The Eddington House Inn

Maple Sugar Open House Weekend

I just discovered a wonderful website to assist you with your Maple Sugar House visits sponsored by the Bennington County Sugarmakers Association.  This site is www.benningtonmaple.org.  The Bennington County Sugarmakers Association (BCSA) is a group of maple producers who have joined together to share their ideas and their love for making maple products.

Each spring the cold nights and the warm days cause the Maple Sap to flow. Families throughout the county gather that sap, boil it down, and produce some of the best maple syrup in Vermont.

As part of the Vermont Maple Open House weekend the Bennington County Sugarmakers will be hosting their annual “Maple Sunday (Weekend)” on March 19-20, 2011.  Saphouses will be open to the public offering tours, activities, and free samples of syrup. These sugar houses are all located in Bennington County and some just a few miles from the inn.   

So put on your boots and spend the day enjoying Vermont during this unique season.

Looking for a Spring Getaway

Opening March 4 through May 30, the Bennington Museum features Bennington Collects IV- The Curated Edition including works by Paul Feeley, Carl Ruggles and Asahel Powers. Bennington Collects IV is a regional-based exhibit that features an eclectic mix of art and historic artifacts that might make you stop and think about what it is you have been collecting. , This exhibit will feature objects collected by residents of Bennington County and the surrounding area, ranging from cobalt decorated stoneware made in Bennington during the nineteenth century to photographs by some of the 20th-century’s most celebrated photographers.  Each collection will tell about the collection, how it got started and why it continued, as well as the feeling it brings to the collector.

Any time of year is a wonderful time to visit the Bennington Museum. From the museum’s permanent collection, items such as Bennington Pottery, the 1924 Wasp Touring Car, Fine Art, Vermont Furniture, and the Bennington Flag – one of America’s oldest flags are always on view.

 The museum is open every day except Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and open 7 days a week in September and October. Admission for Adults is $10.

In addition to the Bennington Museum, you might want to take a self guided tour of world renowned Bennington Potters, open 7 days a week or tour the automobilia at Hemmings Motor News Car Lover’s Oasis.

Don’t forget the Spa and of course shopping for antiques at Camelot Village.  Ah, yes Southern Vermont is a great getaway anytime of year.

Southern Vermont Midweek Getaway

Sun, Sun, Sun….after many cloudy and snow filled days this winter, we are now experiencing our second day of sun.  Great for skiing, snowshoeing or just relaxing inside with a good book while the light filters through the windows.

Due to the overwhelming positive response to our Midweek Winter Dinner Package we have extended it through April….hopefully our tulips & daffodils will be in bloom by then.  This package includes 2  nights lodging, breakfast each day, dinner one evening at Kevin’s, dinner one evening at Pangaea Lounge, afternoon refreshments daily and of course endless desserts.  Rate is $349 per couple for the two night stay.

Pangaea Lounge

It’s a great time to escape the ho hum of winter at home and treat yourself to a Vermont Getaway.  You can’t beat the short walk to dinner since both restaurants are within a block of the inn.  Escape to Vermont before this special ends on April 30!

Vermont Maple Syrup

Warm days and cold nights …..it’s Maple Sugaring Season here in Southern Vermont.  The North Bennington area has several local sugarhouses gearing up for Vermont maple syrup production.

Visit our neighbors the Mance Family Tree Farm at 217 Holliday Drive in Shaftsbury, VT just around the corner from the inn toward Route 7A.
Dave will be open on Saturday & Sunday March 19 & 20 and offers
wood fired evaporator and reverse osmosis. Boiling demonstration and guided tour of how maple syrup is made Sample syrup and sugar on snow (Sunday only). Syrup for sale. 10 AM- 4PM both days. Sugarhouse phone 802-442-5263. mancestreefarm@yahoo.com
Directions from the inn.  Right on Route 67 (past Kevins).  Right at the stop sign onto Route 67 about 1.5 miles. Right onto Cleveland Ave., next left onto Holliday Drive. Sugar House is at the very end of the road.

We also encourage you to visit our friends Rick & Greer Kobik at Maple Hill Maple located at 207 Maple Hill Road in Shaftsbury who will also be open both Saturday March 19 & Sunday March 20.  They invite you to see how maple syrup is made on a wood fired evaporator. Free maple samples and treats. Open 10AM to 4PM Sat. & Sun. Maple syrup for sale. sapheads@comcast.net
Directions from the inn…Right on 67 past Kevins, over the railroad tracks to the stop sign.  Right on RT 67A for 2 miles then left on Route 7A for about 6 miles.  Take a right on Old Depot Road(0.3 miles North of Chocolate Barn), go 0.6 miles to Maple Hill Road, right fork uphill 0.2 miles, driveway on left at top of hill.

The Tenth Annual Vermont Maple Open House Weekend will be held at sugarhouses throughout Vermont, March 19 and 20, 2011, a great time for a Vermont Getaway. The Open House Weekend is the public celebration of the maple syrup season in Vermont and an opportunity for the public to visit one or more “sugarhouses” throughout the state to learn about Vermont’s first agricultural crop of the year.  Vermont is the largest U.S. producer of maple syrup and produced 920,000 gallons of syrup in 2009. There are approximately 2000 maple producers in Vermont.

