Luxury Connecticut Country Inn Winter Getaway Package

Treat Yourself with a Mid-week Getaway

If there urban winter slush has you looking for the fresh countryside then just 2 hours from New York City you can treat yourself to five-star, five-diamond accommodations with luxury spa. The Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, Connecticut is the choice of many big city dwellers. You may think it’s a luxury hotel with the fine dining, but with just 30 guest rooms it retains the charm of a New England Country Inn. You can enjoy this luxury treatment with some spa extras up to May 15, 2010, Sunday through Thursday nights. This getaway package includes:

• One night's accommodation,
• One 60 minute spa treatment (valued at $198)per person
• Full country breakfast
• One guest - $550/night Sunday to Wednesday; $750/night Thursday
• Two guests - $750/night Sunday to Wednesday; $950/night Thursday

*Inclusive of gratuities, exclusive of taxes
Call to book 860-868-9466 **Subject to some holiday blackout dates**

Maine Bed & Breakfast December Weekend Getaway Special

December in New England is often the month that winter comes in full force and the holiday only adds to the craziness of the season. If you need a little time to get away from shopping mall crowds and prefer Christmas shopping at unique shops of Camden Maine, then here is just the right weekend getaway package for you. Stay at the Inns at Blackberry Common any Friday or Saturday night in December, with room rates beginning at just $75 per night per person. This includes a fireplace warmed guestroom with private bath, afternoon tea, and the traditional B&B breakfast you would come to expect. Upgrades to luxury suites are available and every guest is sent home with handmade local Holiday wreath. And to further reduce pre-holiday stress, they will even gift wrap after your shopping chores around the area. Now there’s something extra special for the holiday.

And for a information on about the Inns at Blackberry Common in Camden Maine. It’s just a few blocks from Camden harbor, with 18 guestrooms – where each room is decorated in Victorian elegance or Classic colonial history of the architecture of our two inn buildings - The Blackberry Inn and the Elms Inn. Call 1-800-388-6000 for reservations or more details and enjoy.

Dinner, Dance and a New Years Eve Romance at Vermont Inn

Spend a romantic New Years Eve weekend on the Island of Lake Champlain, in the 19th Century beautifully restored North Hero House. Enjoy a special champagne dinner next to a warm cozy fireplace. Rekindle your romance by dancing the night away. End the evening in one of their 26 historical rooms and sleep the morning away.

In the morning, hit the slopes and Ski Jay Peek Mountain, Smuggler’s Notch, Sugar-bush, or Bolton Valley. Take in Vermont’s spectacular mountains views and just enjoy the moment. During the late afternoon you can visit Burlington’s Church Street Market Place and explore some of the unique shopping areas. Captivate your evening with a drive through Jeffersonville and the Notch for a picturesque and historic route. Then return to the most celebrated Inns “The North Hero House” for a gourmet dinner over looking the harbor.

Lights, Camera, Reindeer! Christmas at the Stone Zoo in Boston

Enjoy a holiday family gathering at the Stone Zoo in Massachusetts. Promenade through the paths of shimmering Christmas lights that enhance the natural ambiance of wildlife all around you. All admittance will be able to take part in naming the two newly adopted reindeer. Give your child or loved one this special gift and wonderful outdoors experience in New England. Make this a holiday to remember. As you wonder through the park you will be able to enhance your education, and learn more about the magical holiday spirits all around you. Gaze at the nearly extinct bald eagles, gray fox, and porcupines. Enjoy a visit to Santa Claus, and conclude your evening with a carousel ride and famous musical.

The Admission is $5 per person and free for children under the age of 2. Call 617-989-2000.

Unique Christmas Event at New England Whaling Town

The unseasonal warm weather may not have you in the Christmas sprit, but this New England holiday can always be special with the many events. The Lantern Light Tours at Mystic Seaport is one of those unique holiday attractions that can make your Christmas both entertaining and even educational. It’s a one hour walking performance tour (or play if you wish) that takes place Christmas Eve 1876. Here is description from their website followed by a video clip; “The Gardner family has struggled each Christmas since the War Between the States, when their beloved Captain Gardner was lost. No proof exists of his death, and for eleven years the family has wondered what happened to their father and husband. Join us on a journey through Greenmanville, a town hurt by war and healed by the hope and love of family.”

