Blueberry
Hill Inn -
Reasons
to Write
Contact:
Glenn M. Faria
Michael Patrick Destinations & Communications
396 Main Street, Ste. 3, Hyannis, Cape Cod
Massachusetts 02601
508-790-0566/Fax 508-790-0565
e-mail: info@mpdcltd.com
(Goshen, VT Summer 00) Blueberry Hill is a true country inn, not one of the clones which former corporate executives opened to get some personal press on themselves. It is a place of uncompromising standards in accommodation, cuisine and comfort. So, whether it's for a feature story on one of New England's inns which defines the very essence of hospitality and good taste or a travel roundup on a great place to cross country ski, you'll find the foundation of a great story here.
Bring Fork and Appetite. Innkeeper Tony Clark was born in Wales, but raised
in Bordeaux, France by a renowned export wine merchant father.
A true gourmand, Clark was the first innkeeper to bring cuisine
of this order to Vermont. Blueberry Hill is a perfect
retreat for epicures. Unpretentious and simple, yet sophisticatedly
elegant dinner cuisine is served in four unhurried courses in
the romantic, atmospheric dining room. Throughout long lazy days
at the inn, kitchen aromas entice and beguile, whetting
the appetite for a nourishing and memorable breakfast (fresh
baked pastries and granola, of course) and the
always-available and renowned inn chocolate chip cookies. But
as the sun heads westward, guests converge in the greenhouse
to uncork wine and delve into evening hors d'oeuvres - perhaps
a charcuterie board with saucisson and exotic fromage- before
the evening repast. Will tonight's entree be venison, quail or
armadillo? And be certain to save room for one of the inn's intoxicating
afters.
Green &
Gorgeous. Innkeeper and resident
botanist Shari Brown spends her winter days trimming foliage
and cultivating herbs - not your typical Vermonter! With the
inn's own 120 acres and a new Greenhouse to fill, one
would 
think
Brown did not have the time to tour guests around, sharing plant
names and characteristics - but she finds the time. Brown, who
studied with renowned Rosemary Gladstar at the Calfornia School
of Herbal Studies with an herbal education center in Barre,
Vermont, is mistress to 50 varieties of culinary and 25 varieties
of medicinal herbs, not to mention scores of perennials. And
these plants will ultimately adorn rooms, plates and palates.
The inn also markets a line of herbal body lotions and
bath salts, all made with the inn's own herbs. Guests
never mind when Brown tells them to "go soak" - after
all, she means it in the nicest way.
Skiing Without Slopes: Folks at Blueberry Hill think alpine skiing is overrated. Maybe that's because there's no fuss to cross country skiing here at 1,600 feet in Goshen, where a good dumping of snow is ensured with just about any snowstorm. Sleep tight. Eat right. Who needs height? Slap on your skis after the inn's remarkable breakfast and you'll feel like you can cross country ski halfway 'round the world on one tank of "fuel" (if more fuel's needed, guests can always run to the guest pantry where the inn's renowned to-die-for chocolate chip cookies are either just being made or there's a mountain of cookies ready for eating). Blueberry Hill Cross Country Ski Center, adjacent to the inn, offers a full line of touring, back country and skating skis on a first come, first served basis (there are also 40+ pairs of snowshoes). The inn's 75 kilometers of groomed and wilderness trails are spread across the beautiful countryside with connections to Catamount Trail and Vermont's Long Trail. The Halfdan Khlune Trail climbs to 3,000 feet, making it the highest groomed trail in the state. Many wonderful routes exist for the self-reliant back country skier. So, here at Blueberry Hill, slopes are for mathematicians, not guests.
Lens, Book & Easel: At the end of this enchanted forest road, inspiration
is everywhere. Blueberry Hill is not just another country
inn. Its idyllic location within 22,000 acres of hallowed forest
imbues its visitors with an unearthly serenity - serenity perfect
for optimizing the creative process. Where else can guests find
themselves in primeval forests - and only be a mile from where
they laid their head the previous night? The
bounty of nature's beauty evidences itself in Providence's creatures
and creations great and small all around. Whether one is an aspiring
photographer seeking some new way of celebrating the natural
world or a painter seeking the special morning or evening light
which occurs only fleetingly at day's beginning or end, you'll
find your own road less traveled here in Goshen and surrounds.
Inspiration is all around visitors to this place of beauty and
enchantment. It comes as no surprise that American Poet Laureate
Robert Frost found inspiration within the Moosalamoo region
of the Green Mountains - and that's right in Blueberry
Hill's backyard.
