August Newsletter- Museums in Southern VT & surrounding area

Southern Vermont & surrounding area Museums We hope you enjoy our list of museums in Southern Vermont & Western Massachusetts. We have arranged the list by proximity to the inn. Deerfield Valley Southern Vermont Natural History Museum The Southern Vermont Natural History Museum fosters an interest in nature, the environment and the natural sciences through exhibition and educational activities. The museum displays one of New England's largest collections of native species along with live animal exhibits, ecology, geology and natural history exhibits. Open Year round 7 days a week 10:00am to 4:00pm Website West River Railroad Museum The museum is located on the main street (Route 30) in Newfane, one of the most beautiful villages in Vermont and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Two floors of exhibition space display impressive examples of Vermont furniture, folk art, early portraits and Civil War artifacts. Local favorites are the story of the highwayman “Thunderbolt” and the history of the West River Railroad.  Saturdays and Sundays from Noon – 5:00 PM. (Also by appointment.) Website Brattleboro Brattleboro Museum & Art Center Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) is an independent, non-collecting, contemporary art museum, whose mission is to present art and ideas in ways that inspire, educate, and engage people of all ages. BMAC’s frequently changing exhibits, education programs, and public events seek to reflect and enhance the cultural richness of the communities we serve.  The galleries are open every day except Tuesdays, 11-5 Website Bennington Robert Frost Stone House Museum The Robert Frost Stone House Museum is a literary landmark located only minutes away from Frost's gravesite in Bennington. The house, built circa 1769, was considered historic even before the Frost period. It is a rare example of colonial architecture made of native stone and timber, and has changed little since Frost's time. The house sits on seven acres and still retains some of Frost's original apple trees.  June-October: Wednesday-Sunday, 11:00 am-5:00 pm Website Bennington Museum The Bennington Museum is about the creativity of southern Vermont, eastern New York State, northwestern Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire in all its forms, from the 18th century to the present. By connecting you with real objects of art and history, and by challenging you with complex ideas, the museum excites your imagination, inspires innovation, and brings delight. June through October- 7 days a week from 10 am to 5 pm February through May, November and December Thursday through Tuesday, 10 am to 5 pm Website Museum of Dog A Tribute to Dogs Everywhere Mon – Sat : 10am to 7pm Sun : 12pm – 6pm Website Western Massachusetts The Clark The collection of the Clark features European and American paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, photographs, and decorative arts from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century.  Open Tues–Sun 10 am–5 pm Website Williams College Collection WCMA sparks new ways of thinking about art and the visual world through its innovative exhibitions, programs, publications and projects Open every day 10 am to 5 pm. Thursdays 10 am to 8 pm. Website Mass MoCA MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest centers for making and enjoying today’s most evocative art. With vast galleries and a stunning collection of indoor and outdoor performing arts venues, MASS MoCA is able to embrace all forms of art: music, sculpture, dance, film, painting, photography, theater, and new, boundary-crossing works of art that defy easy classification. 10am—6pm Sundays—Wednesdays 10am—7pm Thursdays—Saturdays Website Berkshire Art Museum The Berkshire Art Museum’s mission is to showcase engaging contemporary art through rotating exhibitions as well as to preserve and examine five decades of artwork by Eric Rudd in the museum’s permanent collection. Rescuing two historic former churches, the Berkshire Art Museum exemplifies the adaptive reuse of architectural space for cultural purposes.  12pm-5pm, closed Monday & Tuesday Website

Fly fishing in Southern Vermont

Fly fishing in southern Vermont is fun & active due to our amazing water system in the Deerfield Valley. The river system is called "The Upper Deerfield," and is supplied a constant flow of water from three local bottom release dams. The three dams, Harriman, Somerset & Searsburg are operated by Great River Hydro. This man-made hydro-electric water system operates from its 400-square-mile Vermont drainage basin in four river branches: the main Deerfield, and the East, North, and West branches. The improved water management on these upper sections since 1998 has provided the Deerfield with constant flows and has some of the best fly fishing for wild trout in the state.  Here is an overview of the river from an article from Tom Keer in Fly Fisherman magazine: Starting in the Headwaters In fly-fishing terms, the Deerfield flows almost from the Orvis Company in Manchester, Vermont, to the Thomas & Thomas rod company in Turner’s Falls, Massachusetts. It covers some 40 miles from its southern Vermont origins, then runs along the Mohawk Trail through western Massachusetts before it joins the Connecticut River below Turner’s Falls. The main Deerfield (see map) runs south out of the Somerset basin, parallel with Forest Service Road 71, the dirt access road leading to the Somerset Reservoir. It joins the East Branch, which runs from the base of the Somerset Reservoir Dam to the Searsburg Reservoir. The main stem of the Deerfield then flows from Searsburg Reservoir south to the northwestern end of Harriman Reservoir (Lake Whitingham). It continues out of Harriman Reservoir southward through Readsboro, joining with the West Branch to flow into Sherman Reservoir. (The Massachusetts/Vermont line divides the reservoir.) The North Branch runs from West Dover along Route 100 through Wilmington, where it enters the Harriman Reservoir.

