historic property are the words “Montani Semper Liberi”—mountaineers are always free. The inn (which isn’t free) is actually a series of accommodations spread throughout the village (see p. 502); only about a dozen rooms are in the handsome, colonnaded 1801 main building, which wears its age gracefully though not without a charming tilt to some of the corridors. The remaining rooms are in the nearby Homestead and Windham buildings across the road. Antiques and Americana are everywhere; all rooms have phones, but none have televisions. Room nos. 6 and 8 feature lovely white-canopied beds, as do many units in the Windham Cottage. Rooms in the Homestead “Cottage”—not a cottage at all, but two historic homes joined together—on the other hand, have more of a modern, hotel-like character. The Cricketers Suite is in yet another building, and has a small refrigerator, coffeemaker, and whirlpool tub where toddlers are welcome. In all, six units have suite-like layouts. Some suites have fireplaces. Four rental homes in the village are also available; call 802/234-8700 for information.
92 Main St (Rtes. 35 and 121), Grafton. www.old-tavern.com. 800/843-1801 or 802/843-2231. 30 units. $189–$269 double; $249–$319 suite. Rates include breakfast. 2- to 3-night minimum stay winter weekends, holidays, and foliage season. Closed Mar to mid-Apr. Children 4 and under welcome in Homestead Cottage and Cricketers Suite. Amenities: Restaurant; pub; bikes; fitness center; Jacuzzi; swimming pond; tennis court; Wi-Fi (most units; free).
Windham Hill Inn This Relais & Châteaux property pretty much defines what luxury Vermont innkeeping is all about. Situated on 160 acres at the end of a dirt road in a high upland valley in West Townshend (about 20 miles/30 min. from Mount Snow), this 1823 farmhouse remained in the same family until the 1950s, when it was converted into an inn. Guest rooms are wonderfully appointed in elegant country style and floral prints; many feature Jacuzzis or soaking tubs; balconies or decks; 15 rooms have gas fireplaces—and all have good views. Especially nice are the third-floor Jesse Lawrence Room, with its lovely modern soaking tub, plush chairs, cherry pencil-poster king bed, and gas stove; and Forget-Me-Not, on the second floor, which has a similar setup plus a window nook. An annex (the White Barn) contains eight units, the choicest of which is the great top-floor Meadowlook with lots of windows, fieldstone fireplace, soaking tub beneath a skylight, double shower—and a big, open private deck. The inn’s superb dining room features creative Continental and New American cooking; outside, the pastoral acreage includes 6 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails.
311 Lawrence Dr., West Townshend (turn uphill at West Townshend country store and continue uphill 1¼ miles to dirt road and turn right). www.windhamhill.com. 800/944-4080 or 802/874-4080. 22 units. $299–$329 double; $359–$489 suite. Rates include full breakfast. 2- to 3-night minimum stay Sat–Sun and some holidays. Children 12 and over welcome. Amenities: Restaurant; outdoor heated pool; tennis court; Internet (in lobby; free).
Where to Eat in the Southern Green Mountains
Brattleboro
In addition to the choices listed below, the subterranean coffee shop Mocha Joe’s , at 82 Main St. (www.mochajoes.com; 802/257-7794), is connected with a coffee roasting outfit, and draws an eclectic crowd of locals. It sports a friendly, laid-back vibe, brews a good cup of joe or espresso, and pours fresh-squeezed “-ades” in the summer. If you like what you’re drinking, you can buy the beans and have them shipped home. Try the maple latte if you’re craving something different.
Another upscale choice is the restaurant of the Chesterfield Inn (see chapter 12, p. 575) in West Chesterfield, NH, a 10-minute drive on Route 9 from Brattleboro.
Brattleboro Food Co-op DELI Selling wholesome foods since 1975, this huge store also has a deli counter great for takeout meals. Grab a quick and filling lunch that won’t necessarily be tofu and sprouts—you can also get a smoked turkey and Swiss-cheese sandwich or a crispy salad. (The “Happy Hippie” sandwich has pesto, roast peppers, and mozzarella, although Vermont doesn’t yet have retail outlets for what makes hippies really happy.) Check out the eclectic selection of wines and cheeses as well as the natural bath products (some locally made) and the hand-cut steaks in the butcher section. Sausages are made and stuffed on premises, too, and the place is renowned for “case lot specials”: deep discounts on oversized quantities of health food. (Stash a case of organic cheese puffs in the trunk for the road.) The store section stays open until 9pm every night, a boon in early-closing Vermont. The co-op, located in a small strip mall downtown near the New Hampshire bridge, has lots of parking—though the mini-mall plaza is hard to notice as you whiz downhill and around the town’s main bend.
2 Main St. (in Brookside Plaza, on right at bottom of Main St. hill), Brattleboro. www.brattleborofoodcoop.com. 802/257-0236. Sandwiches $5–$8, prepared foods usually around $6–$8 per lb. Mon–Sat 8am–9pm; Sun 9am–9pm.
Peter Havens Restaurant AMERICAN You’re likely to feel at home right away in this locally popular dining spot, which has just 10 tables. Chef Zachary Corbin has taken the menu away from its former seafood tilt—although you’ll still find oysters on the half shell, ahi tuna tartare, and grilled salmon and swordfish—and balanced it with worthy interpretations of dishes such as braised lamb shank (pepped up with star anise), pan-roasted duck breast, and house-made potato gnocchi with roast squash in a brown sage butter. Sides, offered steak-house style at a separate tariff, are headlined by a mushroom-saffron risotto and fries cooked in duck fat. The bar is convivial and popular, but make a reservation if you’re visiting on a weekend: The place gets packed with a mix of locals and tourists.
32 Elliot St., Brattleboro. www.peterhavens.com. 802/257-3333. Reservations recommended. Main courses $23–$35. Wed–Sun 5:30–9pm; June–Oct lunch on the patio Wed–Sat 11:30am–3pm.
T.J. Buckley’s NEW AMERICAN Brattleboro’s best restaurant, little T.J. Buckley’s, is housed in a classic old diner on a dim side street. But this is far from diner food—so far, in fact, that the full name of the place is “T.J. Buckley’s Uptown Dining.” Un-dinerlike touches such as slate floors and golden lighting have created an intimate space that seats fewer than 20 when full; any more clients, and there wouldn’t be room for the chef, sous-chefs, and server, all of whom miraculously perform their culinary ballet without bumping into each other and you. Iconoclastic chef/owner Michael Fuller’s menu is always limited, with just a few entree choices each night, but the food nearly always dazzles in its execution. Expect the usual New American appetizers and entrees: beet carpaccios, wondrous pâtés, crab, seared scallops, steak, duck, and fish-of-the-day dishes—all beautifully prepared and presented, sometimes more adventurously than you might expect. (Whatever Fuller feels like making, he makes—his way.) Note: The tab for a dinner party of three or more will run into the hundreds, so hit a bank first (well, not
