EXPERIENCE VERMONT FROM ITS HEART

The Barre-Montpelier area was not affected by Hurricane Irene. It's business as usual for all the attractions that bring visitors to central Vermont this time of year. Roads in the central Vermont area connecting Barre and Montpelier to Stowe, Burlington and other vacation destinations are clear and unobstructed. We hope that you'll consider staying with us during your vermont vacation.

Maplecroft Bed & Breakfast, voted Best Bed & Breakfast in the Barre-Montpelier area for 2010, is conveniently located in the heart of Vermont, providing the ideal location from which to enjoy all that Vermont has to offer.

In the fall, Barre-Montpelier provides the perfect home base in Central Vermont from which to tour the state enjoying its spectacular fall foliage, towns and villages, covered bridges, and historic and recreational sites.

In winter you can enjoy the finest downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and snowmobiling in the East. From Barre-Montpelier it's an easy drive to some of the best alpine ski areas in Vermont, with Sugarbush and Mad River Glen to the south, and Stowe, Bolton Valley and Smuggler's Notch to the west. Stowe Mountain Resort, Smugglers' Notch Resort, Sugarbush Ski Area, Mad River Glen Ski Area, and Bolton Valley Ski Resort are all within 35 miles of Maplecroft. If Nordic skiing or snowshoeing is your passion, Barre's own Millstone Hill Touring Center provides 70 miles of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails through the scenic reclaimed granite quarries that made Barre the "Granite Center of the World." Morse Farm Ski Touring Center just outside Montpelier also provides miles of scenic cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Locals also enjoy the sloping trails of Montpelier's Hubbard Park and North Branch Park.

Within an hour's drive from the Barre-Montpelier area you can enjoy such well known sites as Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, the Cabot Cheese & Creamery Factory, the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, the Morse Farm and Bragg Farm Maple Sugarworks, the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Visitor Center & Cafe, Shelburne Farms and the Shelburne Museum, the King Arthur Flour Baker's Store and Baking Education Center, the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory Burlington and Lake Champlain, Woodstock and Quechee, and Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.

Montpelier, the Vermont state capital, is home to the beautiful Vermont State Capital building, the Vermont Historical Society Museum and numerous fine shops and restaurants. It is also home to the New England Culinary Institute and its fine student-staffed restaurants, and the Vermont College of Fine Arts. The Barre-Montpelier area also offers limitless opportunities to enjoy hiking, walking, mountain and road biking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Maplecroft Bed & Breakfast is a favorite of visitors to Norwich University in nearby Northfield, only 15 minutes away. Visitors, alumni and parents of enjoy Maplecroft's relaxing atmosphere, its close proximity to the Norwich campus and the restaurants and attractions in the Barre-Montpelier area. Goddard College in nearby Plainfield and the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier are both also nearby.

Maplecroft is a grand 1887 Victorian home built by Scottish immigrant and prominent Vermonter George Mackie, and features a circular tower, carved wood trim, high ceilings and period furnishings. Lovingly renovated, George Mackie's "Scottish Castle" is the perfect place from which to enjoy Barre-Montpelier and Central Vermont. Maplecroft Bed & Breakfast offers three well-appointed guestrooms and two comfortable suites with TV's, one with a full kitchen and living/dining area. Each guestroom and suite has either a king or queen-sized bed and a private bath, and both suites have an additional queen-size sleeper sofa with an upgraded mattress. Common areas include a comfortable parlor with fireplace, an elegant dining room, a classical music room with a well-tuned grand piano, a comfortable TV and a wraparound porch. The entire house is Wi-Fi accessible.

From Maplecroft's original granite steps, it's just a short walk to Main Street Barre's shops and restaurants, the Vermont History Center, the historic Barre Opera House, the Aldrich Public Library, the historic Old Labor Hall, and Studio Place Arts Gallery and Art School. Barre is also home to the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry and Visitor's Center , the Vermont Granite Museum and Stone Arts School, and the Hope Cemetery walking tour of locally-carved granite memorials.

Visit us at Maplecroft Bed & Breakfast and experience Vermont from its heart.