More importantly- how's the fishing? VT Wildlife does a great job to ensure the local fisheries are stocked well. So far in 2018, VT Wildlife has put 1300 Lake Trout in Harriman Reservoir and 750 Rainbow Trout into the Upper Deerfield River. Check out their stocking update here: https://anrweb.vt.gov/FWD/FW/FishStockingSearch.aspx Always wanted to try fly-fishing but don't want to make the investment? We can set you up with gear rentals & some local guides from Pheasant Tail Tours. They will put you on some great fishing spots & make you fall in love with the sport! We also have custom maps, made by Charlie, of the river to help direct you to some great local spots to fish. Come join us at The Wilmington Inn for some great fishing; our last fishing package is October 13-14th! To sign up visit: October fly fishing package We look forward to seeing everyone soon! harlie & Megan Foster Innkeepers

May Newsletter: Logan's Layers join The Wilmington Inn Family!

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend!  We are ready for a great summer at The Wilmington Inn!  So much to do in the valley between festivals, hiking & other outdoor activities, and lots of nearby attractions to keep the whole family busy.

We hope to see everyone soon, please enjoy our newsletter.

Help us welcome Logan's Layers!

As our new venture develops further, we aim to increase our sustainability throughout the inn.  We have recently partnered with a local family to raise chickens for the use of their eggs at the inn.  

We are raising 12 hens; our brown egg layers are a healthy cross between a White Rock layer & a Rhode Island Red male.  The chickens are fed all natural feed & leftover fruits and vegetables from the inn.  The chickens are raised by the local family & The Fosters.

The chickens are raised in a chicken coop on inn property with plenty of room to play.  Their eggs will be used for culinary needs at the inn.  Eggs will also be for sale when available.

Check out the pictures below and come visit Logan's Layers!  Come give the girls a treat- they love to say hello!

Spring Renovations

We are excited to announce that we have renovated two more guest rooms this spring!  The Molly Stark Suite & the Deerfield room both received a face-lift!  We hope everyone has a chance to stay in one of these updated and refreshed rooms.

 

April Blog- The Art of making Maple Syrup

 

Spring is coming in Vermont & we are enjoying the seasons changing! The snow is melting, the birds are chirping & the steam is flowing out of sugarhouses throughout Vermont. As new transplants in Vermont, we are learning that maple sugaring is an important part of the heritage of Vermont families. We hope you enjoy this blog all about maple sugaring!

Maple syrup was first collected and used by the indigenous peoples of North America, and the practice was adopted by European settlers, who gradually refined production methods. Technological improvements in the 1970s further refined syrup processing.

The sap is made as the tree mixes groundwater with the sugar. The sap is mostly crystal-clear water with about 2% sugar. It takes about 50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. A typical sugaring season lasts 4 to 6 weeks. A pattern of freezing and thawing temperatures (below freezing at night and 40-45 degrees during the day) will build up pressure within the trees causing the sap to flow from the tap holes. There are two different ways to collect the sap from the trees. The oldest method is with sap buckets which are attached to trees & must be gathered by hand. The sap is then transferred to a gathering tank which is used to transport the sap to the sugarhouse. The modern way to collect the sap is through pipelines attached to trees, the sap flows naturally through the pipelines to the tank at the sugarhouse (in some cases a vacuum pump is used to move the sap through pipelines).

The sap is then drawn into the evaporator which is in the sugarhouse. At the sugarhouse we have partnered with, they use a wood fire under the evaporator to boil the sap.  As the water in the sap evaporates, the sap thickens into the syrup. Even though it looks like the finished product it will still need to be filtered and graded for flavor and color. An interesting fact about Maple Syrup is that the grade is different every year as the quality of the sap determines the grade of the syrup. 

The Wilmington Inn recently partnered with the May Family Sugarhouse for maple syrup. Over Easter weekend I had the chance to take some friends and their children to see this sugaring process and what an amazing lesson it was. I learned so much and the kids loved it too. During the sugaring season, our guests can go visit the sugarhouse & experience how to make maple syrup! The pictures in this blog are from this recent visit to the May Family Sugarhouse!

Like whitewater rafting? Stay with us overnight on May 5th or 6th & go rafting with Zoar Adventure! Contact Zoar to book rafting- mention you are staying at The Wilmington Inn & you will get 10% off!

Book rafting here!

We look forward to seeing everyone again this year! Don’t forget to check out our packages for 2018!

