The Pitcher Inn Passport – Colonial Room

03/01/2019 6:30 am

We love giving tours of The Pitcher Inn. One of our favorite things to do – when availability permits – is giving tours of our fabulous guest rooms.  Often, folks will form a deep connection with a specific room and plan their vacation around the availability of their home away from home. We adore this sense of ownership that our friends develop. It’s our dream to give the opportunity to all our followers, friends, and family. We’re starting this series to share the fascinating history and design of The Pitcher Inn. Follow along and find out all the details of your future favorite room.

The Colonial Room may be the Inn’s simplest room.  Its shallow by long proportions, sloped ceiling, low reaching windows, and wide plank floors give the fleeting impression of an attic space converted.  The heavily divided spaces, small but dignified (and a little maze-like) are typical of the second-floor rooms in historic Vermont houses.  The impression is intentional.  The room was designed as a Vermont farmhouse bedroom, part of the historic theme of the whole north section of the building.

The main building of the Inn is actually made up of three distinct but connected buildings.  The north section has historical details, the middle section displays present-day details and the south section has futuristic details – i.e. details that evolve current and past details in new directions.

Originally, the intent was for the Colonial Room to have an even simpler design.  The walls were to be left plastered white, the curtains sedate, the furnishings modest and rural.  However, partway through the construction, the room appeared too successfully plain.  At this point, it was embellished with wallpaper, painted molding, drapery and more sophisticated furnishings that lend the room a sweeter if slightly southern flair.

Courtney Fisher executed the original room design.  Courtney was an architect and architectural historian who, in addition to designing the Colonial Room and the library below it, acted as the historical consultant for the entire project.  Karen Schmitz of Karen’s Fabrics and Trading Co. evolved the wall finishes, Maggie Smith selected the furnishings, and Kate Stevens of Sellers and Co. Architects designed the stone and tile work in the bathroom.

–Maggie Smith, Owner , 1997

The Colonial Room was first on the tour when I began working at the Pitcher Inn nearly four years ago. That gives ‘The Toile Wonderland’ (as I affectionately introduce it to guests) a very special place in my heart. One of the more sedate rooms, it doesn’t garner as much attention as our flashier fare like Ski, Lodge, or Mountain. That said, Colonial is a classically calm spot for our guests to come to rest.

One of my favorite design aspects of The Pitcher Inn is the juxtaposition between New England Inn and the more whimsical, wild aspects of Vermont. Our rooms facing West and the village center (and The Warren Store!) all share a certain classic charm. Still imaginative and somewhat ‘out-there’, they all share an olden days charm. Colonial is perhaps the sweetest example, peaking through the windows at the upper left side of the Inn. Like Maggie’s note on the directional design, this East-West perspective is another wonderful example of our architect’s attention to detail.

The Colonial Room invites you to unplug, turn off the lights, and sit in front of the dancing fire, letting yourself be transported back to simpler times (albeit with a fully stocked wine cellar two floors below). When the sun peaks over the mountains to the east, rise with the day and write a loved one a little note on the vintage typewriter. When the light begins to wane, take advantage of the modernity and bask in the deep, jetted tub. A little poem in blue and white, The Colonial Room might inspire you to slow down a little, even after you’ve made your farewells, traveled back to the future, and arrived home.

-Mimi Bain, Inn Manager, 2019

Pay a Visit to the Warren Store

02/08/2019 4:40 pm

When you stay with us here at the Pitcher Inn, you’re calling home one of the signature landmarks of the Mad River Valley. Just across the street, meanwhile, lies another: the beloved and utterly one-of-a-kind Warren Store.

We love standing face-to-face with the Warren Store, which comes tucked against a charming little waterfall made by Freeman Brook above its mouth in the Mad River. Our Pitcher Inn guests receive a welcome snack mix from the store—“Jack’s Snax,” named after store manager Jack Garvin—and also enjoy the daily batches of baked goods we get from its exceptional bakery, but we also urge you to visit this “almost world famous” (as the tagline goes) neighbor of ours in person. For one thing, Pitcher Inn guests have charge privileges at the Warren Store—but also the place is just magical. Here’s a little snapshot of this long-standing fixture of Main Street, Warren!

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Best Hotel near Lawson’s Finest Liquids

01/09/2019 8:06 pm

The Green Mountain State has become a global destination for craft beer, and our neck of the woods here at the Pitcher Inn happens to be one of modern Vermont brewing’s truly hallowed epicenters. (A few years back, in fact, Men’s Journal called this corner of Northern Vermont “the Napa Valley of beer.”)

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Sugarbush’s 60th Anniversary

01/03/2019 8:07 pm

The Pitcher Inn provides awesome access to world-class Vermont skiing, what with our close proximity to two truly fabled and long-running resorts: Mad River Glen and Sugarbush. Today we’re celebrating a festive anniversary the latter resort observed on Christmas Day: 60 years in the business!