If you can’t make it to Vermont on March 19 & 20th….The Armstrong Family in Pownal have been welcoming our guests for several years and we will be happy to make a phone call to arrange a visit for you throughout the month of March.

Happy Stuffed French Toast:)!!!!

Ski & Board in Southern Vermont

Bromley Mountain Ski Area just 30 minutes from the Eddington House Inn offers several weekends of fun this March in Southern Vermont. 

Lots of great snow this winter.  Great weekend getaway packages.  Southern Vermont is only 3 hours from NYC or Boston.

Music in Southern Vermont  

Vermont Arts Exchange brings another great evening of live entertainment to Southern Vermont as part of their Basement Music Series. 

North Bennington’entertainment scene this weekend features “a night of Winter Bluegrass” with Gold Town and special guests, The Cambridge Country Line.

Join in the fun for this foot stomping evening….dance floor is waiting.

North Bennington Village also offers a live music venue at Kevin’s every Friday & Saturday night with no cover charge.

With three restaurant options and two music venues within walking distance of the inn, it’s a great winter getaway.

Hope to see you soon.

Romantic Getaway

Sarah & Dan visited the Eddington House Inn in 2007 to celebrate their first anniversary and have been trying to return ever since.  Like many young couples, things have been busy for Dan & Sarah.  They have purchased their first home and added a family member…a new dog.   Sarah has returned to school to study business and Dan is busy juggling three jobs; teaching piano from his home, building web sites and working with his Dad.

Dan’s dad is sculptor Robert Shure who has his own ties with Bennington. Mr. Shure sculpted the statue of Revolutionary War General John Stark which can be seen on the grounds of the Bennington Battle Monument.  General Stark and his men, with some help from Seth Warner’s Vermont militia, the Green Mountain Boys, routed the Hessian forces there and prevented British General John Burgoyne from resupplying. Stark’s action contributed directly to the surrender of Burgoyne’s northern army at the Battle of Saratoga some months later. This battle is seen as the turning point in the Revolutionary War.

I was happy to see Dan & Sarah…they are a delightful couple.  They returned to celebrate Valentine’s Day here in Southern Vermont by taking advantage of our Romance Package. 

Have a great Spring Dan & Sarah….hope to see you again soon!

Snow, snow and more snow.  Skiing has been great this year in southern Vermont.  Prospect Mountain is only 15-20 minutes from the inn and boasts the highest base elevation of any alpine or cross-country ski area in the state. The high elevation is an important factor in providing consistently good ski conditions at Prospect. Prospect offers groomed trails, a great base lodge with a large fireplace, wonderful views and rents cross country skiis and snowshoes.

Though North Bennington reaches 60 yesterday….there is plenty of snow.  Even when there is NO snow in Bennington there is lots of snow on Prospect Mountain.  We assume the skiing will continue well into the Spring in 2011.

Prospect also has special events…tonight is a Full Moon and they offer a moonlight dinner and ski. Should be beautiful.

Spring is always a busy time for our Girl’s Getaway Package.  Spring & Mother’s Day often brings Mothers & daughters to us who now as adults just love spending quality time together …shopping, museums or just chatting.

My college roommate & I often try to sneak away for a night or two to catch up on our families, share old memories, eat , drink & be merry.

Our girlfriend’s getaway offers a chance to relax, unwind and giggle.  The package is available for one, two or even three night stays and includes spa treatments, dinner for two, full breakfast, afternoon refreshments and of course our very popular endless desserts….and then there are the locally made chocolate truffles.  Our area offers lots of places to walk, hike or cross country ski depending on the season to work off some of the goodies.  If you are foodies….you can even try to Culinary Delights dinner.  If shopping is your thing, the area is rich in independently owned shops as well as world class outlets.

Grab your Mom, your sister or your best girlfriend and treat yourself to a time away from laundry, kids and washing dishes.  Pamper yourself with a Girl’s Getaway Package here in Southern Vermont.  Rates start at $175 pp.

Nightlife in Southern Vermont

Vermont Arts Exchange brings another concert to North Bennington Village , Vermont on Saturday January 28.  This performance by Meg Hutchinson will be held in the mill on Sage Street at 8pm.    

Lyric-based, contemporary acoustic songwriter Meg Hutchinson has won numerous songwriting awards in the US, Ireland and UK, including recognition from John Lennon Songwriting Competition, Billboard Song Contest and prestigious competitions at Merlefest, NewSong, Kerrville, Falcon Ridge, Telluride and Rocky Mountain Folks Festivals. She released “Come Up Full” on Red House Records in 2008, and is now celebrating the release of her new album “The Living Side” February 9th, 2010.

The Basement Music Series is the highly acclaimed concert producing arm of the Vermont Arts Exchange (VAE) in North Bennington. Housed in the basement of VAE, we offer one of a kind concert experiences in an intimate, eclectic, cabaret-style setting.

 VAE presents a whole series of concerts throughout the winter season primarily.  The Mill is just around the corner from the inn and these concerts are a great night out after a day of skiing at Prospect Mt and early dinner here in North Bennington Village.

 Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 at the door.  Tickets can be purchased through VAE online at www.vtartxchange.org or 800-838-3006.