The Birdseye Diner is a 1940’s Silk City Dining Car manufactured in Patterson, New Jersey. Just had to get in the New Jersey reference… Jersey is everywhere in Vermont – it’s hilarious! There are a few other interesting spots in Castleton… see our Poultney & Castleton, Vermont page below. We’re always doing something interesting at Pond Mountain Inn!
https://www.pondmountaininn.com/poultney-and-castelton
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That’s Patti in the clearing at the top of the trail. This was our first day cross-country skiing, two years ago, and the day was magnificent—blue skies, sunny and 32°.
Our other guests loved Wild Wings—Rachel and Jesse, both beginners took to the trails beautifully. They’re smart, they watched YouTube videos before they arrived. Wild Wings is a family friendly Nordic ski touring center that offers some of the best cross-country skiing in Southern Vermont.
See More Winter Activities at Pond Moutnain Inn.
We found out why handmade sausage making is an art that few can master. Surprisingly, we learned quickly, great family fun, and yes, this is the pork that we raised in 2022—incorporating innovative ingredients, championing sustainable farming and gained a following for our exceptionally fresh, and not to mention delicious, breakfast dishes. Good sausage is all about balance. Balance of salt and savory, balance of meat and fat, balance of spices and herbs—and red wine! We’ll be sharing the 20 lbs. of sausage we made for our guests—it’s delicious! Whether visiting for wellness, adventure or a culinary-focused retreat, Pond Mountain Inn offers a full immersion into the Vermont experience. Our breakfast menu is largely sourced from locally grown and foraged ingredients, and may be the nicest outdoor breakfast dining in Vermont!
#farmtotable #vermont
The most delicious turkeys come from Stonewood Farm, that’s why we buy our Thanksgiving turkey here every year. And, the owners are absolutely fabulous! Stonewood Farm raises over 34,000 turkeys annually on over eight hundred acres. Kay posed for this photo while we were serenaded by no fewer than 8,000 turkeys – absolutely hilarious! We’ve been to our fair share of Vermont farms over the last six years and with only one other exception this was cleanest farm we’ve ever visited!
Before moving to Vermont our turkeys always came from Jaindl Farms located in Pennsylvania—these are the turkeys that grace the Thanksgiving Holiday table at the White House. Of course, they’re delicious, but we love our Stonewood Farm turkeys, and may be the best in New England!
We’re always doing something interesting at Pond Mountain Inn!
#stonewoodfarm
Fall may be the best time of the year at Pond Mountain Inn. Warm days, crisp nights, colorful foliage— all giftwrapped in a perfect package…. watching the leaves transition from bright reds into yellows and oranges – nature’s palette unfolds before your very eyes. “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby. Walking the pumpkin patches and rambling through apple orchards while inhaling that crisp clean Vermont mountain air is why we all wait for autumn.
“Today is World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.” (UNESCO)
Fresh water is the lifeblood of our planet, and protecting freshwater ecosystems in Vermont and around the world is critical. Forty states predict water shortages within ten years…
World Water Day is celebrated on 22nd of March. Everything on Earth requires water to sustain itself. The U.S. Is Only Decades Away from Widespread Water Shortages. And, we’re doing our part at Pond Mountain Inn by simply utilizing less water.
If you have a few extra minutes and you’re curious about, how little of the planet Earth is made of water, please see our 2019 August Newsletter—it’s near the bottom of the page.
See Pond Mountain Inn’s Sustainability Page: Conserving Water
Just a 30 minute drive from Pond Mountain Inn, this General Store sign in Benson, Vermont just makes us laugh each time we drive past… so we finally stopped to snap a quick photo. Not quite a Norman Rockwell painting nor is on any country store A-list, but it exemplifies Vermont life and the village culture that not only exists today, but still thrives in many of the 251 towns and villages.
We are very excited about attending The Harris Hill Ski Jumping Competition this weekend, February 19 &20, 2022, and it’s their 100th Anniversary! The competition offers spectators an opportunity to experience the Olympic sport of ski jumping up close in all its breathtaking, heart-stopping glory—complete with distant ringing cow bells make it seem like you’re in Austria for the day! This long-standing, two-day Brattleboro tradition is held on New England’s only Olympic-size, 90-meter hill. And, Friday night they’re having a beautiful fireworks display! Read About Our Day Two Years Ago at the Harris Hill Ski Jumping Competition—it’s a fun read!
For More About the Competition Here’s Their Website: https://harrishillskijump.com/
We hadn’t planned on visiting Crown Point on this beautiful spring-like day in Vermont; we were just out for a drive with our guests. Then, the Lake Champlain Bridge appeared in the distance—a modest, yet impressive bridge traversing Lake Champlain between Crown Point, New York and Chimney Point, Vermont that we had to cross. On the other side we discovered the Crown Point Historic Site located on stunning grounds that strategically overlook Lake Champlain—perfect for an afternoon picnic! The ruins of two standing barracks uniquely illustrate the differences between the officers and the soldiers they commanded. Equally as impressive are the remains of earthworks—earthworks are artificial changes in land level, typically made from piles of artificially placed or rocks and soil. The mounded walls encircle the fort reaching heights of fifty feet or more!
In season, visitors can explore the preserved ruins of the fort, tour the museum, the historic Crown Point Pier, the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse and the walking paths on either side of the Lake Champlain Bridge offer incredible views of Lake Champlain. The photograph was taken at the at the highest elevation of the fort.
Crown Point is just over an hour from Pond Mountain Inn. Within a very short drive from Crown Point is Fort Ticonderoga / Mount Defiance and Mount Independence on the Vermont side of the lake. This is an incredible day trip – for more, see our Fort Ticonderoga / Middlebury Day Trip Itinerary.
It’s only the best for our guests… three types of organic yogurt—sheep, goat and cow’s milk yogurt • award-winning Vermont cheeses • honey from four unique local producers, one infused with organic local lavender • half & half and whole milk from Strafford Organic Creamery • new to our cupboard – Baird Farm Hand-Foraged Mint Infused Maple Syrup & Spruce Tip Infused Maple Syrup • Quebec Apple Syrup, only found at Pond Mountain Inn, and Kay’s delicious organic granola.. there’s more, a lot more. And, we recently joined the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op for more incredible Vermont products!
https://www.pondmountaininn.com/
Pond Mountain Inn 