It’s Winter…still…. in Vermont!
New restaurants! Check it out:
The Hartland Diner in Jessup’s Plaza at Hartland 3 Corners – open 7 days a week for lunch and breakfast (served all day!).
The owners of the former Stella’s restaurant have opened a restaurant in Windsor at the railroad station (Windsor Station Restaurant and Barroom)serving dinner!
Opened in Quechee Singleton’s Market with food items, deli, Vermont products and clothing – check it out on Facebook. It has almost everything you could need from fresh fish, homemade sausages, wine, beer…the list is endless!
Firestone’s Restaurant in Quechee is now closed but River Stones restaurant is open in the same location with a lot of the old favorites on the menu as well as some new delicious sounding items.
Another new restaurant in Woodstock – The Worthy Kitchen where the Eastender used to be (on the East end of Rt. 4)! Very casual atmosphere, limited menu but the specials change and the food is good. Beer choices are endless.
If you are returning to the area from previous visits please note their are lots of restaurants in the area you may wish to try: Trap Door Bakery and Deli in Quechee, and in Woodstock: Melaza Bistro, Pi Brick Oven Trattoria(with Jazz music every Wed. at 7pm), and Mon Vert Cafe. Of course, many of my “old” favorites are still there: Kedron Valley Inn and Tavern(S. Woodstock), Keeper’s (Reading), The Black Rock Restaurant (Springfield), Harpoon Brewery (Windsor), Long Trail Brewery(Bridgewater) for lunch, Harpoon Brewery (Windsor), Simon Pearce restaurant and The Parker House(Quechee) and many more!! The Kedron Valley Inn is only 3 mi. from the cabin. Bentley’s restaurant in Woodstock offers dancing to their DJ on Friday and Saturday nights at 10 pm
Taftsville Covered Bridge has reopened. It’s been closed since “Irene” and it will be a great relief to have that access to River Road re-opened!
I recommend a visit to Sugarbush Farm (www.sugarbushfarm.com) where they have a wonderful education display and video on sugaring, a animal petting area and a wonderful cheese and maple syrup tasting room with of course a gift shop full of goodies to take home or buy for gifts. Call first during the Winter and Mud Season to make sure roads are passable.
Harpoon Brewery – Windsor – don’t forget live music on Thurs. evenings. And visit Farmstead Cheese (Sustainable Farmer) next door! They are expanding into cheesemaking at this location as well and offer lots of local products. Also in the same complex there is the Silo making Vermont’s own Vodka/Gin/Whiskey.
Brownsville General Store at the base of Ascutney mountain offers a daytime deli and a special dinner offering (eat in or take out) from 5-7pm every Friday night.
Brown’s Tavern is also open for dinner at the Ascutney Resort nearby.
If you stop at Mike’s Mobil just off Rt. 91 on Rt. 12/5 you’ll find a lot of hot foods to choose from, to keep you from needing to cook that first meal!
