Day in Woodstock, Vermont
A covered bridge in the center of Woodstock, Vermont two days after Thanksgiving. Time to treat our holiday visitors to some small-town New England charm!
It is the Saturday after Thanksgiving and our family from out of state is ready for a little more New England holiday vibe. The original plan is to get a Christmas tree today and holiday shop in a quaint Vermont town tomorrow, but the weather says otherwise. Snow on Sunday starts in the early afternoon, NOT great for traveling, yet Saturday is sunny so we are switching agendas. Quaint shopping is today and we are headed to Woodstock, Vermont. We get a late start due to the change, but everyone gets a coffee and a freshly baked scone before we pile into the car for the 2 hour ride.
Beautiful and historic 1700’s and 1800’s architecture, both residential and commercial, is everywhere in Woodstock, Vermont.
We've been to Woodstock many times, but the old New England style architecture never fails to strike me in a positive way! Bob parks at the oval across from the Woodstock Inn. More on that later. The mission is to get our jingle on, so we are going to hit some shops. The first one we come to is Danforth Pewter, with a beautiful collection of Vermont-made pewter lamps, mugs, kitchenware, seasonal ornaments and more. I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Danforth Pewter offers a variety of handmade pewter items all hand crafted in Vermont. We pick up a few enameled ornaments, they are beautiful!
Well we bought something. For ourselves. Doesn't really qualify as holiday shopping, so away we go! The streets are lined with a plethora of shops, all independently owned.
A view of Central Street in Woodstock, Vermont. The retailers are ready for the holiday season! Just the thing to put anyone in a festive mood.
Next we stop at Footprints on Central Street, which has no web site and a dismal Facebook page, but beautiful men and womens' footwear. Some gifts are purchased here! Good for us. I wish I could supply more photos, but I can't. It is totally worth visiting. Off to the next store, Unicorn, which has an amazing collection of toys and more, check it out.
Unicorn has an eclectic assortment of new and retro toys, books, ornaments and too much more to mention. Great stocking stuffers here!
Our next stop is Elevation Clothing, which has beautiful clothes for men and women, so we all pick out things for ourselves and decide to wrap them and act surprised on Christmas morning. Another successful shopping session, and we'll all get what we like, ha ha!! Let's keep going, though! There are a lot of little art and craft galleries that feature items from local artisans. We are going to Collective. So many unique things here! No photos from the inside, but just click on the link above for a taste. The pottery and glass is to die for.
Collective - The Art of Craft is abundant with local art from Vermont artists, ranging from glass and pottery to handcrafted lamps, jewelry and woven goods.
Oh boy, even though we got a late start, we have some gifts in hand and are feeling pretty good about ourselves. There is one shop in town where I always pick up a new ornament for the tree, and it is Primrose Garden Gift Shop. Total visual feast! I'm doing a slideshow here because it is just tasty! I do not get an ornament but someone buys a bag of the World's Best Caramels and I can't wait to try one.
Every space in Primrose Garden Gift Shop — both inside and on the back porch — is just LOADED with beautiful, seasonal items for your home and garden.
Well our arms are getting full, but we are going to make a few more stops on our way back to the car before dinner at the Woodstock Inn. Specifically, Woodstock Sportswear, Who is Sylvia, Gillingham's General Store, the Village Butcher, and Fox Gallery Fine Arts. All so very different and all so very wonderful! I have not been to a mall in years because of towns like this. Love it!! Here are a few more photos for your viewing pleasure.
Such a great variety of shops on Central Street, Elm Street and the Green in Woodstock, Vermont.
It is now time for dinner before a long ride home, so we drop our bags off at the car and head to the Woodstock Inn. It is both historic and beautiful in every season. The main dining room is crowded, so we head to Richardson's Tavern inside the Inn for a quick bite before the long ride home. More photos for your enjoyment.
The interior and exterior of the main floor of the Woodstock Inn and Resort. Kati and I have the crab-stuffed sole while Bob and Josh have the NY Strip. It’s a beautiful property in any season, but particularly around Christmastime!
Time to head back to New Hampshire. If I had a full day, I would add the Vermont Country Store and Simon Pearce Gallery to my itinerary, but not today. Tomorrow we cut down a tree and hunker in for a two day snowstorm with a refrigerator full of food and football on the television. Looking forward to it! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.