The Hayloft Suite at Vermont's Pitcher Inn

New England is most often thought of as the place to go in the fall -- for the peak of the foliage! Come winter, Vermont's Sugarbush Ski Resort is one of the hottest destinations on the east coast. However, if you point your compass this summer in the direction of Mad River Valley and Vermont's Pitcher Inn, Co-Managers, Michael & Luciana Nijdam can introduce you to hiking, biking and gliding adventures that will have you wishing you had made a reservation for a week rather than two or three nights.

The Pitcher Inn, which keeps company with Kennebunkport Maine's famed The White Barn Inn, is one of only a few "rugged elegant" Relais & Chateaux properties in New England.

"If only I had known all this little New England village has to offer' is the comment we get often from new guests," said Mr. Nijdam, who came to Vermont after managing the Biras Creek Resort, a Relais & Chateaux in the British Virgin Islands.

While only 1,317 residents live in Warren year-round, the secret is getting out that the Warren, Waitsfield, Mad River Valley area is a destination spot in the summer, as well as the fall and winter.

Nijdam added, "Our guests are realizing that this piece of Heaven is not just a place to stop-over on their way to their next summer adventure. Repeat guests who discover our inn and the picturesque village of Warren are booking an entire week's stay here after realizing that two-or-three days is just not enough to take in all the fabulous activities this area has to offer."

Outdoor Adventures Galore

A number of adventures highly recommended by the Nijdams and those who have lived on this land for decades:

• take a day's hike and a picnic into the countryside
• bike the fourteen-mile "Waitsfield-Warren loop,"
• go on the covered-bridges trail or antiquing through the village
• play a round of golf at Sugarbush's Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s' mountain course
• luxuriate at the Alta spa, just next door from the inn
• experience the peacefulness of gliding (a thirty-minute once in a lifetime at least must-adventure)."

The Number One Place To Visit in Vermont

If you are into hiking, don't miss the Monroe Skyline hiking trail, a thirty-mile stretch of the Long Trail beginning at Lincoln Gap in the Town of Warren and ending at the Winooski River. Twenty miles of this scenic route runs atop the main ridgeline of the Green Mountains that forms the western edge of the Mad River Valley. In the Summer 2004 issue of Vermont Life Magazine "32 Places Everyone Who Loves Vermont Should Visit” were selected. This trail was identified as the the number one place to visit in all of Vermont.

The Warren Store

A must stop for those just driving through to get tempted for next summer: The Warren Store.

Located along Route 100, this fabulous spot was one of the early inspirations that led to writing my first Rugged Elegance business plan over twenty years ago. Some modestly call it "The Greatest Store in the Universe."

Any gifts you plan to bring back for yourself, family or friends can be found at this charming village market and boutique. Craftsmanship at its best is here along with Vermont foods, books, accessories, handmade quilts, pillows, home furnishings and clothing.

Annual Opera Festival

Five year ago, Carmen Or, a Russian-born concert pianist who has played with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Emerson Quartet and who also stage directs for companies like the San Francisco Opera, imagined "Don Giovanni" performed here. She and her husband, Eduardo del Campo, a baritone who has sung at the Met and London’s Covent Garden, as well as with superstar tenor Placido Domingo, were on their way from New York City to their home in Montreal when they came to The Pitcher Inn. Their inspiration to experience opera in this setting was made a reality for the fourth time this past June 22nd-July 3rd. Or directed an international cast of opera stars who performed "Don Giovanni" in Italian.

The fifth annual VT International Opera Festival is also likely to be hosted by The Pitcher Inn. Please call the inn for the 2005 schedule (802) 496.6350. Tickets range from $10-$18 per person. However, rehearsals are free.

Vermont Artfest 2004

Another enticing reason to come to Vermont this summer: Vermont Artfest.

The three week celebration -- July 29th - August 22nd -- right in the heart of the Mad River Valley and Sugarbush offers:

Visual Arts -- Open Studios, Group Shows, Painting, Photography, Crafts

Workshops & Demonstrations -- Printmaking, Woodcarving, Glassblowing, Painting, Poetry, Bookmaking, Basketweaving, Rughooking

Performing Arts -- Vermont Young Musician Award Concert, the Mad River Music Festival, the Purple Moon Pub Series and Jazz Night at the Bundy

Culinary Delights -- Cheesemaking & Feast of the Field Culinary Workshops, A Taste of the Valley

Drama -- Valley Players, Lost Nation and/or The Skinner Barn Theater, KidsACT! Theater Camp, Bald Mountain Stage Company, the 2004 VT Contemporary Playwrights Forum

Kids Events & Activities -- Theater and Arts & Crafts Workshops, Musical Performances

Tours -- Art in the Garden, Warren Street Fair, Mad River Film Festival, Antique Dirt Road Show, The Farmer's Market and an Innovative Architecture Tour

For details, please go to: VermontArtFest.com

Or call 1.802.496.7907 or toll free 1.800.517.4247

Perks at The Pitcher Inn

Those who indulge in The Pitcher Inn, for two nights mid-week or three nights on the weekend, are offered complimentary Green Fees at the 18 hole Sugarbush Golf Club.

