This Beautiful Inn in Southern Vermont Is a Perfect Family Vacation All Year-round — With Lake Activities in the Summer

After a two-year renovation, The Hermitage Inn reopened its doors in 2021 with a brand-new look. Here's what it's like inside.

A formerly shuttered property is getting a second chance in southern Vermont. The Hermitage Inn, which dates back to 1842, has 14 guest rooms, one suite, and now, contemporary design inside.

Spread out across 112 acres along the base of Haystack Mountain in West Dover, Vermont, the Hermitage Inn, I recently discovered, is a year-round experience. (The private Hermitage Club sits on the mountain and uses it for daily runs, though guests of the property have numerous other options for nearby skiing.)

With a broad selection of activities available to guests, the inn felt like a full-scale resort. Two restaurants, a small spa, two hot tubs, a sauna, a gym, catering services, and numerous bookable activities appropriate for every season round out this boutique accommodation.

The Heritage Inn came into the hands of its new owners organically. “[It] is a special place for us,” said Mary Lou Ricci, who owns the hotel with her husband, Tim Hall. “Tim and I were engaged on Haystack Mountain and dined at the Inn that evening. We celebrated a family wedding here, have had events in the wine cellar, and have toasted our friends countless times.”

During the pandemic, the pair sold their business — and decided to buy the property three days later. “It gave us the opportunity to do all the things that are meaningful and joyful to us in life,” she said. “Create amazing memories and experiences for people, through food, wine, decor, and natural surroundings. What could be better as a next chapter?”

My own family and I arrived at the Hermitage Inn on a snowy March evening, through the covered bridge that connects the main road to the property — a picturesque Vermont greeting. For those in search of an even more New England winter experience, the property erects a seasonal ice skating rink and a rental hut for guests. Come summer, the rink becomes an archery range, where guests can meet with an instructor for 50-minute sessions to hone their skills.

During our stay, we plodded down from the main building toward the trout pond, which, in the summer, is stocked with fish for the catch-and-release fly-fishing program. It provides fishing-curious guests an opportunity to learn the ropes. More expeditious guests can also opt for tours with the property’s experienced guides.

The property offers both kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding in summer, with transport to nearby lakes: Raponda, Whitingham, and Somerset. For most of the year, guests can rent e-bikes on-site to explore the nearby Valley Trails. Also conveniently located are two public golf courses that are within three miles of the property.

I, personally, was fine sinking into my Zen at the inn’s petite spa. Currently, there's one treatment room for 60- and 90-minute massages. I continued my own moment of relaxation with time in the hot tub, which sits beneath a pergola boasting views of a rushing stream.

The inn’s sauna is just steps away and features a window, where I took in the afternoon light and a picture-perfect view of the woods and water. The hot tub and sauna are attached to a common game room with a fireplace, for an added touch of relaxation.

Our two rooms were bright and airy. And, like all of the rooms, they had gas-lit fireplaces. (One also had enough space for a sheepskin rug and a sitting area.) Our family of four was able to close a door to the corridor for more privacy, which is an added bonus for families with children.

There are several family-friendly accommodations within the inn, including a larger Carriage House space that comes with a full kitchen, a game room, a private hot tub, and four bedrooms with en-suite baths.

The Inn’s two restaurants, both overseen by James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schlow and executed by chef MacGregor Mann, offer different dining experiences. At the formal, prix-fixe venue, The Birches, guests dine in a formal dining room with a large stone fireplace, high ceilings, and a glass wall that opens to a fieldstone patio in warmer months.

We ate, first, in the gray-lacquered tavern. The menu featured homemade bread, a thick pork chop atop Carolina Gold grits and a raisiny chutney, and, at meal’s end, a flaming plank of baked Alaska.

In the colder months, diners can choose another dining experience, as we did on our final night at the inn. Two restored ski gondolas, perched within view of the skating rink, were turned into romantic escapes, complete with miniature chandeliers, plush pillows, blankets, and interior curtains. A towering cheese fondue arrived for our party of four. Beside it: cooked sausages and maitake mushrooms; crunchy cornichons; cubes of apples; lightly toasted pieces of bread, perfect for sopping up cheese; and caramelized Brussels sprouts.

There is no shortage of things to do on property, irrespective of the season, but for those looking to expand their purview, the area offers an array of activities. When we visited, the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association was hosting the second of their Maple Open House Weekends. My family and I headed to Brattleboro — a 40-minute drive east — to taste through different classes of syrups at fifth-generation producer Robb Family Farm.

At Saxtons River Distillery, my husband and I sampled a flight of small-batch maple-centric spirits, while my children drank maple milkshakes, played shuffleboard, and hunted for the resident cat. Closer to the Inn, we watched maple syrup production take place at Stevens Family Sugarhouse before stopping at Sprague & Son Maple, where we ate sugar on snow, which is hot syrup poured onto shaved ice until it becomes the consistency of taffy. (It's served with a pickle and a donut, for good measure.)

On our final day, a windy and New England-cold start to April, we drove to Stratton Mountain. It's 40 minutes north of West Dover and home to some of the area’s best skiing. It has 99 trails, 11 lifts, a tube park, ice skating, and a vibrant and shoppable village, where we toyed with upgrading our ski equipment during end-of-season sales.

But we opted to spend our dollars at Twice Blessed, the beloved consignment store just minutes from the inn, where you can find anything from old furs to board games to pieces of furniture. From our travels, we brought home an ancient edition of Monopoly and, naturally, seven bottles of genuine Vermont maple syrup — the sweetest end to a weekend away.

Nightly stays start at $275. Learn more at thehermitageinnvermont.com.

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