Green Mountain Inn

An 1833 brick-and-clapboard inn in the village center of Stowe, Vermont — 100 rooms across the original main building, attached buildings, and detached cottages. The Green Mountain Inn has been operating in Stowe since the year the village was officially named. It's not a resort, not a B&B; it's the historic in-village inn, with on-site dining, a heated pool, and walking distance to everything Stowe village does.

Stowe lodging splits into the slope-side resorts at Mount Mansfield and the village independents. The Green Mountain Inn is the largest of the village independents and the oldest.

The setting

The inn sits at 18 Main Street in Stowe village, walking distance to Main Street's restaurants (Edson Hill's Ten Acres restaurant, the Whip Bar, the Dutch Pancake House), Trapp Family Lodge (15 minutes by car), and the Stowe Recreation Path (the 5-mile bike-and-walk trail along the West Branch of the Little River). Mount Mansfield's Stowe Mountain Resort is 10 minutes north on Mountain Road; Smuggler's Notch is 25 minutes through the pass.

The drive in from Burlington is 45 minutes; from Boston, three and a half hours; from Montreal, two and a half.

The building

The original 1833 brick-and-clapboard main building (now on the National Register) anchors the property; attached and detached buildings have been added in stages over the 190-year operating history. Materials are brick, clapboard, brass, and velvet — the Federal and Greek Revival vocabulary New England villages built with. Public spaces include the lobby with the original fireplace, the dining room, and the porch.

Independently owned and operated. The continuity is the property's selling point.

The rooms

100 rooms across the main building, attached buildings, and detached cottages. From around $285 in shoulder seasons; peak winter and fall foliage rates run higher. Layouts include kings, queens, suites, and family rooms; the main-building rooms are smaller and more historic, the cottages are larger and more contemporary. Bathrooms have been updated throughout.

Food & drink

The Whip Bar & Grill is the on-property pub-and-tavern; the Main Street Dining Room runs the more formal three-meal program. Both are open to non-guests. The food is American-traditional — burgers, prime rib, the Vermont staples. For destination dinners, Plate (in town) and Foundry Bistro (10 minutes) are local picks.

On the property

A working historic-inn amenity stack:

• Outdoor heated pool
• Hot tub
• Whip Bar & Grill and Main Street Dining Room
• Walking distance to Stowe Recreation Path (bike, walk, ski)
• Concierge for lift tickets and Trapp Family Lodge cross-country
• Open year-round; winter and fall foliage are peak

Who it's for

• Multi-generational family vacations — the room mix and amenities work for groups
• Travelers doing Stowe village over slope-side resort stays
• Repeat Stowe visitors who like staying somewhere with continuous history
• Couples and families doing a long fall-foliage weekend

Who it's not for

• Slope-side seekers who need ski-in/ski-out
• Travelers wanting a contemporary boutique aesthetic — this is committed historic
• Light sleepers in main-building rooms — old buildings have old-building sounds

Nearby

The Stowe Recreation Path (the 5-mile paved trail along the West Branch) leaves from Main Street, walking distance from the inn. Stowe Mountain Resort and Mount Mansfield are 10 minutes north on Mountain Road. Trapp Family Lodge (the von Trapps' working farm and lager brewery) is 15 minutes. Smugglers' Notch State Park and the pass are 25 minutes through Notch Road (closed in winter). Ben & Jerry's Factory in Waterbury is 15 minutes south on VT-100. Cold Hollow Cider Mill is 10 minutes south. Burlington's waterfront is 45 minutes west.