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Rest Easy Woodstock
Sleep Well
Woodstock features many fine inns and B&Bs in town, and there are many more within a half-hour's drive. You'll find most of the properties have experience helping active travelers plan outdoor excursions. The following list is just a sampling of what the region has to offer.
The Jackson House Inn is a three-story Victorian mansion, built in 1890, with verdant gardens and luxurious accomodations. The spacious cathedral ceiling dining room with a tall open-hearth fireplace is known as one of the nicest dining experiences in a town. 114-3 Senior Lane, Route 4, Woodstock, VT 05091, (802) 457-2065 or 1-800-448-1890, www.jacksonhouse.com
Kedron Valley Inn includes an 1828 red-brick main house, an 1822 tavern, and a modern log-construction lodge. This historic property is filled with family heirlooms¢mostly antique dresses and quilts¢some of which date back more than 150 years. All of the rooms have a private bath, and many have fireplaces or wood-burning stoves. Route 106, South Woodstock, VT 05071, (802) 457-1473 or 1-800-836-1193, www.scenesofvermont.com/kedronvalley
Maple Leaf Inn This Victorian-style farmhouse is an exceptionally elegant home tucked into the woods with a whopping wraparound porch. Route 12, P. O. Box 273, Barnard, VT 05031, (802) 234-5342 or 1-800-516-2753, www.mapleleafinn.com
Parker House Inn This 1857 Victorian, red-brick mansion has seven rooms, each with a private bath and furnished individually with antiques in a warm, unpretentious manner. 1792 Quechee Main Street, Quechee, VT 05059, (802) 295-6077, www.theparkerhouseinn.com
The Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm This 1793 farmhouse has its own cross-country ski trails, lake, and full-service guide outfitter on site to rent Nordic skis, skates, snowshoes, canoes, kayaks, and mountain bikes. Guests also receive access to the Quechee Club's tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, small downhill skiing area, and full golfing privileges on the Quechee Club's two 18-hole golf courses. Main Street, Quechee, VT 05059, (802) 295-3133 or 1-800-235-3133, www.quecheeinn.com
Three Stallion Inn About 45 minutes west of Woodstock, this Victorian mansion inn provides the perfect setting for an active vacation on its 1,300 acres of green, wildflower-filled Vermont meadows broken only by stands of forest, a trout pond, and the Third Branch of the White River. There's a pub, a restaurant, and a wrap-around verandah, which offers expansive, crystalline views of the Green Mountains. Lower Stock Farm Road, Randolph, VT 05060, (802) 728-5575 or 1-800-424-5575, www.3stallioninn.com
The Woodstock Inn & Resort is the epitome of genteel, country sophistication. There are nearly 150 rooms and suites in the main inn and the adjoining Tavern Wing. Each is luxuriously appointed with quilts, hardwood furniture, and contemporary country décor. 14 The Green, Woodstock, VT 05091, (802) 457-1100 or 1-800-448-7900, www.woodstockinn.com/
Dine Well
You cannot go wrong dining in Woodstock or in the surrounding villages. Discerning travelers have raised the region's Epicurean standards to lofty heights, and woe to the restaurant that fails to meet them. Much of great dining in the region is in country inns, most of which are open to the public, if not nightly, at least on the weekends. To be certain, call ahead for reservations. There are also many notable chef-owned restaurants housed in historic homes both on the beaten path and tucked away in rural hideaways. The following restaurants are best bets for romantic, gourmet meals.
Jackson House Inn With its cathedral ceiling and large windows overlooking the inn's five acres of gardens, this restaurant has an exceptionally elegant atmosphere. The innovative and downright succulent New American cuisine matches the environment perfectly. 114-3 Senior Lane, Route 4, Woodstock, (802) 457-2065
Kedron Valley Inn The dining room in this historic inn has exposed beams and the original, uneven, wide-planked wooden floors, making for an historic as well as sumptuous gourmet dining experience. Route 106, South Woodstock, (802) 457-1473
Parker House Inn You can expect a lot from a graduate of the distinguished Culinary Institute of America, and Walt Forrester does not disappoint. Walt and his wife, Barbara, a former caterer and pastry chef, team together to produce "American comfort food," which is loosely defined as fine dining without pretension. When you eat and drink this well in Parker House Inn's Victorian dining room¢lit by candles and warmed by a roaring fire¢it's hard to imagine a more pleasant place on earth. 1792 Quechee Main Street, Quechee, (802) 295-6077
The Prince & The Pauper The comfortable country décor, including hand-hewn wooden beam ceilings, complements the nightly changing menu, which always offers unpretentious preparations of fish, game, and fowl, spiced and served with the season's fresh ingredients. 24 Elm Street, Woodstock, (802) 457-1818
Simon Pearce Restaurant What began as the Glassblower's Café, a luncheon spot overlooking the Ottaquechee River Falls at the Quechee covered bridge, has become one of the region's fine dining establishments. Simon Pearce had to renovate and add on to his facility to accommodate the number of diners who turned up each evening. There's now a terrace dining room overlooking the falls, which is kept open in the summer and enclosed for the winter. The Mill, Quechee, (802) 295-1470
The Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm With a candlelight dining room overlooking the Ottauquechee River, the Quechee Inn is tough to top for a romantic dining experience. The food complements the view with appetizers like herbed risotto, featuring fresh herbs in a duck confit with grilled asparagus and an excellent range of entrées, including fish, game, and fowl. Quechee Main Street, Quechee, (802) 295-3133
Wild Grass Just a half-mile east of Woodstock on Route 4, this gourmet restaurant inevitably appears on every local's list of top fine-dining spots in town. The multicultural menu ranges from jerk chicken to grilled ahi tuna, yet changes regularly, so expect creative dishes using seasonal ingredients. Gallery Place, Route 4, Woodstock, (802) 457-1917
Woodstock Inn While the Woodstock Inn & Resort offers several dining options, including the more casual Eagle Café and Richardson's Tavern, it is the formal dining room that deserves your attention. Here, Executive Chef Daniel Jackson directs his staff in the preparation of mouthwatering, classic American and New England cuisine. 14 The Green, Woodstock, (802) 457-1100
PICNIC PACKING
Pack for the trail by swinging by the Woodstock Farmers' Market, 16 Route 4 (one mile west of Woodstock's village green), (802) 457-3658, where you'll find an outstanding deli that makes sandwiches so large, they constitute two meals.
JUST DESSERTS
One of the best ways to spend an indulgent evening is to dine in one of the recommended fine restaurants, then close out your bill and try dessert from another. Every restaurant listed features a dessert menu that could induce spasmodic fits of ecstasy. Another popular route is to head directly to Woodstock's chocolate soul, the Chocolate Cow, 61 Central Street, (802) 457-9151, an entire boutique devoted to all things chocolate, including truffles, fudges, ice cream, and more.
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