Hotel at a Glance: West Mountain Inn

Built in 1809 as a farmhouse and gristmill, the West Mountain Inn is the picture-perfect Vermont retreat, with crisp white siding, green shutters, and a smattering of colorful Adirondack chairs on its sloping lawn. Its riverside location—150 acres nestled between the Taconic Range and the Green Mountains—gives guests easy access to the ample outdoor recreation for which the state is known.

• Where you’ll stay: Guest rooms differ in amenities. Some come with rocking chairs, mountain views, fireplaces, screened-in porches, or quilt-covered beds.
• Notable praise: Frommer’s calls it “a perfect spot for travelers looking to find that ‘real’ Vermont inn.”
• Wake up to a complimentary country breakfast each morning, starting at 8 a.m.
• Go skiing: Two of Vermont’s best ski resorts—Bromley and Stratton—are each less than a 30-mile drive.
• Farm-to-table: Head chef Jeff Scott prepares prix-fixe meals made from farm produce, seasonal game, local artisan cheeses, and homemade breads.
• Explore the property on hiking or cross-country ski paths, which weave throughout the expansive property.
• Alpacas: Go say hi to the resident alpacas, which are kept in a neighboring barn.

Arlington, Vermont: 18th-Century History and Inspiring Landscape

Tucked in a pastoral mountain valley, Arlington makes for a peaceful retreat from cities such as New York and Boston, both about four hours away. In warmer months, you can hike and bike miles of country roads or fish the Batten Kill River, known for having some of the East Coast’s best trout. Winter outdoor activities include alpine skiing at Stratton Mountain Resort, which skiers frequently rate among the nation’s best resorts for its manicured trails and speedy lifts. The mountain’s also famous for its four terrain parks, and rightly so, because snowboarding was invented by a Stratton bartender in the 1980s. The parks here are so stellar that for 27 years straight Stratton had the distinction of being home to the Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships.

Arlington has history too. It was founded in 1764 and was a base for Ethan Allen’s famed pre-Revolutionary militia, the Green Mountain Boys. Today, the area is sprinkled with historical sights including iconic covered bridges such as the 1870-built Chiselville Bridge and the 1852-built Bridge at the Green. More recent years have seen their own share of celebrated residents, including Robert Frost and Norman Rockwell, both of whom drew artistic inspiration from the local landscape. Head to the Sugar Shack to learn more about Rockwell’s involvement in the community and see a gallery filled with his printed works. There’s also a small Norman Rockwell Museum in nearby Rutland, where you can see thousands of his original magazine covers.