Gourmet Food

Wake up each morning to the smell of fresh-brewed coffee, sizzling bacon and maple sausage — all hallmarks of Chef Paul’s delectable country breakfasts — and all included in our standard B&B packages. Stay in and enjoy a light, buffet-style salad at lunch, nibble on home-made cocktail-hour hors d’oeuvres and then gather in our formal dining room each night for a fourcourse gourmet dinner, hosted by our resident book coaches, Jon and Steve.

Luxurious Accommodations

Book either of our two deluxe B&B guestrooms: the Mark Twain ($219 per night w/breakfast for two) or the F. Scott Fitzgerald ($259 per night w/breakfast for two.) Both rooms pay homage to their literary namesakes and feature large beds, private baths, stunning views of the surrounding countryside, 1840s period furnishings and more.

Enjoy our heated pool, in summer, and lively literary discussions before a roaring fire in the Gertrude Stein salon during the cooler months.

Convenient to Year-Round Vermont Destinations

Central Vermont offers a myriad of year-round activities and destinations, from some of the best downhill skiing in the eastern United States to a state-wide network of well-maintained snow mobile trails. Outdoors activities continue throughout the spring and summer months with hiking, cycling, tubing, fishing, boating and golfing destinations at every turn, and When Words Count Retreat is a 30 to 60 minute drive from most. We are also centrally located for easy access to antique shops, music festivals, one-of-a-kind museums and much more.

Winter Skiing

When Words Count Retreat sits midway between two of Vermont’s fabled skiing destinations. Mt. Killington (and nearby Pico Mountain) lie 25 miles to the south and the Sugar Bush ski resort is 22 miles to the north. Enjoy them both, from Dec. 16th to January 15th, from our quiet, luxurious base camp.

Fall Foliage

People come from all over the world to witness Vermont’s fall foliage display, and When Words Count Retreat is literally ground zero for the show. The retreat is surrounded, on three sides, by mountains that become awash in blazing bands of gold, orange and red during early Fall season. Witness the grandeur without leaving our property or immerse yourself in it by exploring the region’s many walking paths and hiking trails.

Spring/Summer Activities:

Outdoors: Tube down the White River or rent a bike for a leisurely spin along scenic Route 100 or on Lake Champlain’s interconnected island causeways. Test your stamina on the Green Mountain National forest’s many hiking and mountain biking trails or at the Quechee Gorge. Fish or kayak the region’s plentiful streams and rivers. Enjoy local public tennis courts, yoga classes, berry picking, horseback riding, music on the village green, blue-grass music and hotair balloon festivals and more. Or, if you’re an avid golfer, sample the region’s many scenic golf courses.

Sightseeing:

Visit one-of-a-kind Vermont living museums. Travel 35 minutes southeast, to Woodstock, to experience the Billings Farm, a perfectly preserved, 1800s working farm. Or drive northwest, for less than an hour, to reach the Shelburne Museum, a multipurpose museum on an expansive campus. Shelburne features the dry docked Ticonderoga, a steam ship that once plied Lake Champlain; fully preserved 1800s farm houses, a covered bridge, stunning glassware and silver collections; spectacular quilts, both traditional and ultra-modern; and the Shelburne family’s own, former Park Avenue, NY residence fully reassembled … complete with their extensive art collection.

Other points of interest:

The Simon Pierce Glassworks/Restaurant (Quechee); Blue Moose Glassworks and Studio (Granville). Plant tours of: Cold Hollow Cider Factory (Waterbury) and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory (Waterbury). Cheese factory tours include: Grafton Village Cheese (Brattleboro), Crowley Cheese (Mt. Holly), and Cabot Creamery Cooperative Visitor Center & Tours (Cabot). Take a scenic drive to the Von Trapp Family Lodge (Stowe); the Artist Colony (Jeffersonville);the Proctor Marble Company and Vermont Marble Museum (Proctor); the Montshire Museum of Science (Hanover) and the Norman Rockwell Museum (Menden). Our two B&B Rooms go fast, so call to reserve your visit today. Simply call us at 866-644-7868 for further details.