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Church Street Burlington

March 23rd, 2012 by peter

The Church Street Marketplace, Downtown Burlington Vermont’s award-winning open air mall, is a hub of activity where you’ll find historical architecture, year-round festivals, street entertainers, music, over 100 places to shop and dine, and even quiet places to ponder.

Church Street is a great place to visit when you come to West Hill House, in particular during the summer months.

Susan and Peter had the opportunity of spending a couple of hours there on March 22nd, during a day of record setting temperatures in the 80s F, above 25 C. The gorgeous weather allowed us to take the photographs below.

Church Street, Burlington

Looking north on Church Street

"Big" Joe Burrell

Caption for "Big" Joe Burrell

One of the many café's and restaurants

Bear sculpture in front of City Hall

Spring crocuses

Ben & Jerry's - of course

Tags: Burlington, Church Street
Posted in Attractions & Events, Summer activities | Comments Off

Winter Wonders

March 5th, 2012 by peter

Icy Falls on Rt.100

Winter is one of the most beautiful seasons in Vermont, a real treat for the eyes. Snow covered mountains, evergreen trees laden with heavy snow, thick morning frost on bare tree branches, fresh animal tracks in the snow and brilliant stars in the clear winter night skies are truly awe inspiring.

One of the coolest winter sights of winter can be found along the Vermont highways where tiny streams which spill over the rock-cuts turn into giant white pillars of ice. In the winter sunshine they glisten brightly and at night, in the headlights of passing cars, they take on a ghostly glow. When the warm spring weather arrives these icy falls will be one of the last vestiges of a Vermont winter.

Posted in Attractions & Events, Mad River Valley, Winter activities | Comments Off

Valentine’s Day – Romance is in the snow!

January 31st, 2012 by peter

Sleigh Ride in the Mad River Valley

A picture postcard Valentine’s Day package awaits you…

A snow covered landscape, a beautiful room with a double Jacuzzi tub in its ensuite bathroom, a sleigh ride to whisk you through the snow, and a delicious dinner at The Common Man restaurant.

We have two all inclusive packages:

The Logan Suite for any 3 nights including the 14th of February - just $999 inclusive
The Mountain Room for any 2 nights including the 14th of February – just $649 inclusive

Extra nights can be added at our regular rates less 10%.

Your package includes:

The Logan Suite Master Bathroom

Your beautiful room and a delicious breakfast each morning
A wondrous sleigh ride with views over the Mad River Valley
Dinner at The Common Man Restaurant on the 14th
6 Roses – that you can take home with you
A bottle of Champagne and two souvenir Champagne flutes
Lake Champlain chocolates
And most of all – a peaceful get-away among the snow covered Green Mountains of Vermont

Please plan ahead as these packages will doubtless sell out quickly.

Tags: Mad River Valley, Mountains, Romance, Valentine's Day
Posted in Attractions & Events, Food & Drink, Mad River Valley, Weddings & Romance, Winter activities | Comments Off

Great Vermont Ski and Stay Packages

January 18th, 2012 by peter

For the 2011-12 Ski Season we are once again offering our guests great prices AND flexibility for skiing at Sugarbush – immediately adjacent to the B&B with door-to-door shuttle service, Mad River Glen – a few minutes drive away, and the option to also ski on Olé’s Cross Country Ski trails just down the road from the B&B.

Ski & Stay “Passport*” packages for Sugarbush & Mad River Glen start at $110 per person per day, plus tax (2-night minimum weekdays, 3-night minimum weekends) and we’ll be pleased to customize a package with your choice of room and days of skiing.

The best value packages are:

4-day inclusive weekday package including Ski the Valley “Passports*” for two for 4 consecutive week-days of skiing and 4 week-nights of B&B
3-day inclusive weekend package including Ski the Valley “Passports*” for two for 3 days & nights.

Pricing for both packages, including taxes, is just:

Queen Room Package: $899
King Room Package: $999
Suite Package: $1,049

Our King Room ensuite bathrooms have double Jacuzzi tubs.

