Ever wonder about those little huts out on the ice around Vermont?  Well, beside creating a great “Norman Rockwell” backdrop at our Vermont Inn, they are used by ice fishermen to keep warm and dry.  A few days ago Tim headed out on the ice with our friend Doug, who operates a small local outdoor adventure guide service, to learn a bit about the basics of ice fishing.

Watch as Doug explains the simple equipment you will need to ice fish, as well as shares some tips for an enjoyable experience on the ice.

The Retreat Meadows is a very popular ice fishing spot in Brattleboro, and is luckily located just behind our bed and breakfast.  We are happy to make reservations with Doug at Brattleboro Outdoors if you would like to borrow an ice shanty for the day, or have a guided afternoon of ice fishing (or other outdoor activities).  Of course, we hope that if you are heading to Vermont, you will stay with us here at Forty Putney Road!

For details about ice fishing in Vermont, you can check out BrattleboroOutdoors.com.

There is something about the feeling of being outside in the Vermont winter. The crisp clean country air and the peaceful silence that comes with a soft snowfall. One great way to get outside and experience this serenity is snow shoeing. Lucky for us, there are plenty of great cross-country ski trails around Brattleboro that also make fore a snowshoers paradise. As a matter of fact, you can snowshoe almost 15 miles of trails right from the backyard of our Brattleboro Inn! But there are also several nearby locations that are well suited for all snowshoeing skill levels.

For first timers, check out the Brattleboro Outing Club. The outing club sets up shop in the winter on the golf course, creating a 14km system of trails for cross country skiing and snowshoeing throughout the picturesque hilly country club. They even rent equipment and offer lessons right on site on the weekends. The outing club is located just across the water from our inn, on Upper Dummerston Road.

If you are looking for something a bit more challenging, or a nice afternoon trip, check out Grafton Ponds. Grafton Ponds is located in Grafton Vermont, about 25 miles up Route 30 (to Rt 35, to Townshend Road). A bit bigger than the outing club, and with snow making equipment and groomed trails, Grafton Ponds is a local favorite for a serious day on the trails. Grafton Ponds rents equipment, offers lessons, guided tours and even snow tubing. All situated in a picturesque community in rural Vermont.

For those who already have equipment or prefer the “wild” side of getting out on a mountain, the Kilburn Loop trail in nearby New Hampshire’s Pisgah State Park should certainly fit the bill. Pisgah State Park has 13,500 acres of forest and covers more than twenty-one square miles.  Trails roam for miles in the park and six different trailheads leading into the park each allow for a specific use such as snowmobiling, or snowshoeing.

Of the trails, the Kilburn Loop is for skiing and snowshoeing as motorized vehicles are prohibited to protect these ungroomed trails. The trail itself is five miles long and loopy. While the trail is rather steep at times, it is also picturesque and offers a series of rewarding views and places to pause.

Sure Pisgah State Park and the Kilburn Loop are a challenge, but a fun one. If you don’t have your own snowshoes, the Outing Club mentioned earlier rents them on site (on the weekends) as does Burrows Specialized Sports in downtown Brattleboro.

Any way you try it, snowshoeing is a great way to spend an afternoon staying active in the winter. And Brattleboro is a great base for any snowshoeing adventure.

My first ice skating experience was on a pond – well really it was more of a big puddle, with an eight foot circumference out behind my childhood home in Connecticut. My first skates were double-bladed things that strapped onto my winter boots and my Dad brought out a kitchen stool for me to use for support. Since then most of my skating has been with newer black, single-bladed hockey skates.  However there is something about winter in Brattleboro Vermont that calls out for some good old-fashioned ice skating.

Luckily there is some great outdoor ice skating directly behind our Brattleboro Vermont Inn.  The Retreat Meadows (the name of the water behind the inn) freezes over every winter and creates a scene reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting. The ice on the Retreat Meadows gets “feet thick”, enough for ice fishermen to put out their huts and even drive their trucks on.  Near the road, there is a large cleared area perfect for ice skating (at least it is cleared unless there has been a big snow fall when good friends and neighbors clear it again). This natural rink provides the kind of skating that is right out of Vermont’s past.  You can easily walk down to the ice from the inn, just remember to bring your ice skates.

For those who have never skated on an open pond or lake, it is important to remember that thin ice is dangerous to skate on. Make sure that the ice is thick enough and that it is the weather is cool enough to keep the ice from having soft spots. Even when the water is shallow (and in Retreat Meadows, some places are only two feet deep) falling through will at the very least, ruin your day.

Luckily this is not likely to happen in Retreat Meadows.  After all, the ice fishers know the area and the ice so if they are out there, and other skaters are there, chances are the ice is pretty strong.  If you are in doubt or uneasy about it though (or if you prefer something a little warmer) don’t worry, Brattleboro offers an indoor ice skating alternative!