The Wilmington Inn 2018 Packages

Winter 2018 Events & Festivals

Winter is going well here in Wilmington & we are enjoying the seasonal travelers!  There is so much going on this winter in the Deerfield Valley so we thought we would share it with everyone. 

February 17-18
Harris Hill Ski Jump 2018
More than 40 of the world’s top male and female ski jumpers from the US, Europe, and Canada are scheduled to compete this year at the Harris Hill Ski Jumping Competition in Brattleboro, Vermont. The event is sponsored by Pepsi and takes place on a 90-meter jump, designed to International Ski Federation (FIS) specifications. Jumpers launch from the take-off and soar more than 300 feet at speeds of nearly 60 mph. The event has a festive atmosphere for the whole family with food, music, souvenirs and beer tent.
2018 marks the 96th year of the Harris Hill Ski Jump & will feature the annual Pepsi Challenge and the Fred Harris Memorial Tournament, and serves as a stop on the US Cup competition of the United States American Ski Jumping (USASJ) series.

Event Link:
www.harrishillskijump.com

February 17-25
President’s Week Winterfest at Mount Snow

Mount Snow offers a week-long family-friendly celebration full of activities!  Daily concerts & activities for kids of all ages!  Torchlight Parade & Fireworks on Wednesday of President’s Day week.  Night-time events & activities for parents from a Bob Marley tribute band to “Breakfast” performing live. 
More information located here:  https://www.mountsnow.com/events/calendar/presidents-week-winterfest/



March 16-17
Shamrock Fest at Mount Snow

Celebrate St. Patrick's weekend at Mount Snow on Friday, March 16 & Saturday, March 17! Thousands of our most fervent (and verdant) fans descend to party on Cuzzins Deck, ski in costume, and rock out to live Irish music outdoors. There will be eggs and kegs in the morning, the annual Pot O' Gold scavenger hunt for an 18/19 Season Pass, and more!
Enjoy $17 lift tickets for this special day! Hurry and get them, before they're gone.


March 17-18
Whitingham Maple Festival

The Maple Festival celebrates an important aspect of Whitingham's economic and cultural heritage. Eight of our eighteen Whitingham sugar makers have graciously opened the doors of their sugarhouses and given their time so that residents, visitors, and guests, alike will gain a better understanding and appreciation of ‘the art and science’ of Maple syrup and sugar making and the historical importance of ‘sugaring’ to our town. Whitingham is known as the birthplace of Brigham Young and there are two monuments in town noting Young’s achievements.

Event Link:
www.whitingham-maplefest.us

March 24-25
Vermont Statewide Maple Open House Weekend
The Annual Vermont Maple Open House Weekend will be held at sugarhouses throughout Vermont. The Open House Weekend is the public celebration of the maple syrup season in Vermont and an opportunity for the public to visit one or more “sugar houses” throughout the state. Activities during Open House Weekend will be different at each sugarhouse but will include the opportunity to watch maple syrup being made (weather permitting) and often sample maple products.
Event Link: 
http://vermontmaple.org/

March 30-31

2nd Annual Vermont Craft Brew & Chili Stroll

Great brews & fantastic chili will be on your passport to the 2nd Annual Vermont Craft Brew & Chili Stroll. Stroll historic downtown Wilmington, Vermont and be the judge of our fiery chili competition while you sip and sample some of the finest Vermont craft brews. Join us at the Inn for the raffle after the stroll!
 Make a weekend of it and stay for Mount Snow's Annual Winter Brew Fest the next day located in nearby Dover, Vermont.



 We look forward to seeing everyone for a visit this year!

Charlie & Megan Foster
Innkeepers

The Wilmington Inn Winter Blog- Let it snow!

Let it snow!

SNOW! SNOW!  Let it snow!!  While we are enjoying our first stick season in Vermont, we are ready for the snow to start falling.  Everybody may know but Mount Snow opened on November 11^th this year which is one of the earliest openings ever in the history of the Mountain.   
With the spirit of snow in mind, we wanted to share with everyone all the fun winter activities to partake in & around Southern Vermont. 
We are very excited to announce that the Wilmington Inn now has direct access to snowmobile trails!  We have worked with a local snowmobile club, Deerfield Valley Stump Jumpers to extend the VAST trails directly to the Wilmington Inn.  More information below under activities, come stay with us and check out these new trails!

Skiing
Mount Snow is located 8 miles from the Wilmington Inn boasts over 86 trails on 600 acres!  Stratton is the next closest mountain to Wilmington with 94 trails, Stratton is 22 miles from downtown Wilmington.  Check out www.mountsnow.com  or www.stratton.com to get the ski report
Tubing
Who doesn’t love Tubing? There are two spots close to Wilmington for tubing.  Mount Snow is the closest location with 8 tubing lanes.  The best part is that there is a surface lift to bring you back up to the top!  Stratton Mountain also offers a four-lane tubing hill.