The cost is $26 for Adults and $19 for kids with a member discount of $2. If you haven’t been to the Mystic Seaport that too a step back in time of 1800’s New England whaling town. And to carry on with the 1800's theme there is a Bed & Breakfast we could recommend in the area that we stayed at previously - The House of 1833. Their Sunday pancakes are a treat!

Oldest Country Store in New Hampshire

Who would have ever thought just a simple general country store could be a must-see place to visit in New England. Nestled in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire is among the oldest store in the country and also one of the oldest surviving businesses of any kind. The Old Country Store and Museum off Whittier Highway in Moultonborough, NH is celebrating 228 years of being the "place to go" when you need something. What makes this general store so unique is the history behind it all. In 1777, General Jonathan Moulton sold the land to Samuel Burnam "with barnframe thereon". It was sold again 2 years later then the store was publicized in the Hollands New Hampshire (printed in London, England) as the only building in town. Since that time, the Old Country Store and Museum hasn't moved and has only blossomed. The list below is just a preview of what to expect at the store:

Candy
The Candle Room
John Deere Collectables
Coffee Mugs
Wrought Iron and Brass Hardware
Maple Syrup
Molasses
Cheese
Weathervanes
Maple Candy and Products
Bean Pots
Food Items
Cast Iron Cookware
Kitchen Gadgets
Old Fashioned Popcorn Poppers
Player Guitar
Burts Bee's
Map Room
Moose Stuff
Mad Bomber Hats and Mitts
Stuff you wear

Less than 15 miles down the road westward, is the Manor on Golden Pond to rest up after a hard day shopping. 

Chapel for Dogs in Vermont

After a new death experience this Vermont artist, Stephen Huneck, had a vision to build of all things a dog chapel. It would be a place “you could go to communicate with God about your dog” stated the artist. Not just for mourning the loss of man’s best friend but this artist hopes visitors will also contemplate and commemorate our unique human to canine relationship. So what’s different about this house of worship? Staying within the traditional 19th-century church Vermont country decor with two doors, one for women and one for men, but with his the artist added a dedicated dog door by the lower center portal. Decorated with matching raised panels and carved fan above the steeple with one of his “angel dogs”—a full-bodied sculpture, winged and gilded, of his Labrador retriever Sally.

This dog chapel is a must see for the a true dog lover as the funding to build it was from the sales of his art, and time to dedicate was between commissions. “I took any downtime I had and put it into that chapel,” he confesses. It opened in 2000 and now never closes. So if you are in the Saint Johnsbury Vermont area be sure to check out the chapel and his art gallery. And when you are feeling “dog tired” the Rabbit Hill Inn is one place to rest weary bones.

Emily Dickinson Museum Amherst Massachusetts

If you enjoy the Poet Emily Dickinson and are in the Western Massachusetts area be sure to stop by the Emily Dickinson Museum. There you can explore her life and legacy with guided tours of her houses or a self-guided audio tour of the grounds. Visitors are encouraged to take the tour that best suits their interests, which costs around $8 for adults for the house tour. The grounds audio tour is complimentary with a house tour ticket, and tours are only open until December.

One of the tour’s called The Evergreens is a 50-minute guided tour that talks about Emily Dickinson’s life and work and offers a glimpse of the family’s lifestyle and interests. Here are some of the details supplied by their website that make this tour worth the stop.

• Visitors will encounter Emily Dickinson the way "pilgrims" did in the 1920s and 1930s, when Martha Dickinson Bianchi, the poet’s niece, created a special room in The Evergreens for admirers who wished to learn more about the poet. Bianchi furnished the room with artifacts significant to her aunt’s story.
• During the tour, visitors will spend time in the Emily Room and tour the rest of The Evergreens to experience the unrestored home of her extended family.
• Offered throughout the day. Last tour at 3 p.m. on weekdays; 3:30 p.m. on weekends.

If you are staying over night they be sure to stay at the Deerfield Inn for a relaxing night.