I am all about spending a sunny summer day outside as you can see from the video above.  One of my favorite leisurely outdoor activities is tubing on the West River in Southern Vermont.  The best part is the tube rental and the river are located very close to our Bed and Breakfast.  The West River is great for tubing as it is not too deep, the water is moving at a good speed, and it offers variety.  In some spots you are just floating along while in others you are gently bumping your way through the large smooth river rocks.  What a relaxing way to spend a hot summer day.

If you are planning a trip to Brattleboro and you choose to stay with us here at Forty Putney Road B&B, we can help you with your tubing adventure.  We will direct you to the tube rental (Vermont Canoe Touring Center 802-257-5008) to pick up a tub and life jacket, you can follow us in your car to the ending point where you will leave your car,  we will then drive you and your tubes to the launch site.   The launch site is located at the  West Dummerston Covered Bridge this trip will take you about 2 hours depending on the speed of the current.   Then all you have to do is float down the river and get out at the nearby swimming hole where your car will be parked.  What do you need to bring?  We suggest water shoes and sunscreen.  You will find beach towels at our B&B that you can borrow.  So cool off this summer in a tube on the West River – and at Forty Putney Road B&B!

Marlboro Music Festival is located in Marlboro, Vermont (only a short 15 minutes from our B&B, Forty Putney Road).  Marlboro Music Frestival is an amazing group of concerts held throughout July and August.  Marlboro Music has gained world-wide acclaim as an institution devoted to fostering artistic excellence and grooming new musical leaders who illuminate all areas of music today.  There concept is unique as they invite master artists to play together with exceptional young professional musicians, under the Artistic Direction of celebrated pianists Richard Goode and Mitsuko Uchida.  Below you wil find the 2009 schedule directly from Marlboro’s website.  We highly recommend you attend and hope you enjoy the wonderful sounds of Marlboro Music Festival

Marlboro’s 59th Season: July 18th-August 16th, 2009

The programs offer chamber music for diverse instrumental and vocal combination’s from all musical periods. Selected each week from among some 70 works in rehearsal at any one time, the programs are announced Saturday just one week prior to weekend performances.

To purchase tickets over the phone, please call our Box Office at (215) 569-4690.  Box Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm.

Concert Schedule

Please Note: All performances take place in Persons Auditorium at Marlboro College in Marlboro, VT. Please call (215) 569-4690 with any questions or concerns.

Opening Weekend 2009

Saturday, July 18th at 8:30pm
Sunday, July 19th at 2:30pm

Week Two

Saturday, July 25th at 8:30pm
Sunday, July 26th at 2:30pm

Week Three

Saturday, August 1st at 8:30pm
Sunday, August 2nd at 2:30pm

Week Four

Saturday, August 8th at 8:30pm
Sunday, August 9th at 2:30pm

Week Five

Friday, August 14th at 8:30pm
Saturday, August 15th at 8:30pm
Sunday, August 16th at 2:30pm

**Final Weekend Package w/ All Three Performances

The Yellow Barn Music School and Festival, is an internationally known chamber music professional school and concert located in Putney, Vermont. Join them this year, 2009, for their 40th Anniversary season. Yellow Barn provides a supportive, noncompetitive and challenging learning environment. They offer an inspiring five-week study and performance experience for advanced students and young professionals. Enjoy their imaginative programming at the primary five-week festival session, July 5th through August 9th, which attracts some of the best up-and-coming young string, piano, woodwind and percussion players in the nation.They also provide an intensive workshop for younger students from June17th through July 4th. This Young Artist Program welcomes young instrumentalists and composers age 13-19 and culminates into three public performances. Together with a world-renowned faculty group, they explore and perform works from the Baroque to the contemporary. Treat yourself to some or all 30 amazing public concerts, master classes, pre-concert suppers and discussions this season. Be sure to stay with us at Forty Putney Road B&B, we are located in Brattleboro on Route 5, which is a straight shot to Putney only a short 15 minute drive.

2009 YELLOW BARN 40th ANNIVERSARY SEASON: JUNE 25 – AUGUST 8

Yellow Barn Young Artists Program: June 17 to July 4
Yellow Barn Music School and Festival: July 5 to August 9

YELLOW BARN SUMMER SEASON 2009

Young Artists Program and Guest Artist Performances
Sunday June 21, Performance by So Percussion, Putney
Friday June 26 and Saturday June 27, Joint Yellow Barn and Mohawk Trail Concert, Charlemont, MA
Thursday July 2 and Friday July 3, Young Artists Program Concert

Yellow Barn Festival
Friday July 10, Yellow Barn Opening Concert, Putney
Saturday July 11, Yellow Barn Concert, Putney
Thursday July 16-Saturday August 8 (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays), Yellow Barn Concerts, Putney

