The Inn Place in Woodstock

This was our anniversary getaway destination — the Woodstock Inn & Resort in Woodstock, VT and lucky for us, the tulips at the end of that expansive front lawn had just bloomed. Our earlier Boston trip was a pre-anniversary celebration.

As you've noticed, we like to celebrate special times more than once and why not? 

Woodstock Inn lobby

Here's the main lobby of the Woodstock Inn. That eagle above the fireplace is significant as years ago. In the 1830s, the inn was known as the Eagle Hotel after a local cabinetmaker carved a large eagle that was later mounted above the tavern's entryway. Before then it was called Richardson's Tavern when Captain Israel Richardson built one of the Woodstock's first lodgings in the 1790s.

The current Woodstock Inn has incorporated the eagle symbol into its brand identity and eagles can be found throughout the inn.

 

Staying in a grand hotel of this type is admittedly an extravagance, but it's well worth the expense if you admire and appreciate the history of these places, as we do. Besides treating ourselves is also special.

Our queen bedroom wasn't the largest available and it didn't have a window view of the expansive front lawn. However, it was not only comfortable, but the bathroom was very large (sorry, no photos).

Woodstock Inn, Conservatory sitting room

Woodstock Inn, Red Roster main dining room

Woodstock Inn, basement lounge area

An earlier Woodstock Inn was built in 1892 on the site of the original Eagle Hotel at a cost of $120,000. It featured over 100 guest rooms and soon attracted affluent visitors from east coast cities who were part of the tourism boom of the mid-19th century. It became known as Vermont’s first winter-sports center where parties  were reportedly the "talk" of Boston and Montreal. 

Over the years, basic improvements were made to the Inn, a major renovation was needed to modernize it. In 1967, American philanthropist and financier Laurance Rockefeller was approached by the inn’s manager to help finance a remodel. Superficial remodeling would have cost $600,000, experts recommended tearing down the 76-year old inn. Rockefeller purchased it, tore it down, and built a new facility which opened in 1969 under its current name, the Woodstock Inn & Resort.

The Woodstock Inn & Resort promotes iteself as "Vermont's most beautiful address." While we haven't seen other locations for a true comparison, it certainly is one of the best locales in Woodstock, VT. with its central location set back from the town's central square, called the Green.

We explored some of the town and surrounding areas, but that's material for another post.