Guests have complimentary access to Sugarbush Health and Racket Club which is an eight minute drive away, and features indoor/outdoor swimming pools as well as tennis courts, squash and racket ball courts, a Cybex gym and climbing wall.

Bikes are also free for guests to use.

The Alta spa, which opens across the street from the Inn this month, offers manicures, pedicures, facials, and full body massages.

There are also horse riding facilities and trails nearby. Swimming in pools and brooks, tennis, kayaking, canoeing, rafting and fishing are a few of the other recreations to enjoy in this unspoiled area of Vermont. A trout brook is on the property, so one does not need to go far to fish.

Also on the premises is a Relais & Chateaux-quality restaurant called The Garden Room. Executive Chef Then enjoy fine dining in the Garden Room while relaxing to soft music from our Grand Piano. Savor their fresh baked bread, and the finest in regional American specialties including fresh game prepared in their roaring fireplace. The outstanding selection of wines in their cellar is one of the most extensive in the region.

The Pitcher Inn offers both golf and spa packages. A two-night spa package, depending upon the room you stay in, costs between $935 and $1,475.

The Inn has 11 uniquely appointed rooms with fireplaces, large balconies and private bathrooms with steam showers and Jacuzzi tubs. The most "rugged elegant" of the rooms is one of two suites called the Hayloft. Antique barn supplies, two separate bedrooms and the fireplace warrant the $660 per night cost for the suite. The Stable suite is also $660 per night. The other nine rooms range from $330 to $600. A two-night minimum stay is required on weekends.

Founder, Win Smith

Winthrop Hiram Smith Jr., whose father founded Merrill Lynch, owns the inn. Win, as he is known to the locals, made his second home here years ago. In 1997, he bought The Pitcher Inn and with great attention to detail succeeded in 1999 at being accepted by the Relais & Chateaux organization. Until October 2001, Smith was President of Merrill Lynch’s International Private Client Group. His father was Chairman of Merrill Lynch International (originally known as Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated) until his retirement in June 2000. Win Jr. is now in the process of converting his father's estate into a similar but much larger resort in Connecticut. But that is another story!

Mr. Smith is dedicated to the entire Warren village and Sugarbush Ski Resort. He and his Summit Venture partners have helped turn this central part of New England into a four-season sports area.

How To Get There

Warren, Vermont is in the central part of the state, so if you're traveling from Boston as far north as Canada, The Pitcher Inn is the perfect destination on your way "there" or on your return.

To get to there from New-York, take I-95 N, then I-91 N, then I-89 N, Exit 9. Take R-2 E, then R-100 B, continue on R-100 S. Exit Warren Village. The Pitcher Inn is on the left.

From Burlington International airport, the drive is approximately 50 miles (75 kilometers). Jet Blue flies to Burlington from Buffalo (NY), Denver (CO), Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach (FL), Las Vegas (NV), Long Beach (CA), New Orleans (LA), New York City (JFK), Rochester and Syracuse (NY), Oakland, Ontario, Sacramento, San Diego and San Jose (CA), Salt Lake City (UT), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Santiago and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and Seattle (WA).

The Pitcher Inn is located at 275 Main Street, Warren, VT 05674

To get to their website go to: The PitcherInn.com

Or please call 1.802.496.6350 or toll-free at 1.888.867.4824

Offer to The Rugged Elegance Community

When making a reservation, if you mention that you saw this story in RuggedElegantLiving.com, The Pitcher Inn will be happy to extend a 7% discount to the Rugged Elegance and RuggedElegantLiving.com community.

If you decide to indulge in this New England hidden treasure the third weekend in August, I look forward to seeing you there. Please introduce yourself, as I would love to get your comments for a follow-up story I plan to write in early September. Otherwise, please click on the "Comments" field below, to share your inspirational stories about your adventures in Vermont.

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful and country summer living at its best!