After nearly a month of social distancing and staying at home, we’re willing to bet that a little inspiration will go a long way. Just as Easter signals rebirth, so does springtime in New England. While all of the Distinctive Inns of New England (DINE) have had to close by order of their Governors, there’s been no stopping the hope for better days that springtime offers. We’re sad to say we can’t welcome guests again until it is deemed safe to travel, but we can offer plenty of travel inspiration for the future. At some point it will be safe to hit the road once again, and when you do, we expect you will want to find places where you can be private yet have that connection to others. You’ll want an easy drive-to place and one where you can be assured the most stringent of cleaning protocols will be in place. You are describing DINE country, and the 11 DINE inns can’t wait to welcome you back. Won’t it feel good to travel once again? When you’re ready, we’ll be here to welcome you!
Meanwhile, our travel is virtual for now, so we bring you signs of spring and visions of romantic getaways to inspire your armchair journey.
If you were to travel to Manor on Golden Pond today, you’d see snow covered daffodils. Wait a day and it’ll be springtime again. One thing about the weather in New England – if you don’t like it, then wait a day and you will! Mother Nature can be so welcoming and so fickle too; especially in April!
Crocuses are already coming up at Inn at Harbor Hill Marina – a sure sign that spring is here and warmer weather is on the way.
And speaking of spring, Yoda, the Chesterfield Inn’s mascot and official welcoming committee, poses for her May Day photo with spring daffodils from the inn’s gardens.
It’s not unusual to see fog surrounding the Rabbit Hill Inn on a spring day, but the daffodils in bloom offer a beacon of sunshine on a quiet spring day in Lower Waterford, VT.
Spring comes a little earlier in the southern parts of DINE country, and the Easter bunny took a little time out to nibble on greenery at Captain’s House Inn last spring when he made a visit to hide a few eggs!
Like its Northern New England counterparts, spring flowers are just beginning to bloom in April at the Deerfield Inn, signaling time to start planning for later spring travel.
Here’s what the Inn at English Meadows will look like a little later in the spring. Pink sky at night is a sailor’s delight, and so is this fabulous new member of the DINE family.
While irises are among the first of the summer flowers to bloom, it’ll be a little later in spring before they look like this. Hopefully, once we can all travel again, these purple irises at The Grafton Inn will be in full bloom to welcome you back.
The fern gardens surrounding the Camden Maine Stay Inn unfold during the spring months, offering one of Maine’s delicacies – fiddleheads. (Photo by Claudio Latanza).
Drive by the Gateways Inn and you may just see gardeners planing spring and summer gardens in anticipation of travelers return.
OK, it may be a little while until the pool can be re-opened at the Harbor Light Inn, but when it’s time to once again travel, look forward to enjoying this fabulous amenity.
Our motto during the pandemic comes in the form of a hashtag – #InnitTogether. We are here to offer springtime hope and inspiration for your upcoming DINE getaway when it’s safe once again to travel. Remember, book directly with your favorite inn once they re-open.
In Vermont: Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford & Grafton Inn in Grafton
In New Hampshire: Manor on Golden Pond in Holderness & Chesterfield Inn in West Chesterfield
In Connecticut: Inn at Harbor Hill Marina in Niantic
In Maine: Camden Maine Stay Inn in Camden and Inn at English Meadows in Kennebunkport.
In New Hampshire: Manor on Golden Pond in Holderness & Chesterfield Inn in West Chesterfield
In Massachusetts: Harbor Light Inn in Marblehead, Gateways Inn & Restaurant in Lenox, Deerfield Inn in Historic Deerfield and Captain’s House Inn in Chatham on Cape Cod.