A Winter Trip to Vermont – Part II

David and I have a shared fantasy about owning a cabin in Vermont. As I mentioned before, when I was growing up in Massachusetts some of my fondest family vacations were when we’d pack up the car to hit the slopes of Killington or Okemo in Vermont. So when we checked into our room at The Pitcher Inn we both gasped as we walked through the door of our cabin suite. Each room of the Pitcher Inn is winsomely and individually decorated, and ours was designed to be the perfect little ski cabin. We entered through a birch forest with ski run signs to guide us, revealing a bed made of tobaggans, a rack of vintage wooden skis "drip drying" by the fireplace and beautiful mountain mural with little skiers (in 80’s apparel!) in the hall to the bathroom. (It’s really well done - I promise!) The rustic feel of the entire place is just right for Vermont, unfussy but you know they’ve paid attention to every detail, from the upstairs pantry stocked with homemade cookies and scones to the downstairs lounge designed for late night board games or pool with a local brew in hand. Antiques and taxidermy abound and I love it here. VERMONT PACKING LIST: [show_shopthepost_widget id="3437396"]

Warren, VT is a small town with a church, general store, and our utterly charming inn on its main street, and two wonderful ski resorts (Sugarbush and Mad River Glen) within a ten minute drive. It was very cold during our stay so we didn’t get out as much as we originally planned, but were very content to keep a fire going in our room and cosy up next to it with our books. It’s the kind of place you hope to be snowed in - especially since The Pitcher Inn is a part of Relais & Chateaux collection, known for their charm and excellent cuisine. Their restaurant overlooking a tributary of the Mad River is not to be missed. When not eating on property we only had to wander across the street for delicious sandwiches from the Warren Store, either enjoying them alongside locals at the little tables at the front of the shop or bringing them back to the picnic table in our room. We also had a wonderful meal one night at Peasant, a French spot 10 minutes up the road in Waistfield, VT.

I love Tory Burch's new sport collection and this fair isle ski sweater and matching fair isle beanie arrived just in time for our trip. They are both so thick and warm without being cumbersome or itchy and I love the slightly retro cut of the sweater. This set is bound to be a classic! [show_shopthepost_widget id="3437407"]

Other excursions included a drive to Woodstock for fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and a pint at the delicious Worthy Kitchen, as well as poking our heads into a number of shops in the center of town ( RT Home, The Vermont Flannel Company and FH Gillingham and Sons were favorites.) For such a small town Woodstock has two wonderful design studios, and I’d love to come back to see the glassblowing demonstrations at Simon Pierce and take a pottery class at Farmhouse Pottery. (I first came across their pieces on One Kings Lane and just love their rustic vibe!)

At this point I've worn this scarf and this coat a thousand times each. I love how the scarf coordinated with almost every coat I brought on the trip and while this checked jacket is from several seasons ago I love it so much I'm considering buying a second as a back up on eBay for the day my current one wears out. (It's that good.) I often hunt for pieces that got away from me on eBay, and to find this coat click here and search for "J.Crew Checkered Coat" to find it in your size. [show_shopthepost_widget id="3437409"]

We couldn't get enough of the darling country stores throughout Vermont! This one is in Dorset close to Manchester and we visited on our drive from Southern Vermont to The Pitcher Inn, grabbing a cup of chowder and some maple sugar candy which I used to love as a kid! This toggle coat looks good on everyone and though it's sold out on J.Crew's site you can find it on sale in all sizes here. [show_shopthepost_widget id="3437394"]

Of course, each night we’d kick off our boots and sprawl out in front of the fire in our room surrounded by goodies like popcorn and the fixings for s’mores. I’d rush back to Vermont just for one more night in this room by this fireplace.

VERMONT PACKING LIST: [show_shopthepost_widget id="3437393"] A huge thank you to The Pitcher Inn for hosting us. We can't wait to come back! xx, SF