30 Years and Counting: As innkeepers go, Tony Clark does not fit the mold. He has no corporate experience, only an extensive background in food, wine and hospitality. He was not seeking to drop out when he opened Blueberry Hill in 1971. He "fell" into his vocation out of necessity - and then wondered why he'd never thought of doing it before. He taught French, soccer and skiing, but he makes a mean bed, hospital corners and all. Who would ever have thought that this epicurean who toasted with the finest French wines in Bordeaux while growing up would one day drive a tractor, groom ski trails, hook up generators in the morning and then tout triple creme fromage that evening? A husband and father, Clark is a man of incredible diversity and unassuming character who donates many hours monthly to preserving the 22,000-acre Moosalamoo region's integrity and to making the region self-sustaining financially. This and the inn will be his legacy. So, Clark does fit a mold after all - only it'll likely be a butter mold.
The Green Aisle: Marriage is a great institution - but who wants
to be in an institution - not when you can be in the midst of
22,000 acres of pristine forest, right? Everyday, 
legions
of wedding planners earn thousands of dollars doing what Tony
Clark and his team of experts at Blueberry Hill plan for
free, namely, assist blushing brides and their nervous grooms
in planning a wedding ceremony and feast which will leave all
of the "institutional" marriages eating dust. Brides
and grooms who thrill at the thought of an unforgettable wedding
should beat a path to Blueberry Hill's dirt road. Imagine
wedding photographs with Romance Mountain as the backdrop.
Or a Scottish bagpiper rather than a pipe organ to usher the
bride and wedding party down an aisle of floribunda on a carpet
of flower petals. Such a regal setting could only portend everlasting
happiness. And the post-nuptial feast has not even begun! With
dozens of one of a kind weddings within their repertoire, the
innkeepers and staff can assure the happy couple of a wedding
the likes of which have never been attended by any of their guests.
A made-to-measure menu for the wedding reception is created from
scratch with the couple's preferences in mind - and the photographer
will find the food enticing - for the lens and palate. Such are
the weddings of which dreams are made.
High But Not Dry: Visitors intent on making it into the water should not be abashed by Blueberry Hill's seemingly landlocked alpine location, for only a few miles away lies Lake Dunmore within 69-acre Branbury State Park at the base of Mount Moosalamoo, just a short drive from the inn. The 1,000-foot sandy beach is perfect for picnicking, sunning and relaxing and the Lake's cool, crystal clear waters are wonderfully refreshing. More adventurous guests may wish to canoe, kayak or pedal boat, windsurf or head off to explore stunning Falls of Llana waterfalls, caves, mountain lakes and streams or the interpretive nature trail. And after spending a day floating on azure waters, guests can head back to the inn for a therapeutic sauna and dip in Blueberry Hill's spring-fed pond (insistent guests can be served their hors d'oeuvres and dinner afloat in the pond).
Almost Two Centuries of Hospitality: Since the early 19th century, the building comprising
Blueberry Hill has been a "home away from home"
for someone. The building was initially lodging for loggers deforesting
the area and then became a lodge. In those days, the cuisine
consisted primarily of simple meat and potatoes. Today, the inn's
own Vermont 
"fusion"
cuisine is the highlight of enchanted Vermont mountain evenings
(it's doubtful those hearty loggers would know how to eat an
artichoke with panache). The building's "home sweet home"
status is continually renewed as former guests return year after
year - to renew friendships, to visit decades-old secret spots,
to celebrate anniversaries, birthdays or other special occasions.
As the trademark blueberry-blue clapboard building approaches
the 21st century, Innkeeper Tony Clark looks back on his own
three decades of innkeeping wistfully - and continues to plan
for his infant son, Olivier, to take over the inn and
continue its tradition of hospitality into the new millennium.
No Rests for Guests: Just because it's a vacation, that is no license to simply laze around all day until the dinner bell clangs. And although no one at Blueberry Hill will look askance at those lazy bones who prefer to sleep in or float around the pond all day, they will also be happy to point out the panoply of activities available in "greater Goshen." With 22,000 acres of terrain surrounding the inn's own 120 acres, mountain biking guests are unlikely to be bumping into one another. Don't forget your golf clubs, either, as there are more than a half dozen 18-hole courses within a ¾-hour drive of the inn compound. Hiking, canoeing, kayaking and rock climbing will help sustain guests' healthy appetites. And if guests see themselves connected to fishing poles, there are literally hundreds of streams, lakes and ponds where they can find wild brook trout and bass- just find some worms and get to it. If you insist, Innkeeper Tony Clark will be only too happy to put your freshly-caught fish on the menu. Now that's what we call spontaneous!
