Local sons Charles and Franklin Orvis started out here as hoteliers in the mid-1800s and found that tourists lured by the Battenkill and Mettawee rivers were a fine market for their handcrafted rods and tackle. Their empire lives on in the Manchester flagship store, which stands beside the popular Orvis fly-fishing school. Here, would-be enthusiasts can release their inner angler with field trips to the hallowed Battenkill, famed for its rainbow and brook trout.
Today, Charles Orvis’s home has been reincarnated as the Charles Orvis Inn, part of the Equinox Resort, along with the cozy 13-bedroom Federal-style 1811 House nearby, where Abraham Lincoln’s granddaughter Mary Lincoln Isham lived. Hildene, the Lincoln family home, is not far away. The 24-room Georgian Revival mansion on 412 acres was built by Robert Todd Lincoln (Abraham and Mary’s son) in 1905.
At least one morning should be spent at Up for Breakfast (named for its second-floor location), a local landmark famed for its delicious pancakes drizzled with Vermont maple syrup.
The Equinox Resort & Spa began as a tavern in colonial times and has expanded over the years.
WHERE: 100 miles south of Burlington. VISITOR INFO: www.manchestervermont.net. EQUINOX: Tel 800-362-4747 or 802-362-4700; www.equinoxresort.com. Cost: from $230 (off-peak), from $600 (peak); greens fees from $85. 1811 House: from $100 (off-peak), from $320 (peak). ORVIS FLY-FISHING SCHOOL: Tel 866-531-6213 or 802-362-4604; www.orvis.com/schools. Cost:$470 for 2-day session. When: mid-Apr–Oct. HILDENE: Tel 800-578-1788 or 802-362-1788; www.hildene.org. UP FOR BREAKFAST: Tel 802-362-4204. BEST TIMES: late Apr–mid-Sep for fishing; mid-Jul of even-numbered years for Hildene Antiques Show; 1st weekend of Aug for Southern Vermont Art & Crafts Fair.
Fall’s Riotous Foliage, Unsurpassed
NORTHEAST KINGDOM
Vermont, U.S.A.
In 1949, a former U.S. senator from Vermont, struck by the timeless beauty of his state’s three northeasternmost counties (Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia), dubbed them the Northeast Kingdom—and when fall’s brilliant palette arrives, it’s among the most stunning places in America. Here, thickly wooded hills give way to sleepy hamlets and the fjordlike Lake Willoughby, with its flanking, soaring cliffs.
The unofficial gateway to the region is St. Johnsbury (“St. Jay’s”), but this uncrowded corner of Vermont is better known for small towns such as Peacham (population 611), which may well be Vermont’s finest photo op during foliage season. Keep driving through valleys of tidy farmlands, where cows outnumber the proudly insular Yankee residents. Harsh winters and sheer remoteness have kept development and tourism at bay, making these roads a paradise for cyclists as well as motorists.
Winter sports enthusiasts are drawn to historic Craftsbury, home to the highly regarded Nordic Ski Center and its 50-mile network of ski trails, including a stretch of the 300-mile Catamount Trail, the longest cross-country ski trail in the U.S. In summer, no less beautiful a season, Big Hosmer Pond offers opportunities for rowing and paddling. Ringing it are miles of trails and dirt roads for biking, walking, and running.
In the time-forgotten village of Lower Waterford (whose population hovers around 50), the Rabbit Hill Inn, built in 1795 in the Federal style, complete with white colonnade, sits on 15 unspoiled acres with a commanding view of the White Mountains. Its 19 guest rooms are individually decorated, and dinner is an elegant farm-to-table three-course affair, while breakfast is every bit as scrumptious.
WHERE: St. Johnsbury is 75 miles east of Burlington. VISITOR INFO: www.travelthekingdom.com. For info on New England’s color scene: www.vermontfallfoliage.com. CRAFTSBURY NORDIC SKI CENTER: Tel 802-586-7767; www.craftsbury.com/skiing. RABBIT HILL INN: Tel 800-762-8669 or 802-748-5168; www.rabbithillinn.com. Cost: from $199; dinner $50. BEST TIMES: late Sep–early Oct for peak foliage and local foliage festivals.
Like Guests at a Vanderbilt Estate
SHELBURNE FARMS
Shelburne, Vermont, U.S.A.
