InnBrattleboro http://www.innbrattleboro.com Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast Blog Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:13:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Sugaring Time in VT http://www.innbrattleboro.com/sugaring-time-in-vt/ http://www.innbrattleboro.com/sugaring-time-in-vt/#comments Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:02:11 +0000 Tim Brady http://innbrattleboro.com/?p=7 tappedIts sugaring time again in Vermont. For those who don’t know, that the time of year when the maple sap runs from the trees into buckets all over the state, waiting to be collected and “cooked” into delicious maple syrup. The smell (as I am sure you can imagine) is amazing. Several sugar houses offer tours and demonstrations in our area. We took a ride up to Harlow’s Sugar House, which is just up the road from us, to check out the operation.

At Harlow’s, they offer a wide selection of local products, other than syrups. They also will let you watch the cooking process. Demonstrations of both the traditional methods of syrup production and more advanced methods will be available as well as samples and all things maple! There is more information about the activities scheduled at www.vermontmaple.org. Copies of the “2009 Vermont Ski & Maple Map” can also be picked up at any Vermont Welcome Center (Rest Areas).

If you are planing a trip to Forty Putney Road and would like to see some sugaring, here are some local spots to check out:

Harlow’s is located at 563 Bellows Falls Rd. (Rt. 5), in Putney. The phone number is (802) 387-5852. For more information, visit www.harlowssugarhouse.com.

The Clark Farm is at 4224 Bonnyvale Rd., in Guilford. The phone number is (802) 254-2569.

The Corse Farm is at 1089 Corse Rd., in Whitingham. The phone number is (802) 368-2322.

Harlow’s Sugarhouse is at Sweet Maple Alpacas is at 154 River Rd., in Westminster. The phone number is (802) 376-9846. For more information, visit www.sweetmaplealpacas.com.

Robb Family Farm is at 827 Ames Hill Rd., in Brattleboro. The phone number is (802) 258-9087. For more information, visit www.robbfamilyfarm.com.

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]]> http://www.innbrattleboro.com/sugaring-time-in-vt/feed/ 2 Ice Fishing http://www.innbrattleboro.com/ice-fishing/ http://www.innbrattleboro.com/ice-fishing/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:04:33 +0000 Amy Brady http://www.innbrattleboro.com/?p=806

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.

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]]> http://www.innbrattleboro.com/ice-fishing/feed/ 0 Snow Shoeing http://www.innbrattleboro.com/snow-shoeing/ http://www.innbrattleboro.com/snow-shoeing/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:40:03 +0000 Tim Brady http://www.innbrattleboro.com/?p=773 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.

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]]> http://www.innbrattleboro.com/snow-shoeing/feed/ 0 Ice Skating http://www.innbrattleboro.com/ice-skating/ http://www.innbrattleboro.com/ice-skating/#comments Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:16:19 +0000 Tim Brady http://www.innbrattleboro.com/?p=760 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…

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]]> http://www.innbrattleboro.com/ice-skating/feed/ 1 Artists in Brattleboro: The Cotton Mill http://www.innbrattleboro.com/artists-in-brattleboro-the-cotton-mill/ http://www.innbrattleboro.com/artists-in-brattleboro-the-cotton-mill/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:19:35 +0000 Amy Brady http://www.innbrattleboro.com/?p=742

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

Nimble Arts New England Center for Circus Arts

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!

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]]> http://www.innbrattleboro.com/artists-in-brattleboro-the-cotton-mill/feed/ 1 We Offer You Our Own Public Health Care Option http://www.innbrattleboro.com/we-offer-you-our-own-public-health-care-option/ http://www.innbrattleboro.com/we-offer-you-our-own-public-health-care-option/#comments Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:14:17 +0000 Tim Brady http://www.innbrattleboro.com/?p=725 for-your-healthAmy and I know firsthand the challenges of being without health insurance. In 2007, when we left our corporate jobs to start Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast in Brattleboro, VT, we struggled to find a health care coverage option that would be affordable and not exclude existing conditions.

Now that we are settled in here, we hope to provide a healthy getaway to those who may be facing the same struggle with their own health care coverage by giving away one healthy getaway each month – complete with an apple a day – to an uninsured couple in need of some stress relief.