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Top Hotels in New England: Readers’ Choice Awards 2018

10/30/2018 3:08 pm

The 2018 edition of Condé Nast Traveler’s high-profile Readers’ Choice Awards is in, and once again The Pitcher Inn has gotten quite the shout-out.

The magazine’s readers have voted us No. 6 in the Top Hotels in New England category, a placement that puts us among some very illustrious company and which—we like to think—reflects our one-of-a-kind brand of Green Mountain State hospitality.

We’re not one to toot our own horn too much, but we’re happy to say it’s our second consecutive appearance on the list, and another of more than a few noteworthy reader-survey rankings in which we’ve made the cut over the years, including Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best Awards.

The Pitcher Inn Experience

Our Relais & Châteaux luxury inn here in the Mad River Valley combines rustic flourishes with the utmost upscale hospitality, delivering an unparalleled Green Mountain State getaway. Our pair of two-bedroom suites and nine well-appointed guest rooms provide the sort of Vermont accommodations that come straight out of a dream: from woodsy havens anchored by rough-hewn beams and crackling fireplaces to historically themed abodes such as our Chester Arthur and Colonial rooms, which nicely reflect The Pitcher Inn’s own deep-rootedness.

Our Relais & Châteaux fine dining, meanwhile, has brought us additional acclaim. Enjoy farm-to-table gastronomy from the casually sophisticated Dining Room to our refined tavern Tracks, the meticulously planned and presented dishes reinforced by excellent regional craft beer as well as a wine cellar close to 500 bottles strong.

From weddings and elopements to holiday parties and business meetings, meanwhile, we’re also proud to offer some of the area’s finest event venues and coordinating services.

And then there’s our prime location here in Warren, Vermont: just across the street from the legendary Warren Store, minutes from the nationally renowned slopes of Sugarbush and Mad River Glen, and an ideal jumping-off point for touring the golf courses, farms, breweries, paddling waters, bike trails, sugarhouses, and myriad other attractions of the Mad River Valley.

Book a Fall or Winter Getaway at The Pitcher Inn Today

Excited as we are to once again be featured among the Top Hotels in New England in this year’s Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, we’re even more excited to welcome you to our historic and beautifully maintained inn here in the Mad River Valley. Allow us to show you the kind of Relais & Châteaux hospitality that earns us these sorts of honors this fall or winter, which happen to be wonderful seasons to visit our Green Mountain State playground!

Introducing Lorien Wroten & Adam Longworth

09/27/2018 7:57 pm

Here at the Pitcher Inn, we’re very happy to welcome Lorien Wroten as our new General Manager and Adam Longworth as our new Executive Chef!

We’re honored to have these two co-owners of The Common Man—a much-esteemed restaurant right here in Warren, Vermont—join The Pitcher Inn team, and we think you’ll love what they’re bringing to the table.

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Luxury Hotel near Sugarbush Soaring

09/14/2018 1:01 pm

Staying with us here at the Pitcher Inn, you’ve got one of the all-around prettiest landscapes in New England at your doorstep: the Mad River Valley and its Green Mountain flanks. Whether cycling, horseback riding, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, or paddling, that scenery looks amazing from the ground level, but just a hop, skip, and a jump from our history-steeped hotel you’ve got the opportunity to take it all in from above.

You’re just minutes away from Sugarbush Soaring, which maintains a fleet of seven exquisite gliders over at Warren’s Sugarbush Airport to offer sightseeing flights, rentals, and lessons. We highly recommend checking out the options!

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More Updates To Our Dining Experience

08/08/2018 2:52 pm

Not long ago here at the Pitcher Inn blog we outlined some of the exciting remodeling and menu redesign we’ve done at our very own fine-dining restaurant, 275 Main. Today we wanted to talk about some of the other upgrades to our dining experience which we’ve lately implemented: part of our never-ending effort to enhance our hospitality, set our grand Relais & Châteaux inn in Warren, Vermont apart, and be responsive to suggestions from our guests.

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Updates to Our Dining Experience

06/29/2018 5:52 pm

Here at The Pitcher Inn, we’re excited to announce significant updates to our fine-dining restaurant, 275 Main, which alongside the intimate Tracks tavern provides our guests with fabulous farm-to-table fare. The updates we’ve made to our main dining room are the most significant since the inn opened some 20 years ago, and we love the results—and we have a feeling you’re going to love them, too!

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Discover the Nearby Waitsfield Farmer’s Market

06/19/2018 8:44 pm

Here at the Pitcher Inn, you’ve got a friendly seat at the table for the diverse bounty and delicious flavors of our Mad River Valley foodshed. Not long ago here at the blog we talked up the awesome Mad River Taste Place (and upcoming Mad River Taste Week in August). Today we wanted to spotlight another awesome element of our local agriculture and food scene, and one equally convenient for our Pitcher Inn guests: the Waitsfield Farmers Market, going in full swing just a few minutes away! (more…)