Every Summer, amid working our respective jobs and participating in our hobbies of choice (which are usually shared and therefore we do them together,) my longtime/lifetime friend Sean and I try to carve out a weekend where we travel out of the city or out of state together to visit somewhere newish and have a different experience than what we’re used to while in different surroundings.
Last year, we had caught a boat to Provincetown at the height of Pride for a weekend of good food, shopping and great vibes by the ocean. Sean, a proud gay man with a fun and diverse group of friends that love to travel as much as I do – showed me around some of his favorite spots in the area – and it was phenomenal!
This year, Sean had expressed interest in swapping out the views of the ocean for views of the mountains, instead- specifically mentioning Vermont as a potential destination. We got to work searching, looking into destinations he’d passed by before or had read about in the past, before we settled on the small town of Quechee as our location of choice. I had stayed there once with my family when I was very young, but I remembered it being a beautiful and picturesque little town with a lot of trails and waterfalls – as well as a famous gorge amid small shops and restaurants.
We booked a room at the historic Quechee Inn, which was built in 1793 and had previously been the home of Vermont’s first Lieutenant Governor and his family. It’s a beautiful building, with a tavern, library and outdoor patio area. Although it was raining by the time we’d arrived after taking the back roads up to Vermont and making a couple of stops in places like Concord, New Hampshire (who were having a city-wide outdoor farmer’s market), we still got to see plenty of the inn after checking into our room.
The only downside to the stay was that the inn was hosting a graduation party at an event venue on the property the night we arrived, and therefore the restaurant and tavern were closed for the evening so the staff could accommodate the ceremony. I wish we’d known prior to our stay, since Sean and I had been looking forward to trying their renowned dinner menu- although we were still able to have a great breakfast the following morning.
Instead, we grabbed dinner at the Public House Pub (which was wonderful!) before we hit the trail and the bridge by the gorge. Being so high up in the air overlooking a raging river and trees was a little disorienting at first- but once I got my bearings- it was exhilarating. The rain let up just long enough for Sean and I to snap some photos and do some hiking without slipping everywhere, so I’m very grateful.
We also headed to nearby – and very rural! – towns like Royalton, where we stumbled upon a monument and museum (literally in the middle of nowhere) commemorating the birthplace of Mormonism’s very own Joseph Smith. It was such a random roadside find that we had to stop and take a few pictures because we were certain no one would believe us if we tried to tell them about it.
Yesterday, Sean and I woke to alerts that Vermont was going to be under a Tornado Watch (and possibly a warning) later on in the afternoon- so we decided to start heading back a little earlier than expected to beat the storms that were coming in. We did make a stop in Woodstock on our way back to Boston, however- and enjoyed the window of sunshine we had as we grabbed lattes at the Mon Vert Café, browsed gifts and clothing at shops like Unicorn and 37 Central Clothiers– and popped by the famous Woodstock Inn just to look at their décor and garden before hopping back in the car to make our way home.
Although the sky got a little scary at times throughout the weekend, we successfully managed to dodge any tornadoes or significant lightning strikes- and grabbed dinner at Turner’s Seafood in Melrose to celebrate a great and relaxing couple of days over lobster bisque and truffle fries before it came time to part ways, head home, and prepare for the week ahead.
I had such an awesome time, and I’d love to go back in the Fall to see how the foliage looks around Quechee!
I’m beginning my series of dental procedures later on this week, but I’m still going to be talking about some of my “Favorite Things” from this past month and looking forward to July as the next few days roll in. I’ve got some things planned I’m excited to write about!
’til then!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 