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Woodstock, Quechee, Bridgewater and Plymouth, Vermont: Essentials Edition
These towns are the first tastes of Vermont I had when visiting with my parents and friends as a child. Walking through these villages transports you to a time gone by. It’s an incredible way to connect with the past, as well as with historic food production methods. While there are endless hours you can spend just wandering around or spending time in nature, the purpose of this post is to equip you with a short list of my favorite things to do and places to go within the area.
View some of my other favorite Vermont towns here.
Woodstock, Vermont
Woodstock, Vermont was one of the largest towns in Vermont in the mid 1800s. Most of the gorgeous architecture that stands today was built around that time. As with all factory towns, it declined before becoming more of a tourist destination in the early 1900s. Woodstock was home to influential land sustainability advocates like George Perkins Marsh and Frederick Billings, some of the nation’s first environmental thinkers. Mary and Lawrence Rockefeller later became a part of the town, preserving the architecture and landscape, maintaining that turn-of-the century feel.
The Woodstock Inn was built in 1793 as a tavern, and even though it has gone through many renovations and alterations since then, it still remains a part of the heart and soul of Woodstock. The open hearth fireplace welcomes you as you enter the lobby. One could spend an entire day in front of the cozy fireplace with a glass of wine of course! The Woodstock Inn recently partnered with Kelly Way Gardens, a farm-to-table program that hosts delicious dinners at the farm, courtesy of the head gardener and the Woodstock Inn executive chef.
The Spa was given a Forbes four star rating. It’s my favorite spa in the New England region. The calm neutral design scheme with shaker wood stoves, white oak and blue tiles, along with its top of the line facility and services make it a great place to spend the day at any time of year. My favorite treatment is a three-part scrub, warm foil wrap, finished with a massage.
Billings Farm is a must when visiting Woodstock. If I can’t convince you, the baby cows that you are allowed to interact with probably will. The museum consists of an 1890s farmhouse, along with a dairy farm operation which is still running. Every day the farm holds events from pie crust making in their state-of-the-art chef’s kitchen to gathering vegetables and making a meal in the historic farmhouse. (It is a rarity that a museum will allow cooking in a historic structure). Every Thanksgiving, the staff cook a historic farmhouse dinner on the wood stove in the kitchen. When you walk in the house, the smells of the food make you feel like you are a guest for dinner back in the late 1800s. It is pure magic. The educational experiences here are second to none, allowing visitors to understand historic farming and cooking methods while discussing pertinent contemporary issues in the field.
In the dairy barn, they have great instructional talks on dairy production, from the history, to the actual demonstrated process, to the ramifications of how the industry has been impacted today and what that means for health, the economy and cleanliness.
Please get the Lamb Wellington at the Prince and the Pauper. It is really something. Crispy puff pastry encapsulates delicious duxelles and spinach along with decadent medium rare lamb. The sauce and the mash potatoes are a lovely, but not a distracting accompaniment to this dish. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
As you step down into the cozy restaurant on a snowy night, you are greeted by a small bar and a welcoming host. The restaurant continues towards the back, with warm wooden booths, rustic deep rust colored walls, and white tablecloths lit with candles.
Quechee, Vermont
Quechee is not only one of the quaintest hamlets I’ve ever come across, but it is also home to my best friend, Blaire. (She supplied some pictures for this post). I have spent some of the most memorable times of my life here. Quechee was originally a mill town known for its fine flannel. Thanks to the Quechee Lakes Corporation, most of its original buildings have been finely preserved. Quechee is home to a gorgeous river that is ripe with endless opportunities of canoeing and swimming, and also to one of the quaintest covered bridges in the state (I may be a tad biased). It is also home to the Quechee Gorge, a 165 foot deep spectacular gorge that draws visitors from all over the country.
A main fixture in Quechee is the Simon Pearce Glass Factory, which hosts a gift shop and an inviting restaurant with views of the falls, as well as live glass blowing. The cheddar soup served in the restaurant is something my parents and I come here for every year. It’s delicious and creamy, with bits of crisp carrot and that gorgeous Vermont Cheddar creaminess that is a dream.
Every summer, Quechee hosts its annual hot air balloon festival, the longest running festival of its kind in New England. Up to 20 hot air balloons are featured as they start their journey so close to the river you worry they’ll fall in!
Bridgewater, Vermont
Bridgewater is perhaps a lesser known town compared to Woodstock and Quechee which tend to attract more tourists. However, it is none the less interesting. It is home to Shackleton Thomas, a small family owned company that makes furniture and pottery from scratch. These handmade pieces are of the finest quality. I aspire to have a couple of their pieces one day. Ramunto’s Pizza, located in the same building is a tasty bite after drooling over pottery and furniture.
Plymouth, Vermont
Just south of Bridgewater is Plymouth, Vermont, home to the Calvin Coolidge Birthplace. The drive from Bridgwater takes you winding up high into the mountains, in which the museum is nestled. It’s very much worth the short trip.