Pumpkin Picking in the NEK

   

One of the signature items of Halloween is jack-o-lanterns. Before you can start carving, you need to choose the perfect pumpkin. The Northeast Kingdom has many pumpkin patches and vegetable stands to explore. Pete’s Greens in Craftsbury is a farm stand that sells pumpkins already picked off the patch. For a more interactive experience pick your own at O'Donnell Farm in Westfield, they have pumpkins in the field, pumpkins already gathered from the field, a corn maze, a child-sized hay bale maze, horse-drawn hay rides and tractor-pulled hay rides.  Pumpkins abound in Vermont, be sure to find yours before the season ends!

Top Ten Reasons To Stay at The WilloughVale Inn & Cottages

1. Natural Beauty

2. Mountains

3. Lakes and Streams

4. Hiking/Skiing

5. Public Beaches

6. Sunsets

7. Farms/Mills

8. Vermont Made Products

9. Foliage

10. Bird Watching

Fall Foliage Is Upon Us!

It’s that time of year again when we are blessed with the natural beauty of Mother Nature and her colors! Enjoy canoeing or kayaking across Lake Willoughby while staying at our beautiful lakeside cottages at the WilloughVale Inn and Cottages. The bright reds and yellows shine of the lake and create a picturesque getaway for anyone. Foliage is never the same; year after year it brings a distinct new set of color and awe to the Green Mountain State. The Views from and around Lake Willoughby are phenomenal; take a hike up Mt. Pisgah to get a birds eye view from above! The Northeast Kingdom is one of the most pristine spots in Vermont this time of year, both Lake Willoughby and The WilloughVale Inn and Cottages welcome you to stay with us and experience the natural beauty of Vermont’s most spectacular season!

End of the Summer Fitness!

       Come join us at the WilloughVale Inn and Cottages in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont for some great outdoor events and activities before the frigid air moves in! For our biker friends a ride through the Vermont Mountains is a summer treat. Stop in and visit the shops and markets as we begin to see the autumn leaves change and bring their beauty to the area. 

       Be sure stay with us at the Willoughvale Inn and enter into the Kingdom Run a 20, 10, and 5k race through scenic Irasburg on August 11th. Do you like to cycle? Check out the Farm and Food Bike Tour the following week on August 18th, offering two distances of 15 miles and 33 miles and the Annual Echo Lake Road Race on the 25th. Maybe you’re a tri-athlete? This month is also home to the annual 4.75-mile swim across Lake Willoughby also taking place on the 18th.

 

  

       If running, cycling, or swimming isn’t your stride, check out the Arthur Mandros Memorial at the Orleans Country Club or the Kingdom Classic at the Newport Country Club for a day of fun on the links. If you’re looking for an end of the summer getaway and are somewhat of a thrill-seeker/athlete you won’t want to miss August in the Kingdom of Vermont!  While in the area don’t forget to stop in at Gil’s Bar & Grill at the WilloughVale Inn and Cottages. 

Summertime at the Willoughvale Inn and Cottages

Spring is upon us and summer is fast approaching. It’s time to break out those bathing suits and come join us at the WilloughVale Inn and Cottages on Lake Willoughby! Grab a quick bite to eat or join us for dinner at Gil's Bar and Grill! Swimming, canoeing, kayaking, tubing and of course rope swinging are also some of the great activities this majestic lake has to offer. With a surface area of approximately 1,687 acres this 300 foot deep lake lies between two beautiful mountains and the surrounding Willoughby State Forest to the south. Created by massive glaciers that once covered the area, Lake Willoughby is known as a National Natural Landmark of New England.

Surrounded by beaches on both ends of the lake, The WilloughVale Inn offers exclusive activities season round. The Inn owns one double kayak, two single kayaks, and three canoes that are rented out for two hours at a time with no charge on a first come first serve basis. With your boat preference you can navigate the many beautiful self-guided scenes along the lake or swim out to our floating trampoline and enjoy some fantastic fun and sunbathing! On the eastern shore you can find many natural waterslides along with great views of Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor. And you may even find yourself facing the eerie devil’s face painted on the lakeside of Mount Pisgah less than halfway up from the southern beach, or known to the locals as “Devil’s Rock” a popular diving spot.