Vermont was recently named the “Healthiest State” in the 20th annual “Americas Health” ranking report. While a trip to Vermont is no substitute for good health care coverage, some time in Vermont is certainly beneficial for anyone, especially those dealing with the health issues or simply the stresses of being uninsured.

If you are one of the millions of Americans without health insurance, or are dealing with a health insurance disaster, we want to hear your story. Each month until a National Health Care Reform Bill is passed Forty Putney Road Bed and Breakfast will award one deserving couple with a rejuvenating two night getaway, including everything from beautiful accommodations to guided outdoor activities along with a healthy breakfast to start each day.

Please share this opportunity with anyone who you think may benefit from some time in Vermont.

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]]> http://www.innbrattleboro.com/we-offer-you-our-own-public-health-care-option/feed/ 0 100 Reasons to Stay, Play and Live in Brattleboro, Vermont http://www.innbrattleboro.com/100-reasons-to-stay-play-and-live-in-brattleboro-vermont/ http://www.innbrattleboro.com/100-reasons-to-stay-play-and-live-in-brattleboro-vermont/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:39:29 +0000 Tim Brady http://www.innbrattleboro.com/?p=691 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!

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]]> http://www.innbrattleboro.com/100-reasons-to-stay-play-and-live-in-brattleboro-vermont/feed/ 9 Retreat Tower http://www.innbrattleboro.com/retreat-tower/ http://www.innbrattleboro.com/retreat-tower/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:54:09 +0000 Tim Brady http://www.innbrattleboro.com/?p=626 IMG_2579One 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.

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]]> http://www.innbrattleboro.com/retreat-tower/feed/ 0 Corn Maze at Gaines Farm in Guilford, Vermont http://www.innbrattleboro.com/corn-maze-at-gaines-farm-in-guilford-vermont/ http://www.innbrattleboro.com/corn-maze-at-gaines-farm-in-guilford-vermont/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:00:13 +0000 Tim Brady http://www.innbrattleboro.com/?p=663

Fall foliage and a good corn maze go hand in hand. One of the best corn mazes I have ever navigated is in nearby Guilford, Vermont at Gaines Farm.

The 5.5 acre maze is shaped like a giant cow, every bit what I would expect a Corn Maze in Southern Vermont to be shaped like. This Maze also offered a “Cornundrum” game, where using a map you search out 10 riddles in the maize, write down your answers and are entered to win a grand prize.

Tim had a blast playing with the Corn Cannon (pun intended).  Hit the tire or ring the bell by shooting corn from a compressed air cannon and you win a hat.  We walked away hat-less, but with big smiles instead.  finally, we wrapped up this beautiful fall day with a cup of warm apple cider from the refreshment cart and a quick look at the animals in the barn.

mazeYou can enjoy these great events at Gaines Farm on weekends only from Columbus Day weekend through Halloween weekend.   Hope you enjoy this short video.  We look forward to showing you more of Southern Vermont and our great town of Brattleboro when you come stay with us at Forty Putney Road B&B.

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]]> http://www.innbrattleboro.com/corn-maze-at-gaines-farm-in-guilford-vermont/feed/ 1 Haunted Sites Near Brattleboro Vermont http://www.innbrattleboro.com/haunted-sites-near-brattleboro-vermont/ http://www.innbrattleboro.com/haunted-sites-near-brattleboro-vermont/#comments Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:44:07 +0000 Tim Brady http://www.innbrattleboro.com/?p=631

With Halloween approaching, I put together this quick video to showcase some of the spooky side of Brattleboro.  This video takes you on a quick tour of the  Retreat Cemetery and Retreat Tower as well as Madam Cherie’s “Castle”.  Each of these sites has a “haunted” history and several sources mention ghost sightings.   Best of all, each of these places are a short walk from our Brattleboro Vermont Inn.   Check out each of our individual posts for details (some are still coming, so be sure to keep an eye on our site or follow us on Twitter to get the updates) about the locations, and enjoy this quick look at the haunted side of Brattleboro – if you dare…

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