Montshire Museum in Norwich, VT gets top marks for it’s displays for young and old including the outside grounds www.montshire.org
Winter Activities at the Artisan’s Park in Windsor off Rt. 5 – home to many interesting places such as Harpoon Brewery, Sustainable Farmer (cheese making and other VT products), Simon Pearce outlet store, The Silo (manufacturer of Gin, Vodka and Whiskey) and Great River Outfitters who feature a lot of Winter Activities such as: dog sledding, sleigh rides and snowshoeing – check out their calendar http://greatriveroutfitters.com/winter-schedule
Dec. 4-31 – White River Junction, VT – Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, featuring a stellar cast of Broadway and regional performers, Northern Stage, www.northernstage.org
Dec. 13 – Woodstock, VT – Wassail Open House, Woodstock History Center, 5-7pm
Dec. 13 – Woodstock, VT – Pentangle Arts Wassail Weekend Featured Concert – Irish Christmas in America, Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
Dec. 13-15 – Woodstock, VT – 30th Annual Wassail Weekend, See the schedule of events at www.woodstockvt.com
Dec. 14 – Woodstock, VT – Wassail Tea, 2 seatings, St. James Episcopal Church Great Hall, www.pentanglearts.org
Dec. 14 – Woodstock, VT – some of the Wassail events:
Holiday House Tour – 9:30-2pm
Reading of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales”
Wassail Parade through Woodstock Village, 2pm
Lighting of the Memory Tree with Carole Sing and Lighting of the Bon Fire on the Green, 3pm
“The Ten”, A capella men’s choir, Congregational Church, 3 and 4:30pm
Lighting of the Luminaries on the Green, 4pm
Dec. 15 – Woodstock, VT –Annual Messiah Sing, Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church, 4pm
Dec. 15 – Plymouth, VT – Coolidge Holiday Open House, 10-4pm
Dec. 22 – Woodstock, VT – Judy Collins, Holidays and the hits, Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 7pm, www.pentanglearts.org
Dec. 31 – Ludlow, VT – Midnight Arrives Early at Okemo: Okemo Mountain Resort turns New Year’s Eve into a family celebration by moving midnight forward – allowing families with young children to ring in the New Year at a reasonable hour, 5-9 p.m. with bingo, dancing, wagon rides, a comedy show and trivia tournament.
Jan. 4 – South Woodstock, VT – Horse Sleigh Combined Test (competition), Green Mountain Horse Assoc. on Rt. 106, www.GMHAinc.org
Jan. 5 – South Woodstock, VT – Sleigh Rally (parade), Green Mountain Horse Assoc. on Rt. 106, www.GMHAinc.org
Jan. 11 – Woodstock, VT – Suicide Six ski area – NE Winter Wild http://www.newinterwild.com/index.php?doc=27_176
Jan. 11 – Statewide in VT – Winter Trails Day: Free Cross-Country Ski & Snowshoeing
Nordic skiing and snowshoeing are free at multiple locations during Winter Trails Day. Participating areas include: Bolton Valley Nordic Center, Bluebuerry Lake, Craftsbury Outdoor Center, Ole’s Cross Country Ski Center, Mountain Top Inn & Resort Nordic Center, Woodstock Nordic Center, Smugglers’ Notch Resort Nordic Center, Rikert Nordic Center and Strafford Nordic Center. Inventory and lesson space is limited.
Jan. 12 – Windsor, VT – Wine and Cheese tasting, Sustainable Farmer, Artisans Way – off Rt. 5 next to Harpoon Brewery, 11-3pm
Jan. 16 – Woodstock, VT – National Theatre Live from London, performance of “The Habit of Art”, Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
Jan. 18 – South Woodstock, VT – Horse Sleigh Combined Test (competition), Green Mountain Horse Assoc. on Rt. 106, www.GMHAinc.org (Based on snow availability)
Jan. 18 – Hartland, VT – Logging of a Bygone Era is a collection of films and slides narrated by Dick Nason, retired forester. Dick will take us to logging camps high in the woods and describe the living and working conditions of these hardy men. He has incredible footage of logs being skidded with teams of draft horses and early tractors. He then takes us to the log dams where men danced over rolling logs while moving them through the icy waters. Dick has plenty of stories to tell and loves audience participation. The event will be held at Damon Hall, Hartland, VT, 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM, and is FREE. A roast beef supper at the Hartland Church is a short walk away after the film, make an evening of it!
Jan. 18 – Quechee, VT – Winter Wildlife Celebration, Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS), www.vinsweb.org
Jan. 18 – Windsor, VT – Skating party on the Commons (assuming it’s cold enough!), 5-7pm, DJ, hot dogs, etc.
