themed crafts and science projects.

The AAA Four Diamond resort has earned kudos from readers of Conde Nast, as the travel magazine’s surveys have rated it as one of New England’s top resorts. It is part of the LVX Collection of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, an affiliation of 650 independent hotels and resorts, and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America.

Woodstock Inn is an inspired choice for a classic New England getaway for an active outdoors experience or simply to kick back and relax. You can even bring the dog – the Inn has a pets-allowed policy with a number of rooms available that are located near a dog-walking area.

This article is an updated version of an article published in ‘The Montrealer’ in January 2020. The pandemic closed the Canada-USA border, and we wanted to revisit this lovely resort for our readers.  

Travel Planner

Contact Info: 14 The Green, Woodstock, Vermont. 1-844-215-7111 Website: www.woodstockinn.com Enjoy!

How to get there: Autoroute 10 east to exit 22, then A-35 south to the Highgate Springs, VT border crossing. Follow Interstate 89 south for 174 km to exit 3; west on VT-107 for 12 km; then south on VT-12 25 km to Woodstock. Total driving distance and time: 300 km, 3 hours