Guided Snowmobile Tours
Want to try Snowmobiling out?  Enjoy a guided snowmobile tour in the Green Mountain National Forest operated by Snowmobile Vermont.  Explore a wide variety of terrain, ranging from thickly wooded pines to wide open stretches.  Snowmobile Vermont offers 1-hour backcountry tours or 2-hour mountain tours.  Tours leave from the base of Mount Snow.  No experience necessary & customized for all abilities, tours include snowmobile & helmet rentals.
Snowmobile Vermont
https://www.snowmobilevermont.com/mount-snow

Snowmobile Access
Have your own equipment & looking for a place to sleep- we are the best spot for you!  Park on inn property with direct access to Vast Trails & ethanol-free gas.  We are located on VAST Corridor 100A-F2 which will lead you on to 4300 miles of snowmobile trails throughout the State of Vermont.  Need a permit? Contact Fat City Motor Worx here in Wilmington & they can assist. 
Fat City Motor Worx
802-464-2891

Cross Country Skiing & snowshoeing
There are miles of trails for cross-country skiing & snowshoeing in the area surrounding Wilmington.  Bring your own or rent from Zoar Outdoor across the street from the inn.  Here are some fun ways to enjoy these activities!
Prospect Mountain in Woodford is located about 13 miles from Wilmington.  Prospect Mountain is a Nordic cross-country ski area with over 30 kilometers of groomed trails.  Prospect has a lodge on site & also has rental equipment.
Prospect Mountain
www.prospectmountain.com

Zoar Outdoor located directly across the street from the inn and operates a variety of different winter activities.  During the winter, you can rent snowshoes & cross country skis.  They also operate guided tours through the trails to explore the local trails with a local guide.  These items can be added to your reservation & returned to the inn after use.
Zoar Outdoor
www.zoaroutdoor.com

Family Fun & relaxing activities
Looking to relax & enjoy Vermont?  Here are some fun & relaxing activities provided by some local vendors.
















Sleigh Rides
Adams Farm is a 5^th generation working farm located here in Wilmington.  During the winter, Adams Farm offers public & private sleigh rides when there is snow on the ground.
Public Sleigh ride
Step back into yesteryear and join Adams Farm as a team of Belgian draft horses pull the sleigh through the mountainside to an old log cabin. Once there, unplug and warm by the wood stove, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate, and sing along with the vintage player piano.  Tour lasts about 1 1/2 hours. Half the time on the sleigh, and half the time at the log cabin in the woods to warm up.  The Wilmington Inn can arrange Sleigh rides for guests.  Sleigh rides may be canceled due to lack of snow. 
Private Sleigh Ride for two
Adam’s Farms’ Currier and Ives type sleigh is an 1880’s sleigh pulled by a single horse. This two-seater sleigh has room for the couple in the back, tucked in with a cozy wool blanket, and a bearskin lap robe with the driver in front. Enjoy a 45-minute journey around the perimeter of the property, through the woods and across the ridge of the mountain back to the farm.
Adams Family Farm
www.adamsfamilyfarm.com

Dog Sledding
Looking for that country experience, try Dog Sledding. Experience winter as never before.  Be pulled by a team of Siberian Huskies on an exhilarating 2-hour sled ride through Vermont’s scenic winter landscape.  With mushers as your guide will get a chance to witness true working sled dogs in action.  Tours are offered as a single or double sled, adventures begin at the kennel, & take a scenic up and down a mountain.   
Husky Works Mushing Company
www.huskyworks.com

These are some of the fun activities located in Wilmington & the surrounding area! We look forward to seeing you soon at the Wilmington Inn!

Let the Wilmington Inn host your next event! Great location for getaways, retreats, weddings & more!

 

The Wilmington Inn is the perfect place for your next family gathering, wedding, retreat or getaway weekend! Let us help you plan your event! We specialize in weddings, corporate retreats, family reunions or simple getaways with friends The Wilmington Inn offers great opportunities for all groups 10 guest rooms with private bathrooms and televisions Complimentary breakfast for two people per reservation Living spaces with bar, games, indoor & outdoor fireplace Walking distance to downtown Wilmington’s restaurants, shopping & much more Walking distance to a free shuttle, Moover, which brings riders to Mount Snow, Brattleboro or Bennington There are amazing benefits to booking the entire property! Discounted room rates if entire property is booked Free range of the inn to enjoy time with your guests exclusive Innkeepers are experienced event managers, we can arrange anything from activities,  transportation, to AV for a group retreat.   Not sure if you need all 10 rooms?  Rent out our Carriage House & have all 4 guest rooms in the building to your groups' exclusive use. Contact Megan Foster for more information on events You can reach Megan at megan@thewilmingtoninn.com or (802)464-3768