Historical Mountainside Inn Overlooking River Valley

Cradled between the Taconic Range and the Green Mountains, Arlington, Vermont, embodies the most romantic notion of New England, from picturesque covered bridges to rolling hills thick with pines and maples. West Mountain Inn's 150-acre grounds encapsulate this forested corner of Vermont—the Battenkill River ripples beside the property, and miles of hiking trails and ski slopes weave through aspens and oaks. The inn stands atop a riverfront hill, with forest-green shutters and a brick chimney, an idyllic image that led Frommer’s to call it “a perfect spot for travelers looking to find that ‘real’ Vermont inn.”

Built in 1809 as a farmhouse and gristmill, the building was transformed into a seven-gabled inn at the turn of the century. In a nod to the property’s agrarian legacy, alpacas are kept in a neighboring barn, and visitors can stop by to feed them apples and hear their rants about how often they’re mistaken for llamas. Within the main inn, guest rooms carry on the hotel’s rustic aesthetic with antique furnishings and mountain vistas. Among the dozen or so available guest quarters, the Robert Frost room stands out, with rocking chairs on a pine-enclosed porch. The Norman Rockwell room offers plenty of sleep space between its quilt-covered spindle bed and three twin beds tucked into wall nooks.

Led by chef Jeff Scott, the onsite restaurant has a farm-to-table philosophy, drawing from organic produce, seasonal game, and local cheeses to craft prix fixe dinners. Start your morning with a country breakfast that often includes buttermilk pancakes with local maple syrup.

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

Founded in 1764, the village of Arlington was a base for Ethan Allen’s famed pre-Revolutionary militia, the Green Mountain Boys. Today, the town 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.

Arlington lies just west of the Appalachian Trail, within the boundaries of Green Mountain National Forest. Nearby outdoor pursuits include alpine skiing at Stratton Mountain and some of the East Coast’s best trout fishing during the warmer months.