While out, relax and enjoy the variety of birds that occupy the lake, making sure to keep watch for the ever elusive Peregrine Falcons that inhibit the area. Lake Willoughby is also known for the variety of fish and great fishing it has to offer. The biggest trout ever known to be caught in the state of Vermont came out of Lake Willoughby. Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Longnose Suckers, and even the VT native Round Whitefish are some of the species that can be found in the crystal clear waters of this lake. Take a romantic canoe or kayak ride out on a moonlit night to really capture the glow of the mountains and stars that surround the lake! And if your lucky you may even catch a glimpse of Lake Willoughby's lake monster "Willy"!

Come join us for a summer season full of fun in the sun at The WilloughVale Inn on Lake Willoughby and enjoy an outstanding meal at Gil's Bar and Grill! Whether enjoying a day of swimming or boating around the lake, or relaxing in the sand while soaking in the superb beauty of the landscape The WilloughVale Inn and Cottages has so much to offer! Enjoy fishing, swimming, boating, and perhaps some of the local lore that lies in and around this wonderful lake in northern Vermont!

Ice Climbing at the Willoughvale Inn

The thrill of climbing, the wind streaking through your hair, the sun glistening off the ice, the adrenaline rush, the realization that you are suspended more than two hundred and fifty feet above the ground. The absolute ecstasy and exhilaration of ice climbing!

Located on Lake Willoughby, the Willoughvale Inn offers breathtaking and exquisite views for anyone looking to get away. Situated approximately an hour and a half north of The Green Mountain Inn, Lake Willoughby and The Willoughvale Inn offer many year round activities including, hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, and in the usual frigid and dreary winter, the excitement of snowshoeing and ice climbing!

Located near the southern shores of Lake Willoughby in Westmore, Vermont loom some of the finest ice climbing cliffs in the Northeast. Towering over Lake Willoughby the cliffs range from three to six hundred feet and can accommodate climbers of various levels, with eight routes ranging from single to multi pitch climbs.

Vermont Adventure Tours offers novice, intermediate, and advanced guided tours at single or group rates; and the Willoughvale Inn is currently working with Vermont Adventure Tours to arrange a weekend getaway/ice climbing expedition either this spring or next winter.

Here are a few photos of the beautiful face overlooking Lake Willoughby:

Green Mountain Inn and WilloughVale Inn Once Again Named to New England Travel 2010 'Best of New England'

The Green Mountain Inn in Stowe, VT and its sister property the WilloughVale Inn in Westmore, VT have been named for the second year in a row to the New England Travel 2010 “Best of New England” list published by the editors of Boston Magazine. The guide’s travel experts research inns and hotels throughout New England and their selections are based on a variety of criteria including level of hospitality, quality of accommodations, customer service, amenities and dining choices.

Says Innkeeper Patti Clark, “We are delighted that the Green Mountain Inn and WilloughVale Inn have been named to the ‘Best of New England’ list two years in a row as our goal has always been to offer our guests a memorable stay at a great value for their hard-earned travel dollars. We are continually upgrading and reinvesting in both properties to make sure our accommodations are comfortable, welcoming and our amenities of the highest quality. We take pride in our long tradition of consistently delivering outstanding customer service, attention to detail and the warm hospitality our guests have come to expect from us. To see both inns named to the New England Travel 2010 list tells us we’re on the right track in meeting those expectations.”

Recently the Green Mountain Inn was voted Number 34 in the Condé Nast Traveler on concierge.com fifteenth annual “Readers’ Choice Survey of Top 50 Ski Hotels in North America” and TripAdvisor.com ranks the inn as the #1 Hotel in Stowe.

Says Clark, “The Green Mountain Inn and the WilloughVale Inn are set in two incredibly beautiful Vermont locations, each with its own distinctive character and ambiance. Guests at either inn are sure to enjoy a truly unforgettable escape.”

Situated in the heart of Stowe village, the historic Green Mountain Inn has been offering travelers respite for over 175 years. The Inn features 107 accommodations ranging from traditional guest rooms to luxury suites and townhouses. Dining options include the Main Street Dining Room as well as the famed Whip Bar and Grill.

Guests at the equally historic WilloughVale Inn overlooking Lake Willoughby in Vermont’s magnificent Northeast Kingdom, may choose from four lakeview cottages, 10 unique main inn rooms or four shoreline cottages.