On a bluff overlooking 100-mile-long Lake Champlain, with New York’s Adirondacks beyond, sits the Inn at Shelburne Farms, surrounded by 1,400 acres designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed New York City’s Central Park (see p. 841). The redbrick Queen Anne–style country mansion, built in 1886 by Lila Vanderbilt and her husband, William Seward Webb, welcomes guests into a bygone era of turrets, fireplaces, oil portraits, and floral wallpaper. Its 24 guest rooms are appointed with family-heirloom antiques and are dripping with character. The inn’s candlelit restaurant offers a menu that might include roasted rack of locally raised lamb complemented by organic produce from the property’s garden. The inn is the crown jewel of Shelburne Farms, a nonprofit conservation center run by the Webbs’ great-grandchildren.
In addition to the inn and the working farm, there’s a hands-on children’s farmyard and a dairy known for its excellent cheddar cheese. Some 140,000 pounds are produced annually from the farm’s herd of Brown Swiss cows. At the Shelburne Museum, the nearly 40 structures (25 of them historic) scattered across 45 grassy acres hold one of the finest collections of Americana in the country. Dubbed “the Smithsonian of New England,” the museum’s holdings include some 150,000 pieces, amassed by the family a century ago, including cigar-store Indians, pewterware, glass dolls, quilts, and even a carousel.
Staying at the inn supports Shelburne Farms’s educational programs.
WHERE: 7 miles south of Burlington. INN AT SHELBURNE FARMS: Tel 802-985-8498; www.shelburnefarms.org. Cost: from $160; dinner $45. When: early May–mid-Oct. SHELBURNE MUSEUM: Tel 802-985-3346; www.shelburnemuseum.org. When: mid-May–Oct. BEST TIMES: late May for Lilac Festival; mid-summer for Vermont Cheesemaker’s Festival; Jul–early Aug for the 5-week Vermont Mozart Festival; mid-Sep for Shelburne Farms Harvest Festival.
Where the Hills Are Alive
STOWE
Vermont, U.S.A.
Considered the queen of Northeast ski areas, Stowe Mountain Resort was created in the 1930s, making it one of the oldest in the country. Despite its reputation for quaintness, Stowe has reinvented itself as a resort to rival the nation’s best, complete with 116 trails over 485 skiable acres and the new Over Easy gondola linking the Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak ski areas. Stowe has more mile-long lifts than any other Eastern resort and slopeside accommodations worthy of its name, Ski Capital of the East. Warm-weather activities like the 2,300-foot Alpine slide and extensive hiking trails draw visitors once the powder’s gone.
Stowe Mountain Lodge, the exposed-timber and stonework centerpiece of Stowe’s renaissance, is the mountain’s only ski-in, ski-out hotel. With floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the dazzling winterscape, the 139-room lodge caters to skiers who come to tackle the famously steep Front Four trails on Mount Mansfield, at 4,395 feet, Vermont’s highest peak. In summer months, golfers head for the Bob Cupp–designed course, designated as an Audubon International Signature Sanctuary. The 200-year-old town of Stowe, with the requisite white steepled church and a folksy Main Street that features the old-fashioned Shaw’s General Store, is the quintessence of charm.
Stowe is also home to the country’s first cross-country ski center. The 2,400-acre Trapp Family Lodge was opened in 1950 by the Austrian family of Sound of Music fame, who settled here after coming to America in 1942. The resort’s Tyrolean ambience, old-world service, and menu of Wiener schnitzel and spaetzle make this chalet-style lodge one of the coziest this side of the Alps.
Most skiers reach Stowe via Route 100, a highly scenic two-lane road that stretches some 200 miles along the rugged spine of the Green Mountains, connecting several major ski resorts and a string of picturesque villages. Stop in Weston, where the biggest attraction is the jam-packed Vermont Country Store, founded in 1946 and famous as “purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find.” Nearby, the small town of Warren is best known for its vital cultural scene and the luxurious Pitcher Inn, originally opened in the 1850s. It has 11 rooms, each distinct, a restaurant that has been showered with superlatives, and an extensive wine list. Visit the
old-fashioned Warren Store for penny candy, baked goods, and the locally brewed Lawson’s Finest beer, sold exclusively here.
WHERE: 45 miles east of Burlington. VISITOR INFO: www.gostowe.com. When: ski season Nov–Apr. STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT: Tel 800-253-4754 or 802-253-3000; www.stowe.com. Cost: lift tickets from $57 (off-peak), from $89 (peak). STOWE MOUNTAIN LODGE: Tel 888-478-6938 or 802-253-3560; www.stowemountainlodge.com. Cost: from $179 (off-peak), from $400 (peak). TRAPP FAMILY LODGE: Tel 800-826-7000 or 802-253-8511; www.trappfamily.com. Cost: from $215 (off-peak), from $325 (peak). VERMONT COUNTRY STORE: Tel 802-824-3184; www.vermontcountrystore.com. PITCHER INN: Tel 888-867-4824 or 802-496-6350; www.pitcherinn.com. Cost: from $425; dinner $30. BEST TIMES: Jan–Mar for winter sports; late Jan for Stowe Winter Carnival; Feb for Stowe Derby.
In Pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Luxury
THE THOMAS JEFFERSON TRAIL
Monticello and environs, Virginia, U.S.A.
Monticello was the dream house of Renaissance man Thomas Jefferson—visionary, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, founder of the University of Virginia, and America’s third president. He designed the house—you’ve seen it on the back of the nickel—over a 40-year period and said of it, “I am as happy nowhere else.” Set on a hilltop overlooking Charlottesville and the 2,500 remaining acres of the Jefferson family’s plantation, Monticello (meaning “small hill” in Italian) is one of America’s outstanding architectural achievements.
Jefferson began planning the three-story Palladian-style structure in 1769, when he was just 26. The resulting design, influenced by Italian architecture and his five-year stay in France as U.S. Minister, includes the first dome on a residence in North America and an entrance hall filled with objects from Lewis and Clark’s expedition, which Jefferson himself had commissioned.
After serving as U.S. president from 1801 to 1809, Jefferson retired to Monticello and founded the University of Virginia, just 2 miles away. Today, his beloved “academical village” is one of the nation’s top public universities. The impeccably curated U.Va. Art Museum, opened in 1935, houses a permanent collection that includes Asian, African, and pre-Columbian pieces as well as European and American works that range from pre-Renaissance to contemporary. It is a block north of the distinctive Rotunda, designed by Thomas Jefferson and modeled after the Pantheon in Rome. Jefferson died at Monticello at age 83 on July 4, 1826, and is buried on the extensive grounds. Overnighters can stay nearby at the elegant 18-room Clifton Inn, built in 1799 by Jefferson’s son-in-law, and dine at its well-regarded restaurant.
Continue in Jefferson’s footsteps by heading 100 miles west to Hot Springs and soaking in the town’s mineral-rich, 98°F waters.
Jefferson bathed in these springs, for centuries reputed by the native people to possess restorative powers. Today the pools are part of The Homestead, a venerable 483-room Georgian-style resort founded in 1766 as one of the first European-style spas in the U.S. Guests can choose among a host of activities, from falconry to fishing a 4-mile stocked stream to hiking and biking over 100 miles of scenic trails through the property’s 3,000 verdant acres. The resort’s three golf courses are consistently ranked among the country’s best, and the Old Course offers the oldest first tee in continuous use in the U.S.
Jefferson is buried on the grounds of Monticello, site of his family’s 18th-century plantation.
WHERE: Monticello is 115 miles south of Washington, D.C. MONTICELLO: Tel 434-984-9822; www.monticello.org. U.VA. ART MUSEUM: Tel 434-924-3592; www.virginia.edu/artmuseum. CLIFTON INN: Tel 888-971-1800 or 434-971-1800; www.cliftoninn.net. Cost: from $195 (off-peak), from $525 (peak); 4-course dinner $65. THE HOMESTEAD: Tel 866-354-4653 or 540-839-1766; www.thehomestead.com. Cost: from $225 (off-peak), from $300 (peak). BEST TIMES: July 4, the anniversary of Jefferson’s death, for Monticello Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony; Oct for foliage.
A Scenic Highway Runs Through It
SHENANDOAH VALLEY
Virginia, U.S.A.
Shenandoah is the name of the mountainous region in western Virginia, the fertile, 200-mile-long valley west of it, and the lazy river that flows between them to the Potomac. Beyond its historical importance (numerous military campaigns were waged here during the Civil War), Shenandoah is one of the state’s most enchanting regions.
While riding horseback through what is today the nearly 300-square-mile Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Herbert Hoover was said to have remarked, “These mountains are made for a road.” That came to pass in 1939 with the completion of the 105-mile Skyline Drive, which winds among some 60 peaks, running alongside the Appalachian Trail (see p. 756) for 100 miles. It hooks up with the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile moving postcard running south from Waynesboro, Virginia, to Great Smoky Mountains National Park (see p. 871) in North Carolina. In autumn, the sycamores, hickories, oaks, and maples of the Blue Ridge Mountains put on a riotous display of color, which can be savored from any of the roadway’s 75 scenic overlooks or from the park’s 500 miles of hiking trails.
