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Charming Manchester Village – a great Vermont getaway
Fabulous outlet shopping, magnificent golf and the historic and elegant Equinox make this a compelling Vermont retreat
Manchester
Village is a small community in the southwest corner of Vermont with a
dual personality. A four hour drive south of Montreal, half of the
village is as picturesque as a Norman Rockwell painting while the other
half is widely known as one of the largest outlet shopping meccas in
the New England states.
Arguably the most beautiful building
in the village is The Equinox, a historically significant resort hotel
whose past spans more than two centuries and its famous guests include
Ulysses S. Grant, four U.S. presidents and Mary Todd Lincoln. In the
latter part of the 18th century, the hotel was a meeting place for
American Revolutionaries who gathered there to plot against the British.
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The Equinox is everything you’d expect from
an elegant New England Inn
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Today,
however, this 195-room resort property isn’t just the iconic
centrepiece of the village; it’s a resort destination unto itself. I
visited there a few years ago (prior to the $20 million in renovations
that recently took place) and I was thoroughly impressed with what The
Equinox has to offer. With its extensive roster of things to do it’s a
getaway destination unto itself while village shopping serves to
sweeten the pot.
In addition to a full-service spa, among the
Equinox’s host of activities is The British School of Falconry, the
first of its kind in the nation where hotel guests can learn how to
handle and fly hawks and other raptors. Sessions led by trainers
skilled in this ancient sport of kings take place at an off-site
facility minutes from the hotel.
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Make sure to bring your appetite to
The Equinox Chop House
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Also at the site of the Falconry
School is an archery academy where a team of instructors specializes in
tutoring adults and children over eight years old in the intricacies of
archery.
The Equinox also offers an all-seasons Land Rover
Driving School where participants learn to navigate Rovers over a
diverse landscape on the hotel’s 80-acre purpose-built course. The
extensive trail system runs through a mountain terrain and lessons are
devised for beginners through advanced. Under expert supervision,
there’s also a junior off-road driving school for children ages five to
12 years old. Vehicles used are miniature, electronic Land Rovers and
instruction is given on a customized jungle course where vehicles are
equipped with speed controls and instant shut-off features.
Hotel
guests can also learn the finer points of fly fishing at the hotel’s
world-famous Orvis Fly Fishing School. Fishing instruction is given at
the resort’s private pond and also on a nearby river where guests learn
how to fish with different types of flies. The school supplies rods,
reels and waders and video recording equipment is used to assess each
students casting technique.
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The comfortable and spacious Cupola Suite
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In addition to the fishing school, the
hotel also has a private game preserve available in the fall for deer
and grouse hunting.
However, the activity that drew me to the
hotel and the village was none of the above. Instead, it was The Golf
Club at The Equinox, an 18-hole gem widely recognized as one of the
best resort courses in the country. Situated at the base of Mt. Equinox
and built in 1927, its championship-calibre layout was fully restored
in 1992 and some say it‘s the nicest course in southern Vermont. The
mountain and surrounding scenery is exceptional and unlike a lot of
today’s courses, its rolling well-groomed fairways are not lined with
either vacation homes or permanent residences.
Notwithstanding
the hotel and its many attributes, what brings hordes of people to
Manchester Village is outlet shopping. With more than 100 stores
selling name brand goods at anywhere from 30 to 70 percent off, this is
shopping nirvana. Visitors can find anything here from a Giorgio Armani
suit to that perfect Coach purse.
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The Great Room is a fine example of how
the multi-$million renovations have created
a contemporary décor while preserving
the original historic elegance
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There’s Banana Republic, Polo Ralph
Lauren, Yankee Candle, J. Crew and a new cashmere mill shop. People
thinking about a shopping excursion to the village should go online at
www.manchesterdesigneroutlets.com where there are printable coupons for
extra money saving deals. On the same website there are also shop and
stay deals for The Equinox and a variety of other charming Manchester
Village inns, motels and cabins.
While shopping is undeniably
a big draw for the town, other area attractions include year-round
tours of the Hildene mansion, former home of Robert Todd Lincoln, the
only child of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. Other additions to the
village entertainment scene include a large arts centre and a regional
theatre.
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In addition to golf, fishing and the spa,
The British School of Falconry is unique
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