Master Classes
Saturday, July 11, Master Class with Gilbert Kalish, Putney
Saturday, July 18, Master Class with Donald Weilerstein, Putney
Saturday, July 25, Master Class with Steven Doane, Putney
Monday, July 27, Master Class with Robert Mann, Putney
Saturday, August 1, Master Class with Roger Tapping, Putney

Special Dates
Saturday June 27, Mountaintop Musicale 40th Anniversary Party: Featuring Young Artists Program Participants, Walpole, NH
Saturday July 18, GALA Performance with Peter Frankl, Putney
Saturday July 25, Open House Event at the Greenwood School, Putney
Wednesday July 29 and Wednesday August 5, Yellow Barn Concert, Northampton, MA
Saturday August 8, Yellow Barn Season Finale Concert, Putney

PURCHASE TICKETS

(800) 639-3819 x107
(802) 387-4726 fax
tickets@yellowbarn.org

There are so many great things to do in and around Brattleboro.  If you are like us, we sometimes obsess over trying to figure out a “plan” when we travel.  So for those who want a plan, and for others who may just be wondering what there is to do around Brattleboro, we have now put together a sample itinerary of a great trip to Brattleboro Vermont.

Our sample covers a 5 night stay (we could have gone on even longer!) but combines a fun mix of outdoors, arts, entertainment, dining and of course some relaxing too.  You can check out what we have put together on our Inn website under the “Our Area” tab.

If you are from Vermont, or have any suggestions for the itinerary, we would love to hear your thoughts!  Leave us a comment or send us an email.  Let’s make it easy and fun for people to choose Brattleboro as their summer getaway!

Of course, we hope you’ll stay with us at Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast when you do take the trip to Vermont!

Gallery Walk in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont is the perfect evening for the art lovers out there.  Gallery Walk is held on the first Friday of every month and includes art exhibits in over 50 locations around town.  Gallery Walk is one of the reasons that Brattleboro was named a top 10 small art town by acclaimed author John Villani in his book “The 100 Best Art Towns in America”.  No surprise as our quaint town is home to many artist and art lovers alike.

So how does Gallery Walk work?  You should start by getting a copy of the Gallery Walk booklet, if you are staying with us at Forty Putney Road B&B we will have one here waiting for you, if not they can be found at many locations downtown.  The booklet contains a map with over 50 locations including restaurants, galleries, etc that will be displaying artists work and will be open to the public the first Friday of the month.  Each of the businesses downtown showing an artist has a large bright colored number in the window.  This number corresponds to a number in the Gallery Walk book which provides descriptions of the artists and the work that they are showing.

Gallery Walk makes for a great night out and downtown is often bustling with activity on the Friday of the Walk.  Turn it into an evening.  Make a reservation at one of the great restaurants downtown for dinner and before or after you can stroll through downtown Brattleboro wandering into the various exhibiting locations.  Chances are good that even the restaurant you eat at will be showing someones work.  Some locations will be playing live music and others will have refreshments set up.  In most cases you will even have the opportunity to speak to the artist themselves.  Of course the art is exhibited all month long, but with the artists on hand and the energy of the First Friday – Gallery Walk is the ideal time to see whats new.

Gallery Walk is just one more reason we love Brattleboro.  If you plan to go, check out the Gallery Walk website for more information.  Of course, be sure to also check out our beautiful Brattleboro Inn just a short walk to downtown and all of the Gallery Walk activity.  We look forward to seeing you!

Brattleboro is a lively little town celebrating the arts whenever possible.  This past Tuesday Tim and I were sitting out on the back patio chatting with some guests over a cold drink when we heard some great music coming from the park.  We strolled down the block to see what was going on and settled into a blank on the grass.  We had stumbled onto a brassy band, Jazzberry Jam, playing a mix of swing music and big band numbers.   Turns out that throughout the month of July the Brattleboro Recreation Department organizes Tuesday Concerts on the Common. The Common is the park located just 2 blocks from Forty Putney Road’s front door, just north of downtown.  The Recreation Department even had 25 cent lemonades for sale along with some popcorn. All together a great way to spend a relaxed Tuesday evening.  We will certainly be back for the rest in the series.

We invite you to join us for the upcoming concerts on Tuesdays at 7pm on the Common:

• July 15th Easy Street
• July 22st Peter Miles
• July 29th Dave Rowe Trio
• August 5th American Legion Band

On Thursday, July 17th there is a different musical event on the Common it is called Summer Park Bands. This event is like an “Open Mike” night for bands and other local musicians.  We are looking forward to seeing more great free concerts just steps from the door of our Brattleboro Inn.  We hope to see you there!