You can add another weekday day (or more) at Mad River Glen to any package for just $35 per person per day if you stay an extra night at our regular rates. The Lincoln Peak base at Sugarbush is just two minutes away by free shuttle bus from our front door and you can come back anytime during the day.

*The Passport also includes skiing at Ole’s cross country resort, and specials and freebies at some restaurants and stores.

Check our Winter Activities page for more information on a winter holiday at West HIll House.

Offers are good for one pair of ski tickets per night stayed. Note ski conditions cannot be guaranteed! (The packages are not available on Presidents Week, and weekend packages require a minimum of 3 days & nights. Note that 7 days advance notice is required for all Ski the Valley passport packages.)

Photo credit Sugarbush and EKrylov.

Tags: Cross country ski, Mad River Glen, Ski & Stay, Ski the Valley, Skiing, Snowboarding, Sugarbush
Posted in Attractions & Events, Mad River Valley, Winter activities | Comments Off

The Pot of Gold

December 3rd, 2011 by peter

We’ve found it! The Pot of Gold is in the Mad River Valley!

November brought us 11″ (28cm) of snow for our Thanksgiving Day guests to enjoy and 60°F (15°C) weather a few days later. November also brought us this magnificent rainbow on the 30th. While we can’t guarantee you a rainbow or a pot of gold when you visit West Hill House B&B, Sugarbush or Mad River Glen, we can guarantee you beautiful scenery and warm Mad River Valley hospitality.

Tags: Green Mountains, Mad River Glen, Mad River Valley, Sugarbush, Vermont, West Hill House
Posted in Attractions & Events, Mad River Valley, West Hill House | Comments Off

White Christmas in Vermont

November 28th, 2011 by peter

Christmas finery

Picture yourself doing your Christmas shopping and enjoying Christmas music in the quiet serenity of the green mountains of Vermont.

Saturday, December 3 marks the 13th annual Country Christmas Open House in the Mad River Valley. Over 30 local shops and services are offering special discounts which will make your pocketbook happy and may offer free refreshments which will make your tummy happy. Pick up a punch card at any merchants displaying the Participating Merchant sign then visit 5 businesses and have your card punched at each. When you leave your card with the 5th business it will be entered for a prize drawing. Check out the list of participating merchants and services.

On Friday, December 9 The Vermont Symphony Orchestra presents Holiday Pops “Fun and Games” at the Barre Opera House, just under one hour from West Hill House. Favorite Christmas music with a twist as they take a look at the youthful side of the holiday. Fun for everyone. Tickets required.

Thursday, December 15 the Warren United Church will host the Vermont Symphony’s Brass Quintet and Counterpoint for a perfect mix of brass and voices to ring in the season. Free admission although tickets are required.(802-496-9714).

And of course the area also offers skiing and riding at Sugarbush, skiing at Mad River Glen, and cross country skiing at Ole’s and Blueberry Lake. Dog sled rides, sledding, skating, and moonlight snowshoe tours are just some of the other ways to enjoy a white Christmas in Vermont – oh and you can also curl up with a warm beverage and watch the movie White Christmas.

Tags: Christmas, Cross country ski, Green Mountains, Mad River Glen, Mad River Valley, ski Vermont, Sugarbush, Vermont, West Hill House
Posted in Attractions & Events, Mad River Valley, West Hill House, Winter activities | Comments Off

Skiing in Vermont – time to act!

November 6th, 2011 by peter

West Hill House B&B in Winter

Imagine a Christmas Card snow scene, a house surrounded by snow on a quiet country lane, a quintessential red barn, snowshoes, sleigh rides, shushing down the slopes or gliding on trails through the trees on your skis… Then comfortable beds, Jacuzzi tubs, steam showers, amazing breakfasts, and of course a cat or two curled up in front of a blazing fireplace…

Your imagination can become reality when you book this year’s ski holiday at West Hill House!

