The picturesque farm is surrounded by majestic mountains, the perfect backdrop for a special sleigh ride. Guests are taken on the farm’s private trails, groomed especially for the sleigh, through forest and snow covered fields. The scenery and peace of the woods, animal life, and trails takes one back to nostalgic times.

Friesians of Majesty can accommodate up to four or five adults on the sleigh. The sleigh rides are typically forty-five minutes long unless guests opt to stop for vistas or wildlife. Your traditional sleigh is an ornate vis-a-vis hitched to an elegant friesian pair. The farm also offers the option of a farm tour after a sleigh ride. The farm tour includes cookies, hot drinks, a guided tour of the facilities, meeting the horses and a chance to play with the foals born last spring.

Friesians of Majesty is the only farm of its kind in Vermont to offer the public unique equine experiences in the winter. They are located in the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains on a 650-acre full-service breeding and training facility. They are also the largest friesian breeding farm in the US dedicated to the promotion and development of the friesian horse and friesian crosses as modern sporthorses.

Friesians of Majesty, 185 Maggie Ladd Road, P.O. Box 527, Townshend, VT 05353
www.friesiansofmajesty.com
Email: robertlabrie@friesiansofmajesty.com
Telephone: (802)365-7526

In addition to the basics, Sam’s Outdoor Store also carries what we like to call “survival gear”.  This isn’t just outdoor gear.  And who doesn’t need gear, right? Sam’s carries everything you need for outdoor adventures to hikingthe Green Mountains (and getting lost for a month) or climb Mount Everest. Thinking of living off the land as many enjoy doing here in Vermont? Sam’s carries fishing poles and Vermont fishinglicenses; anything guns and ammo; -40 degree sleeping bags; the strongest tick and mosquito repellent on the market; tents; anything fire; raincoats; and…. need we say more? Sounds like a manly shopping paradise all in one store.

On one occasion, “John”, a staff member here in the Brattleboro store, spent over 40 minutes seeking out a jacket for a customer to find they didn’t make the specific style they were looking for. The next day John called them directly to say they found an almost identical match. John went above and beyond and for that, we like to keep it local.

Shopping in Brattleboro isn’t just for the girls and even appeals to kids with their free popcorn.  As a side note, Sam’s has some of the best popcorn in Brattleboro (although the Latchis is a close second).  Popcorn and Patagonia fit perfect together at Sam’s. Check out Sam’s Outdoor Store in downtown Brattleboro just a short walk from our inn and check out their website for deals and steals!

If the Vermonter helped you escape from the city, get off the train (arrives at around 5:30ish) and head east over the bridge to Mount Wantastiquetfor a beautiful nature walk or sunset hike with views of downtown.  Of course,we are happy to pick up our guests at the train station, or it’s an easy walk to our inn.

If you head west from the Brattleboro train “station” (more like parking area),  you’ll find shopping, dining, theaters and galleries.  You’ll also find Burrows sports, a sporting goods store supplying reasonably priced bike rentals and gear for outdoor activities.  Rent a bike for one of the local easiest ways to travel and open up even more entertainment options beyond downtown.  The Saturday farmers market, located in West Brattleboro, has food, artisan crafts, culture and amazing produce.  Just up Route 30 along the West River sits Grafton Cheese, waterfalls and swimming holes.  If you’re looking to get on the water, you can rent kayaks, canoes, tubes and fishing poles just a few blocks North of the inn.

What better way to  escape than one of the easiest ways to travel – a stress-free train ride that drops you off in heart of downtown Brattleboro?  Our inn is a short walk from the train station or a phone call away if you’d rather have a ride.  (It’s partially uphill, we understand.)  So, leave the car at home and enjoy a train ride on the Vermonter!

Start by walking downtown and crossing the steel bridge into New Hampshire.  Make the first left and follow that dirt road to the end.  You’ll see a small parking area, where you can head off in several directions.

When we want to take a leisurely stroll with the dog we head to the left and take the nearly flat walk along the Connecticut River.

When we are looking to build some endurance we will head up the hill to the right, and take the winding  switchback style jeep trail to the top of the mountain. This trail is pretty gradual, but a steady climb.  We would label it as a moderate hike, and it takes about three hours from our front door to the top and back.

Finally, if we are short on time, we will take the short cut straight up the mountain which is much steeper, but shorter.  We would label that path moderately difficult, this trail only take about two hours from our door step and back.

Both the switchback and the short cut will take you to a clearing at the top where you will see panoramic views of Brattleboro and the river valley.  Even on a hazy day you can see our slate roof peaking out over the trees and our huge Japanese Maple with its bright red leaves, in the back yard.

If you are really looking for a longer adventure, venture over the top of the mountain and hike the backside down all the way to the old “Castle” (see our haunted hike).  Be warned though, that is a long trek.

When you come off of the mountain, you walk back to the Inn through downtown, where you can stop to enjoy a well deserved lunch.  This certainly makes  Mount Wantastiquet a great local hike and one of the many reasons we love living in Brattleboro.

For more great Brattleboro area activities, be sure to keep an eye on our blog at InnBrattleboro.com!

I have asked some folks around and haven’t had much luck with that either. So far all of the details that we have are that the area east of the water behind us, the “Retreat Meadows” is some type of bird and wildlife sanctuary. We have walked the path many times (its quite a beautiful walk) and have seen plenty of birds and even saw a bald eagle circling overhead last week.

Even in our own yard there are always abundant birds. Some birders who have stayed with us have said that they spotted some unique birds, but for the non-birder like myself, all I can say is that we always have plenty of goldfinches, cardinals, larks, sparrows, bluejays and hummingbirds. As a matter of fact, our giant Japanese Maple is home to about a dozen birds right now.

Anyhow, if you have any information about the who the Hogles are (or were), and / or what specific wildlife is being preserved on this sanctuary, we would love the details to be able to share with our guests.

In the interim, be sure to take the stroll along this path, its a beautiful piece of Brattleboro.

For our guests, the path starts in the back of the yard, to the right.

For non-guests, our parking is limited to guests only, so you can park at the Brattleboro Retreat and pick up this trail along the baseball field. Follow it toward the cliff and you will see the trail there.