Issues → May/June 2007 → Travel →
Vermont: Montgomery, Vergennes, Norwich, and Newfane
(page 3 of 4)
Norwich's signature vine isn't ivy, but hops, growing out behind The Norwich Inn, the 1797 stagecoach stop that's a hospitality landmark in the upper Connecticut River Valley. The inn's line of Jasper Murdock ales makes splendid use of the homegrown (and imported) hops and is a fine foil to the inn's pub fare. Up front, a formal dining room is the place to enjoy macadamia- and pecan-encrusted pork loin.
Don't leave Norwich without a stop at Alléchante bakery and café, where you can stock up on picnic essentials ranging from spring rolls to smoked salmon to Devonshire double cream. The breads and pastries are all baked right here, and chances are good you'll go no more than five miles before dipping into your provisions.
What the Locals Know
For spectacular 360-degree views of the Connecticut River Valley and beyond, head a half mile north of the village on Main Street to Turnpike Road, take a left, and drive five miles to the Gile Mountain Trail parking area. "It's a gentle, 25-minute walk," says former Norwich Inn owner Tim Wilson, "but the views from the top reach from Mount Ascutney all the way to Killington."
What the Locals Know
Kathy English, who works at Kennedy Brothers, remembers when Hollywood descended on Vergennes and its environs to make the Harrison Ford-Michelle Pfeiffer film, "What Lies Beneath."
"You can see the exact spot where they shot the scene by Otter Creek Falls," says Kathy. "Turn off Main Street onto MacDonough Drive by the library and take the gravel road on the left about 500 yards down."
What the Locals Know
Bookseller Mary Hill likes to scout out the town's quirky markers and gravestones. "Up on Newfane Hill, west of town, is the 'whipping post' marker at the site of the original village before it was moved to the valley in the early 1800s. And in the Fayetteville Cemetery, up the hill behind The Newfane Country Store, a townsman's headstone is inscribed, 'He was a real piece of work.'"
Four Columns Inn
Stay at the Four Columns Inn, built in 1832, behind whose eponymous pillars Bruce and Debbie Pfander run one of Vermont’s most luxurious hostelries. [DETAILS]
Rick's Tavern
If it's Thursday, that means it's Live Jazz Night. [DETAILS]
Old Newfane Inn
[DETAILS]
Norwich Inn
Norwich’s signature vine isn’t ivy, but hops, growing out behind The Norwich Inn, the 1797 stagecoach stop that’s a hospitality landmark in the upper Connecticut River Valley. The inn’s line of Jasper Murdock ales makes splendid use of the homegrown (and imported) hops and is a fine foil to the inn’s pub fare. Up front, a formal dining room is the place to enjoy macadamia- and pecan-encrusted pork loin. [DETAILS]
Carpenter and Main
[DETAILS]
Black Sheep Bistro
French bistro fare indoors or at sidewalk tables. [DETAILS]
Reader Comments
Registered users can add comments.
Registration is free, and just takes a moment.
Login or Register.