Wilmington, Vermont – Our Stay at The Wilmington Inn & Tavern

Last month we went on a whirlwind New England road trip. Four states in four days – New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. After two awesome days in Salem (Parts 1, 2 & 3) we drove to the Keene Pumpkin Festival in New Hampshire, we made our way through the mountains to the adorable town of Wilmington, Vermont.

 

What was supposed to just be a town to sleep in for the night while we drove back to Canada, turned into a destination unto itself. I couldn’t get over how lovely the town was and how friendly everyone was.

 

We booked our accommodations at The Wilmington Inn & Tavern. Neither of us have stayed in a bed & breakfast before, so it was a real treat.

 

The service there was impeccable (the greeted us with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies!) and the staff were all incredibly friendly. Patrick, the innkeeper, was so accommodating and made us feel like we were right at home.

 

We were so hungry by the time we got there, so he recommended the Maple Leaf Malt & Brewing Co. for a late night dinner and to sample some local beer.

It was only a 5 minute walk from the inn and the whole town was done up with twinkle lights, making it feel extra special. Don’t you just love finding charming places like this when you’re away from home? It just made everything feel sort of magical. Exactly what we needed for a four day mini vacation.

 

It was the perfect atmosphere for a nice night in a quiet New England town – great food, lovely people and a Red Sox game on the big screen.

 

Our dinner was fantastic. I had a Chicken Santa Fe salad which was great, but Garrett’s dinner was the all-star that night. He got the Vermont Melt with thinly sliced smoked ham, caramelized onions, Vermont cheddar, thinly sliced granny smith apple on a garlic butter multi-grain bread, with honey mustard dressing on the side and crispy fries. Oh my word – it smelled awesome. I couldn’t eat it because the bread wasn’t nut-free but you better believe that I recreated it while I was home. I’m still trying to get it just right and I’ll have to share it with you all as soon as I nail it.

 

We got back to the inn and contemplated a game of checkers by the fireside. In the end, tucking in early for the night won out. We both wanted to get up and head out to explore the town early in the morning.

 

 The Inn itself reminded me a little of the inn from one of my favourite retro holiday movies, White Christmas.

 

 The front entrance (on the right) leads into a warm and cozy front room.

 

 Opposite that is the tavern part of the inn, with high bar stools and rough edge bar that I would love for a tabletop.

There is also this light and airy sitting area off to the side. I can just picture how busy this place is during ski season!

 

Towards the back of the inn is this large living room with a cozy fireplace and big plush leather couches.

 

 Through the doorway (and behind that stained glass window) is the breakfast room.

 

 We could hardly wait to have breakfast and start our day off.

 

Patrick and his team put on an amazing meal. I think our favourite part of staying at the bed and breakfast was the fantastic breakfast. The cast iron frittata I had was fantastic. It was filled with broccoli, mushrooms, roasted potatoes (a fun surprise!) and delicious Vermont Cheddar. Garrett had the pancakes filled with fresh fruit with sausage on the side. It was a great meal to fill us up before we headed back out on the road.

 

On our way out, we met their adorable pooch. He was quite the greeter.

 

Before we started back on the highway, we went on a walk through the main streets downtown. It was nice to have everything within walking distance of the inn. Everyone we met while we were out walking was so friendly. People would actually stop and say hello to us as they made their way around town on this quiet Sunday morning.

 

 

 

My favourite shop was Beadz Needs. I would have loved to catch one of their workshops, but instead I settled for some fun beads to make into a necklace. It’s a nice souvenir from our trip that I’ll have for a long time.

 

There were so many lovely stores to pop into like Pickwell’s Barn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Anchor was a seafood restaurant that also came highly recommended.

 

We were happy to check out the Wilmington Candle Company, filled with lovely Vermont-made soy candles.

 

The shop was so cute with displays of yummy smelling candles.

 

We also picked up a few fun Vermont ciders and Shipyard‘s Pumpkin beer to enjoy when we got back home. They were fun to share with friends when we celebrated Halloween.

 

It was a great end to our quick trip and I’m so glad that we made that little detour to spend the night there. Next time, I’d love to spend a few days there and maybe even go their during the winter for some skiing! I’m sure that another New England road trip will be in our future again.