To make things even simpler this year, while we will be happy to put together a custom package for you for two or more nights, we have two inclusive deals you can choose from:

3 nights of B&B over the weekend and 3 days of skiing at Sugarbush
4 weeknights of B&B and 4 weekdays of skiing at Sugarbush

All you have to do is choose your room and the same all inclusive price (including taxes) applies:

Queen Room Package – $899
King Room package – $999
Suite package – $1099

You can add dinner for two at The Common Man on any of Tuesday through Saturday evenings for just $99 including tax and gratuity (drinks are extra).

So time to stop imagining, and start planning. We are looking forward to seeing you at West Hill House. Smoky and Snowball are standing by!

Note that these package prices are not available over Christmas/New Years, MLK weekend and Presidents Week, although of course we will be pleased to have you stay at those time as well!

Tags: Mad River Glen, Mountains, ski Vermont, Sugarbush
Posted in Attractions & Events, Smoky & Snowball, West Hill House, Winter activities | Comments Off

Porter Music Box Museum

September 30th, 2011 by peter

Porter Music Box - click to play

We dropped by the Porter Music Box Museum in Randolph, Vermont on Monday. While many of our guests have been there it was our first chance to visit. Take the guided tour and you will be transported back to the hey day of the music box.

The tour begins with an informational video on the manufacturing of the music boxes and then leads into a guided tour of the museum. You will see music boxes acquired from private collections as well as see some of the Porter music boxes which are manufactured on the premises. During the thirty minute tour of the Porter Music Box Museum you will also have a chance to view other items including a Steinway Duo-Art Aeolian reproducing piano.

On your way out of the Museum, be sure to stop at the gift shop. Susan did and the video tells you a bit about our outing and the music box she bought – you can see and hear it when you visit West Hill House.

Tags: Porter Music Box Museum
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Archer Mayor’s Red Herring – a review

August 22nd, 2011 by peter

Red Herring by Archer Mayor

The problem with Archer Mayor’s detective mystery books, featuring fictitious Vermont detective Joe Gunther, is that once you start them you can’t put them down!

Three deaths – one an apparent rape and murder, one an apparent suicide and one an apparent drunk driving accident. Totally unrelated, or are they? And are any of them really what they seem to be?

Another case for Joe Gunther. He focuses on the apparent “red herring”–a single drop of blood left on, or near, each body. And, as it turns out, not from the bodies themselves.

One of Joe’s many assets is that he has been in his profession a long time. He has many useful contacts, both orthodox and less so, that can help with analyzing the elements of the crime scene, including some rather high tech approaches for identifying the probable source of the blood in the blood spots.

However establishing the fact that there is a link among the three deaths, what it is, and who is responsible, takes Joe’s intuition as well as analysis, playing some hunches, and getting help (or maybe not) from two woman, one part of his past, and one that may become part of his future.

Red Herring is a page-turner right to the last page, and the interesting twist at the very end will make you eagerly anticipate reading about the next challenge for Joe Gunther.

The book is available at Tempest Book Store in Waitsfield and also in iBooks.

Tickets are still available to see Archer Mayor in person at West Hill House on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th August. Call 802-496-7162 for details.

Tags: Archer Mayor, Arts Festival
Posted in Attractions & Events, Summer activities, West Hill House | Comments Off

Garden Tour

August 16th, 2011 by peter

Admiring the Gardens

Our pond on canvas

Our gardens were recently featured on the Garden Tour, part of the Vermont Festival of the Arts. For days leading up to the tour dates our landscape artist Patty Weston and her crew worked diligently to have the gardens looking their best. On each of the past two Sundays we welcomed a bus full of garden lovers to come explore the peaceful garden setting and ooh and ahh over the colourful displays of various types of hydrangea, delphinium, lobelia, snow cap daisies, day lilies of various kinds, hosta, and heather just to name a few. Dotty, a local artist came along to paint a picture of our pond and garden shed.

Our gardens are a favorite spot for guests to sit and enjoy the surroundings as well as for wedding celebrations. Come and enjoy the gardens yourself!

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