Historic Boutique Hotel with Victorian Guest Rooms and Mountain Views

At the turn of the 20th century, Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of President Abraham Lincoln, joined wealthy Chicago industrialist Albert Gilbert to construct two neighboring estates on a picturesque hill situated across from the Appalachian Mountains. Gilbert's property—originally a single Tudor-style mansion—went from being a private summer home to an exclusive 1950s gentlemen's club to the historic boutique hotel that is today. At its construction, the farmland occupied 400 acres; today, the Wilburton Inn sits atop a modest 20, yet maintains its status as the largest private estate in Manchester Village.

The brick main manor ascends from a front lawn garnished with statues and wildflowers, and five guest buildings abide in the distance beneath canopies of towering trees. Stationed in the Mansion, the Singer room comes furnished with a four-poster bed and an upholstered Victorian reading chair nestled in the corner beneath honey-colored valances. The Swan room—located in the Thirties Villa lodge on the crest of Strawberry Hill—sports a private deck that looks out to Mount Equinox, and rounds out its elegant setting with a centerpiece oil painting of a Victorian-era aristocrat and heartfelt love letters to his first croquet mallet.

The Wilburton Inn's outdoor garden features an impressive collection of contemporary and historical art, all curated by innkeeper Dr. Albert Levis. Named The Museum of the Creative Process, this outdoor display includes a sculptural trail, colorful metaphoria murals, and panels of The Wizard of Oz. Guests can contemplate these exhibits over country breakfast in the terrace dining room, which features fresh artisan baked breads and heirloom fruits and vegetables plucked from the on-site organic gardens.

Manchester, Vermont: Fashionable Resort Village with Appalachian Mountains and Upscale Shopping

Miles of sinuous mountain ranges and lush valleys surround the Victorian bed-and-breakfast, and historic covered bridges and picket-fence labyrinths thread the idyllic rural landscape. Located 20 miles east of Wilburton, Stratton Mountain Ski Resort lays out 92 assorted trails, a high-speed base to summit gondola, and the highest peak in southern Vermont. Less than 3 miles north of the hotel, Manchester Center trims its tree-lined sidewalks with designer outlets, fine antique shops, and independent bookstores housed in colonial clapboard buildings.