Brattleboro’s indoor ice rink, The Nelson Withington Skating Facility, is located at “Living Memorial Park”.   The indoor skating rink is open to the public on odd days and weekends, you can see the public schedule on their website. The park and rink are located on Route 9 near the Creamery covered bridge (about 5 minutes from our inn) and the skating facility is open seasonally from October 15th to April 15th.

So weather you long to relive the nostalgia of skating on a glassy pond, or just want to try ice skating for the first time – Brattleboro Vermont offers an ice skating adventure for all.  Of course if you are heading to Brattleboro, we hope that you will join us at Forty Putney Road B&B, where you can skate right out back of the inn and come inside after for some hot chocolate by the fire – making your own ice skating memories…

The Cotton Mill is an old mill in Brattleboro, Vermont that has been converted into studio space for artist and performers. The first weekend in December the Cotton Mill opens to the public with demonstrations and art for sale, just in time to pick up some great holiday gifts. Since the space is not usually open to the public, many of the pieces of art you see in this video can be purchased at the shops downtown including Gallery in the Woods and The Artisan Design.

If you would like to contact these artist directly please find their information below:

Natalie Blake Studios
802-254-9761

T. Breeze Verdant
Marquetry & Inlay
802-258-9820

Solinglass
802-251-0389

If you would like to contact any of the performers in this video please find their information below:

Luminz Dance Studio
802-254-9200

John Hughes Music

And for information on Brattleboro and the surrounding area, please keep an eye on our website InnBrattleboro.com or spend some time with us at our inn, Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast here in Brattleboro Vermont. Thanks for watching!

Owning a Bed and Breakfast in Brattleboro, Vermont is so much fun.  One of the questions we are often asked by our guests is “why did you choose Brattleboro?”   So here is a quick list (in no particular order) of reasons why Brattleboro, Vermont is an awesome place to stay, play and live.

