The Inn
For more than a century—since the 1800s when rugged loggers called the frame building home away from home—this property has always meant rest and rejuvenation. From one Innkeeper to the next, with only a short respite from its appointed calling, these stalwart timbers have slept and fed myriad guests from all corners of globe.
Blueberry Hill Farm was purchased by Tony Clark and his new wife in 1968—and neither of the newlyweds imagined becoming an Innkeeper. The 1813 farmhouse, situated in idyllic isolation in the heart of the Green Mountains, was to be the owners’ dream house and the couple planned to restore it to its early 19th century appearance. In 1971, the Clarks hung out the Blueberry Hill shingle and began new careers as Innkeepers. This metamorphosis was not planned, but, as it turned out, serendipitous.
The Inn presides over its own 70 acres of forest, woodlands, trails, lakes, ponds and alpine terrain. The property is surrounded by 22,000 acres of the Moosalamoo Region, a hallowed nature preserve bursting with flora and fauna and well-maintained trails with interpretive signage.
Blueberry Hill comprises the 1813 main house, a wood frame clapboard structure which has had a modern wing appended, the Cottage, comprising one bedroom, bath and living space, the Cross Country Skiing Center, a barn-style building which houses both skiing and cycling equipment, and the building containing the sauna. The property has a crystal clear spring-fed freshwater pond perfect for relaxing and cooling off after a bout in the Inn’s adjacent sauna.
Blueberry Hill had been an Inn during the 1950s and 1960s. During this first incarnation as a lodging property, then Innkeeper Elsie Masterton was also chef de cuisine and ran a very successful restaurant at the Inn for many years.
Location:
Blueberry Hill is located at the foot of Romance Mountain in the town of Goshen, fifteen miles from Middlebury and seven miles from the historic town of Brandon. The property is situated five miles interior to Forest Service Road #32, well off the main road. The pristine environment includes 60 miles of forest hiking and walking trails, which convert to groomed cross – country ski trails in the winter.
Guest Rooms:
The Inn comprises eleven guest rooms and a cottage. Room descriptions follow – all rooms have a private bath:
Original Inn rooms:
Romance, double bed located in the front of the Inn Dutton, two twin beds located in front of the Inn Whiterocks, one queen bed located above the Inn kitchen Hogback, queen bed located in the front of the Inn
Greenhouse rooms
(rooms with lofts and entrances off the greenhouse): Olmstead, one queen bed and two twin beds Carslile, one double bed and two twin beds Polly Allen, one double bed and two twin beds.
New Wing Rooms
(rooms overlooking the pond): Erliblue, one queen bed (corner room) North Sky, one queen bed with skylight Bluetta, one queen bed Orniblue, one queen bed (corner room)
Cottage
separate building on the Inn grounds: Moosalamoo, one queen bed and a loft with two twin beds
Cuisine & Dining
The dinning experience at Blueberry Hill is, without question, exceptional. When Tony Clark and his first wife first reopened the Inn in 1968, they began a new era of nouvelle cuisine before it was chic. The cuisine was an mixture of Clark’s English and French flair for elegance and detail—and a particularly uncompromising obstinacy towards using less than highest quality ingredients, preparation and presentation—and his spouse’s “down home, homegrown, country-fresh” cooking. Clark, whose father was a wine merchant, was brought up in Bordeaux, France on haute cuisine and fine wines in the company of bon vivants. He acquired, at an early age, the highly sophisticated palate and savoire faire which prevail in his kitchen to this day.
Under Clark’s unswerving watchful eye, the Inn continues to operate on a deliberately simple and consistent philosophy which dictates that the Inn will serve foods which focus on the fresh, seasonal and, whenever possible, the regional; utilize the best ingredients available and rely on quality, not exotica; serve cuisine which is unusual, but not unrecognizable and which is prepared to delight the eye and palate. The cuisine is decidedly elegant, gourmet, yet, country simple.
Blueberry Hill Cross Country Ski Center
The Center, which lies adjacent to the Inn, was itself built by Innkeeper Tony Clark. The Center devotes itself to cross country skiers of all ages and abilities. Within, skiers find a fully equipped ski center with retail and rental departments, a waxing area and repair shop on the main level. The Center is staffed by skiing experts whose aim is having guests ski better with less effort.
Upstairs, the lounge is an amiable spot, with oversized windows bringing the outdoors inside. The ambience is further enhanced by comfortable seating and a welcoming old wood stove. There is also coffee, tea, beverages and goodies available.
Encircling the entire grounds are 60 kilometers of an ideal mix of moderate to challenging terrain. Offered are ski lessons, waxing clinics and guided tours.
Weddings & Special Events
Blueberry Hill specializes in elegant and unforgettable country weddings, family reunions and comparable milestone celebrations. For conferences, intensives, trainings, group dynamic and team building exercises, staff retreats and other events where inspiration and comfort are paramount, the Inn is a superb venue.
Activities on Site: Swimming, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, hiking, mountain climbing, biking, bird watching, hunting (seasonal), fishing, nature walks, field walks, volleyball, croquet, horseshoes, badminton, as well as a sauna, game room and library.