Jan. 18-20 – Woodstock, VT – Sleigh Ride weekend at Billings Farm
Jan. 23 – Woodstock, VT – National Theatre Live from London, performance of “The Habit of Art”, Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
Jan. 25 – Woodstock, VT – Winter Farmer’s Market, 10-1pm at the Masonic Temple near Mac’s
Jan. 25 – Lebanon, NH – “An Ode To Winter, Upper Valley Community Band, Lebanon Opera House, 7:30pm
Jan. 25 – Windsor, VT– ULLR Festival, Great River Outfitters, noon -7pm, Artisan’s Plaza off Rt. 5 next to Harpoon Brewery, dress up in Viking or Halloween type outfits, check out the schedule: http://greatriveroutfitters.com/component/content/article/272
Jan. 25 – Hartland, VT – Roast Beef Dinner, Hartland Congregational (Brick) Church, 5-7pm
Jan. 27 – Feb. 2 – W. Lebanon/Plainfield,NH – just across the Conn. R from the cabin – NH Wine
Week. The biggest names in the wine world will flock to N.H. for a week-long celebration of wine
Dozens of wine industry titans, boutique vineyard owners and local producers will participate.View a full
list of celebrity appearances and register for events online at www.NHWineWeek.com.
FEBRUARY SPECIAL!!
Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month
Month-long, Statewide
Many people vow to get active in the New Year, and what could be more fun than playing in the snow and learning a new sport to get you moving in 2014! January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard month and Ski Vermont offers $29 packages including professional lessons, equipment rentals and a beginner lift ticket. Sign up at skivermont.com/learn while supplies last.
Music near the cabin:
Feb 1st Larry Dougher, Harpoon Brewery http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/breweries/windsor
Feb 2nd Eeik Boedtker and Johnny O Brown’s Tavern http://brownstavern.webs.com/apps/calendar
Feb 4th: Matt Maserve Windsor Station http://windsorstationvt.com/live-music
Feb 5th Eeik Boedtker and Johnny O Brown’s Tavern http://brownstavern.webs.com/apps/calendar
Feb 8th Cliff Street Funk Essentials, Windsor Station http://windsorstationvt.com/live-music
Feb 11th Jim Yeager, Windsor Station http://windsorstationvt.com/live-music
Feb 12th Eeik Boedtker and Johnny O Brown’s Tavern http://brownstavern.webs.com/apps/calendar
Feb 14th Water Gomez til 8 Peter Concilio’s Latin Jazz Quartet till 11 http://windsorstationvt.com/live-music
Feb 18th Erik Boedkter Windsor Station http://windsorstationvt.com/live-music
Feb 19th Eeik Boedtker and Johnny O Brown’s Tavern http://brownstavern.webs.com/apps/calendar
Feb 22nd Suncooked Windsor Station http://windsorstationvt.com/live-music
Feb 26th Eeik Boedtker and Johnny O Brown’s Tavern http://brownstavern.webs.com/apps/calendar
For entertainment at Skunk Hollow Tavern in Hartland look here:http://www.skunkhollowtavern.com/Entertainment.aspx
Feb. 1 – Hartland, VT – 8th annual Tiki Torch Trek – cross-country ski or snowshoe on the Hartland trails lined with Tiki torches and enjoy food on the trek. More info in 2014 on www.hartlandwintertrails.org
Feb. 1 – Hartland, VT – Roast Beef Dinner, Hartland Congregational (Brick) Church, 5-7pm
Feb. 8 – Hartland, VT – Roast Beef Dinner, Hartland Congregational (Brick) Church, 5-7pm
Feb. 13 – Woodstock, VT – Studio 31 Presents A Baroque Valentine, Blue Horse Inn, 7:30pm
Feb. 14-16 – Woodstock, VT – The Vermont Flurry: Snow Sculpture Festival, The Village Green
Feb. 15 – Hartland, VT – Roast Beef Dinner, Hartland Congregational (Brick) Church, 5-7pm
Feb. 15 – South Woodstock – Pig Roast to benefit the local Snowmobile Club, South Woodstock Fire House on Rt. 106, 11 -3pm