1. Great downtown – stroll through our active downtown with all of its big city amenities
2. Live theater – 3 Theaters for live performances downtown (Hooker Dunham Theater, Latchis Theater, New England Youth Theater)
3. Caffeine – 3 Independent Coffee Shops (Mocha Joe’s, Coffee Country & Cafe Lotus)
4. Food – 30+ Restaurants to choose from
5. Pizza – 8 Pizza Shops (what can I say we like pizza around here)
6. Sushi – 3 restaurants to get great Sushi
7. Brattleboro Museum and Art Center
8. Martinis – on the deck at Alici’s Bistro in the summer
9. Vermont Jazz Center
10. Galleries – Gallery in the Woods, Artisan Design, Gallery 215, Artist Loft Gallery…just to name a few
11. Architecture – Beautiful historic architecture
12. Beer – McNeil’s Brewery in the historic fire house
13. More beer – 40 Tap Handles at Flat Street Pub
14. Cheap beer – $2.75 Draft Beer on the Fridays on the roof top deck at the Riverview Cafe in the summer
15. Movies – Check out the Art Deco Latchis Movie Theater
16. Only a 2 hour drive from Boston, MA
17. Only a 3 hour drive from New York City, NY
18. Only a 5 hour drive from Philadelphia, PA
19. The Vermonter - Amtrak service from Washington D.C., Philadelphia and NYC to Brattleboro Vermont!
20. Small town – only 12,000 residents
21. How Tom at Peter Haven\’s Restaurant met me once and remembered my name 2 years later
22. Countless Boutiques – Beadnicks, Altiplano, Blue Moose, Knit or Dye, Distinctive Decor…just to name a few
23. So many books – 5 Book stores downtown (Baskets Paperbacks, Book Cellar, Brattleboro Books, Everyone’s Books, & Mystery on Main)
24. Community Appreciation Day – free lunch served by the Brattleboro Savings and Loan
25. Brattleboro Food Coop – local and fresh food!
26. The Hospital – yes, best experience I ever had at a hospital (kind, courteous and only waited 5 minutes to be seen)
27. Our Local Butcher Shop – North End Butchers
28. Gallery Walk – 1st Friday of every month – over 40 galleries, shops and restaurants displaying local art
29. Local newspaper daily – all the news I need in the Brattleboro Reformer
30. Drive in Movies -  Northfield drive-in theater
31. Wantastiquet – great hike with an odd name
32. Chesterfield Gorge
33. The Retreat Trails – hike them right from our backyard
34. Mount Monadock - sure it’s not in Brattleboro, but it’s close and awesome
35. Picking Berries – love Dutton Farm
36. Road Biking along the West River
37. Strolling of the Heifers (ever seen cows strolling down main street before, well see it here)
38. Spofford Lake
39. Mountain Biking
40. Tubing down the West River
41. Swimming holes on the West River
42. Kayaking on the Connecticut River
43. Hogle Wildlife Sanctuary
44. Canoeing in the Retreat Meadows
45. The Treasured Tree Tour – including our enormous Japanese Maple Tree – you have to see it to believe it!
46. Golfing at the Brattleboro Country Club
47. Hogback Mountain Scenic Overlook
48. Fishing
49. Fall Foliage
50. Corn Mazes – including the Gaines Farms’ giant cow
51. It’s haunted… The Spooky Side of Brattleboro (Madame Sharri\’s Castle and the Retreat Tower)
52. Shelburne Falls – Pot Holes and Bridge of Flowers
53. Picking Apples  – love Scott Farm
54. Cider – Donuts & Fresh Apple Cider from Green Mountain Orchards
55. Snow
56. Ski Jumping – Harris Hill Ski Jump
57. Ice Fishing on the Retreat Meadows (I love watching them from our 2nd Floor Sun Porch, like a Norman Rockwell painting)
58. Snow Shoeing
59. Cross Country Skiing at the Brattleboro Country Club
60. Down Hill Skiing at Mount Snow (just a short 20 minute drive)
61. Diversity
62. The Circus is always in town at the Nimble Arts Circus School
63. School for International Training
64. Protests – who doesn’t dig a good peaceful protest
65. The smelly hippies
66. Bartering – check out Boomerang, Turn it Up, and other shops
67. Vermont Fresh Network – restaurants, growers and producers working together
68. Free Wi-Fi – not just at our inn, but throughout downtown!
69. A Bush and Cheney free zone
70. First Home Depot in the US to close – citing local competition-Brown & Roberts Hardware rules!
71. Supporting local businesses
72. Keeping Walmart out
73. Sustainability – Check out the store called Save the Corporations From Themselves
74. Easy to be Gluten Free
75. Easy to be a Vegetarian
76. Easy to be a Vegan
77. Cheese – Grafton Cheese Company (watch them make cheese, visit their country store or pet the animals at the farm)
78. Weddings – in the apple orchards at Scott Farm
79. Sugaring – see them make the Maple Syrup at Harlow’s Sugar House
80. Candy – Tom and Sally\’s Handmade Chocolates (something for the kids and something for the adults as well)
81. The Brattleboro area Farmer\’s Market (year round)
82. Thai food – Anon’s Thia food at the Farmer’s Market and Thai Bamboo – both rock
83. The Awesome 80’s hour on WTSA 96.7 FM (while I iron the sheets)
84. Walking our dog and feeding the ducks in the Retreat Meadow (one for them, one for her)
85. 175 years of history at the Brattleboro Retreat
86. Antiquing on Route 30
87. Irish Sessions on Wednesday nights at JD McCliment’s Pub in nearby Putney
88. Live music at the Weathervane
89. Summer Concerts in the Park
90. Brattstock – local music festival in August
91. Renew Building Supply – plenty of reclaimed parts for your (and our) old house
92. Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters  – the biggest little store you have ever seen!
93. Chelsea Royal Diner – try their ice cream
94. Wine – great local shops (Windham Wines) and producers (Honora)
95. Basketville
96. Our Downtown Waterfall – how many towns have one of those!
97. Fish Market
98. Festivals (Keene Pumpkin Festival, Marlboro Music Festival, Yellow Barn Music Festival, Dummerston Apple Festival, Newfane Heritage Festival, Brattleboro Literary Festival…just to name a few)
99. Newfane Flea Market
100. Covered bridges
101. And of course, Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast!

Did we miss anything?  What are your favorite Brattleboro things?  Please share your favorites in the comments!

One of the unique stops along the Retreat Trails is the Retreat Tower.  This tower was built by the patients of the Vermont Asylum (now the Brattleboro Retreat) in 1887.  At the time, doctors believed that hard, meaningful labor could help mental patients regain their stability.  So a group of patients was put to work building this large stone tower, as a scenic overlook of the Asylum grounds.

While I’m sure that the doctors had the best of intentions, some patients chose to use the tower in a different manner.  In the years following its construction, according to the book “Weird New England” a fair number of patients climbed to the top of the tower and hurled themselves off of it onto the rocky cliff below.  While the number of suicides at this site is a closely guarded secret, the tower was sealed off and remains so today.

For those looking for the haunted side of Brattleboro, ghost hunters report sightings of an airborne human-like form at the top of the tower that appears briefly and then disappears into space.

You can find the tower off of the “Tower Climb” trail on the Retreat Trail system.  It’s a fairly easy 10 – 15 minute walk from our Inn.  The tower is visible from the Retreat Meadows and a lot of the north side of Brattleboro as well – particularly in the winter and fall as the trees clear.

The tower opens to the public typically just one or two times per year.  The dates are not consistent, but you can certainly keep an eye on our twitter feed to know when it opens – as we will definitely be there.