Gardens and Gravel Rides

Hello Featherbed Friends,

Just a quick note to tell you about a couple of particularly excellent things just peeking over the horizon. Especially if you love a beautiful garden (who doesn't) and/or love riding your bike on stunning gravel roads and/or love The Grateful Dead.

First, on Saturday, July 19, Mad River Valley Arts is hosting its annual garden tour. And guess whose garden is included as part of the tour? If you were here last summer and saw our spectacular gardens (thanks Chris!), you won't be surprised to learn that the Featherbed Inn has been invited as one of the stops on this very special, self-guided tour. If you weren't here last summer to admire our gardens, you owe yourself the opportunity not only to fill your eyes, perhaps over breakfast on the porch, with the loveliness of our flowerbeds, but also to peak at several other special private gardens throughout the Mad River Valley.

As a special bonus, the Von Trapp Greenhouse has opened their breathtaking perennial gardens for self-guided tours that same weekend, as well as three more weekends in August. More flowers = more joy. And you might meet an actual Von Trapp.

On an entirely different note, the 2nd (I think) annual Grateful Gravel event returns August 2. This is a combination gravel bike ride (21, 46, or 63 miles) and Grateful Dead tribute concert (why not?) after the race. Last year's Grateful Gravel was a blast, and odds are this year's will be as well. Even if you don't want to ride, you can register for just the music and beer. All proceeds benefit the Mad River Riders, whom we really love because they maintain the trails on our property.

We didn't tell you about this earlier because we were fully booked, but we've had a few cancellations and now have some rooms available. Even if you hate flowers, biking on country roads, or excellent music, spending time in the Mad River Valley during the summer is a special treat. Swimming, biking, paddling, hiking, lazing about... it's pretty sweet. Throw a Nordic spa circuit on top of that, and you've got yourself an awfully nice getaway.

And we'd love to see you and share our little slice of paradise with you this summer.

Karen and Mick