Feb. 15-23 – Woodstock, VT – Sleigh Ride Week, Billings Farm
Feb. 22 – Woodstock, VT – Hello Pops! A Stage and Screen Salute to Louis Armstrong, Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
Feb. 22 – Quechee, VT – Owl Festival, Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS), www.vinsweb.org
Feb. 22 – Hartland, VT – Roast Beef Dinner, Hartland Congregational (Brick) Church, 5-7pm
Feb. 23 – Woodstock, VT – Satchmo! A Stage Meets Screen Salute to Louis Armstrong, Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 3pm http://pentanglearts.org/event/hello-pops-a-stage-and-screen-salute-to-louis-armstrong/
Music in March
Friday February 28th Skunk Hollow 9pm Lohn Lackard Blues Band
Saturday the 1st Windsor Station 8pm Gypsy Reel
Sunday the 2nd Browns Tavern 6:30pm Erik Boedtker and Johnny O
Tuesday the 4th Windsor Station 6:00pm Davey Davis
Wednesday the 5th 8:30 Skunk Hollow Open Mic
Friday the 7th Skunk Hollow 9pm Peter Concilio Jazz Trio
Saturday the 8th American Legion 7pm The Wild Women Of Windsor Snow Ball featuring The Vagabonds
Saturday the 8th . March 8th 8pm Windsor Station Roadtrash Band
Sunday the 9th Browns Tavern 6:30pm Erik Boedtker and Johnny O
Tuesday the 11th 6pm Windsor Station Jason Cann
Wednesday the 12th 8:30 Skunk Hollow Open Mic
Thursday the 13th 6pm Harpoon Jason Cann
Friday the 14th Skunk Hollow 9pm Sensible Shoes
Saturday the 15th 8pm Windsor Station Jester Jigs
Sunday the 16th Browns Tavern 6:30pm Erik Boedtker and Johnny O
Tuesday the 18th 6pm Windsor Station Johnny O
Wednesday the 19th 8:30 Skunk Hollow Open Mic
Thursday the 20th 6pm Harpoon Jason Cann
Friday the 21st 9pm Skunk Hollow The Stone Cold Roosters
Sunday the 23rd Browns Tavern 6:30pm Erik Boedtker and Johnny O
Wednesday the 26th 8:30 Skunk Hollow Open Mic
Thursday the 27th 6pm Harpoon Jason Cann
Friday March 28th Skunk Hollow 9pm Wherehouse
Sunday the 30th Browns Tavern 6:30pm Erik Boedtker and Johnny O
Mar. 6 and 13 – Woodstock, VT – National Theatre Live from London, performance of “Coriolanus”, Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
Mar. 19-22 – Ludlow, VT – 2014 US Alpine Masters Championships at Okemo Mtn.
March 22-23 – Statewide – Sugar Houses Open House – opportunity to visit the farms where your maple syrup comes from. I recommend Sugarbush Farm for cheese and maple syrup – year round tasting room and gift shop www.sugarbushfarm.com Lots of other activities offered in Woodstock: sugar on snow and maple butter popcorn on the Woodstock Green, a scavenger hunt at Suicide Six, and a bike ride to some of the area sugarhouses.
Woodstock Maple Madness
Woodstock Maple Madness Weekend, Celebrating Vermont’s Sweet Season, VT state Maple Open House weekend.Sat events, Pancake Breakfast at the Elementary school, on the Village Green 11am-1pm, tree tapping,maple goodies,ongoing-silent auction of local artists decorated sap buckets-place your bid on one or more of these wonderful sap buckets-VT Artisan Trunk Show/Library, Maple Taste around at Suicide Six Ski area Sat night 6-8:30 prepared by local chefs. Live Auction/entertainment-Cash Bar
Admission: maple taste around $25.00
Directions: Woodstock Village Green, Woodstock Village, Woodstock ARea, Suicide Six Ski ARea, Pomfret, VT
Maple Madness Scavenger Hunt
Find the Maple Leaf- area business have hidden a Maple leaf- pickup a card at participating businesses, have each stamp your card. Drop your card in the “Bucket” at the Welcome Center and be entered into a drawing to win a “Bucket full Maple Goodies”
Mar. 30 – Woodstock, VT – Carolina Chocolate Drops, Woodstock Town Theatre, 7:30-9:30 www.pentanglearts.org
