Rescued from redevelopment, North Hero House inn/restaurant is back in year-round action

Brent Hallenbeck, Burlington Free Press
·4 min read

NORTH HERO ― A long-standing inn and restaurant in the Champlain islands appeared to be near its end, with plans to turn it into condominiums. Then a local real estate mogul and his wife stepped in, and the inn is striving to be an “in” place once again, including this winter.

What is the place?

Founded in 1891, the North Hero House once served visitors arriving by ferries plying Lake Champlain. The inn straddles U.S. 2 as it courses through the Champlain islands; most of the inn’s 26 rooms are on the lake side, while others are above the restaurant on the opposite side of U.S. 2.

Mark Rowell and Amy Stuart, both of Burlington, enjoy dinner Oct. 20, 2023 at the North Hero House.
Mark Rowell and Amy Stuart, both of Burlington, enjoy dinner Oct. 20, 2023 at the North Hero House.

According to the North Hero House website, the inn was “a modern marvel” in its early days, as it had the island’s first flush toilet. Other more glamorous sightings have happened over the years, with Hollywood stars such as Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke among those who have visited the North Hero House, according to the website.

The restaurant seats 52 diners inside and another 72 in the covered outdoor space known as the Pier Bar, which closed for the season Oct. 15. The Pier Bar is likely to return on or around May 1, according to Heidi Tappan, who with her husband, Burlington real estate broker Doug Nedde, bought the North Hero House late last year and reopened it in the spring.

The list of entrees at the inn restaurant on a recent Friday night included ribeye steak, pork tenderloin, red snapper and a vegan roasted vegetable and grain bowl. Jesse Willis, chef at the North Hero House, formerly owned the Country Pantry in Fairfax and worked at Barkeaters in Shelburne and The Lighthouse in Colchester. He said the menu will become more seasonal this fall with items such as pecan-crusted salmon, but popular selections such as the shrimp and lobster scampi and fish and chips will remain.

Red snapper in herbed white-wine butter with a corn cream sauce and black bean, roasted corn and roasted red-pepper salad, shown Oct. 20, 2023 at the North Hero House.
Red snapper in herbed white-wine butter with a corn cream sauce and black bean, roasted corn and roasted red-pepper salad, shown Oct. 20, 2023 at the North Hero House.

What’s the story behind it?

The North Hero House looked to be done shortly after the pandemic. The previous owner was unsuccessful trying to sell the business during the pandemic and planned to demolish the three lakeside buildings, construct “high end” condominiums and convert the inn itself into a single-family home, Nedde wrote in an email to the Burlington Free Press.

“Heidi and I thought this was not a good project for the Village of North Hero and decided to try and save the Inn and Pier Bar,” Nedde wrote. In the “11th hour,” according to Nedde, he and Tappan bought the North Hero House from previous owner Walter Blasberg.

Heidi Tappan, left, co-owner of the North Hero House, greets customers Oct. 20, 2023.
Heidi Tappan, left, co-owner of the North Hero House, greets customers Oct. 20, 2023.

Tappan said her mother’s ancestors settled in North Hero around the time of the town’s founding in the late 1700s. She grew up in St. Albans and spent summers with her family in North Hero.

“I’m a true islander,” Tappan, a former vice president and designer for Burton Snowboards, said as she looked upon Lake Champlain from the grounds of the North Hero House.

She and Nedde renovated the North Hero House. Significant changes include shifting the entrance from the lake-facing front to the north side, allowing them to reconfigure the dining room to give all customers lake views.

Other alterations include a lakeside storage area converted into what Tappan called a “mini-spa;” a private space for up to 40 people attending birthday parties, wedding showers and such; and a spruced-up lounge replete with board games and table-top puzzles. Tappan said that allows visitors who aren’t staying at the inn to have a semblance of a residential experience while enjoying drinks and games by the fire.

“With the lounge here it does make a more exceptional experience,” according to Willis.

Jesse Willis, chef at the North Hero House, works the stove Oct. 20, 2023.
Jesse Willis, chef at the North Hero House, works the stove Oct. 20, 2023.

Tappan isn’t fazed by the small population base in the Champlain islands; the entirety of Grand Isle County is only around 7,500 year-round residents. “It remains to be seen how well we do” this winter, Tappan said. “I will say we are committed. We are earnest.”

She believes it’s worth it for residents of more populated areas of Vermont such as Burlington to come to North Hero. Those making the trip, Tappan said, feel an initial decompression as they drive over the causeway into Grand Isle County and a second decompression as they immerse in a dining experience at the North Hero House.

“We hope that people get inspired to make ‘the drive,’” Tappan said, making air quotes with her fingers. “It really is an idyllic getaway.”

The view of Lake Champlain from the Pier Bar at the North Hero House on Oct. 20, 2023.
The view of Lake Champlain from the Pier Bar at the North Hero House on Oct. 20, 2023.

Hours and location

North Hero House, 3643 U.S. 2, North Hero. Restaurant open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, 5-8 p.m. Sunday-Monday and Thursday-Saturday (full menu), 5-8 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday (tavern menu). (802) 372-4732, www.northherohouse.com

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: North Hero House restaurant in Champlain islands offers views of lake