The Shenandoah Valley is awash in early American history, as is delightfully obvious in towns such as Staunton, where five National Historic Districts brim with 19th-century architecture that escaped Civil War destruction. Woodrow Wilson was born here, and visiting his presidential library makes for an interesting afternoon.
And then there are the area’s subterranean attractions found at the U.S. National Landmark Luray Caverns. In addition to its amazing rock formations, guests can hear music played by the Great Stalacpipe Organ—actually a lithophone, an instrument made of rock that is struck to produce haunting, bell-like sounds. Covering more than 3.5 acres, it has earned a listing in Guinness World Records as the world’s largest musical instrument.
WHERE: The valley runs from Front Royal (90 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.) in the north to Roanoke in the south. Staunton is 158 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. VISITOR INFO: www.visitstaunton.com. SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK: Tel 540-999-3500; www.nps.gov/shen. BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY: www.nps.gov/blri. LURAY CAVERNS: Tel 540-743-6551; www.luraycaverns.com. BEST TIMES: May for blooming wildflowers; mid-Oct for vibrant foliage and Front Royal’s Festival of Leaves.
A Gourmet Sanctuary in the Middle of Hunt Country
THE INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON
Washington, Virginia, U.S.A.
The Inn at Little Washington, opened in 1978 in a converted garage with a self-taught chef in the kitchen, is today considered one of the best, most romantic restaurants and country inns in the world. The setting, of course, helps. Laid out in 1749 by a 17-year-old George Washington, “Little Washington” (population 158) is a place of timeless rustic charm tucked into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and just over an hour’s drive from Washington—big Washington.
Celebrated chef and owner Patrick O’Connell oversees every aspect of the Colonial-style inn himself. The sumptuous décor evokes a fantasy atmosphere, a distillation of the world’s great country-house traditions that impresses a steady stream of D.C. types and world-traveled gourmands.
O’Connell’s sublime cuisine defies pigeonholing, at times leaning toward traditional regional fare and at others taking on a more “haute Américaine” flair. Order from the 14,000-bottle wine list and prepare to be amazed. The dining room is a Venetian-inspired dream, with 30 intimate tables and striped-silk wall coverings. Repair to any of the inn’s exquisite bedrooms and suites, where Victorian eclecticism mixes with a splash of theatricality. If there’s no room at the inn, the Middleton Inn is an easy stroll away. This beautifully appointed brick estate home was built in 1840 by Middleton Miller, later known as the man who designed and manufactured the Confederate uniform.
The Inn at Little Washington sits in the middle of Virginia hunt country, a landscape laced with long wooden fences and stone walls hiding grand ancestral homes. The 18th-century town of Middleburg is its hub—equal parts quaint and upscale. Stop by the Red Fox Inn and Tavern, which claims to be t
he oldest continuously operated tavern in the country, for crabcakes and a bowl of rich peanut soup in the dark, timbered restaurant. A meandering drive outside Middleburg eventually leads you to the bucolic Goodstone Inn, a luxurious 265-acre country estate established in 1768. It offers handsomely furnished rooms and suites in restored buildings, including the carriage house and stables, and a wonderful restaurant and scenic cocktail deck.
WHERE: Washington is 67 miles west of Washington, D.C. INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON: Tel 540-675-3800; www.theinnatlittlewashington.com. Cost: rooms from $425 (off-peak), from $525 (peak); prix-fixe dinner from $168. MIDDLETON INN: Tel 800-816-8157 or 540-675-2020; www.middletoninn.com. Cost: from $275. RED FOX INN: Tel 800-223-1728 or 540-687-6301; www.redfox.com. Cost: lunch $20. GOODSTONE INN: Tel 877-219-4663 or 540-687-4645; www.goodstone.com. Cost: from $285. BEST TIMES: late May for Hunt Country Stable Tour; Oct for foliage and Virginia Fall Races in Middleburg.
Life in 18th-Century America
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG
Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A.
Colonial Williamsburg meticulously re-creates the crucial period in America from 1750 to 1775, the end of the colonial era and the eve of the Revolutionary War. The level of detail is astonishing, from the actors who channel statesmen and merchants, to the authentically replicated workshops. It’s the country’s largest, most popular living history museum and one of the world’s finest.
The cultural and political capital of Virginia (England’s largest colony) from 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was home to a lively aristocratic social scene; Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both spent time here debating the merits of independence. In 1926, John D. Rockefeller Jr. initiated a $68 million restoration of the 300-acre site, including 88 original buildings and 90 acres of period gardens. Hundreds more structures have harmoniously been added since.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 140