Fall arrives quickly in Vermont.
One week, the gardens are still producing summer flowers and guests are lingering outdoors after dinner. Then the evenings turn cool, that very first red leaf flutters down on to the lawn, and suddenly pumpkins and mums appear at farm stands across Addison County.
At Swift House Inn, preparing for fall means more than placing a few gourds on the front steps. Across three historic buildings and four acres of grounds, the season brings a series of rituals that connect us with local farms, our neighbors and the guests who return to Middlebury year after year.
The Great Pumpkin Search
One of our favorite fall traditions is driving to pumpkin farms around the area and gathering dozens of pumpkins for the inn.
We look for every variety we can find: enormous orange pumpkins, tiny decorative gourds, pale white pumpkins, striped ones, deeply ridged ones and unusual varieties in shades of green, yellow and blue-gray. We pile them on steps, arrange them around the buildings and keep adding to the collection as the season progresses.
The display becomes more playful as Halloween approaches, but the pumpkins do not go to waste when the decorations come down. At the end of the season, we donate them to local pig farmers, whose animals are very happy to help with cleanup.
Planting Garlic—and Planning for Spring
Fall gardening is partly an act of faith.
While the leaves are dropping and most of the garden is going dormant, we are already thinking about what will emerge next year. We plant garlic in the fall for the following summer, tucking it into the cold ground before winter arrives. We also plant spring-flowering bulbs so that daffodils, tulips and other early flowers can greet guests after the snow recedes.
Every spring blossom—and every future head of garlic—begins with someone kneeling in the autumn soil months earlier.
Bringing the Season Indoors
As the days shorten, life at Swift House gradually moves inside.
We replace some of summer’s lighter touches with warmer colors, seasonal plants and small autumn arrangements. Reading chairs, common rooms and quiet corners take on a different appeal when the temperature drops. Spaces that guests pass through quickly in July become places to settle in with a book or a drink in October.
This is also when we prepare the inn’s fireplaces for colder weather. Fireplaces require maintenance, fuel and attention, but they give our historic rooms something no decorative object can reproduce: warmth, movement and the unmistakable feeling that you have arrived somewhere safe for the evening.
Apples, Cider Donuts and the Flavors of Fall
Fall at Swift House has its own flavors.
We set out freshly picked apples from local orchards and begin offering cider donuts—the kind of seasonal pleasure that requires no reinvention. At Jessica’s and the Blue Bar, Vermont apples and cider begin finding their way into autumn drinks and dishes as the kitchen turns toward ingredients suited to cooler days.
After hiking or driving through the foliage, guests can return to Swift House for dinner at Jessica’s, a drink at the Blue Bar and an evening that does not require getting back into the car.
Welcoming Our Neighbors to the Porch
In early October, we throw a porch party for our neighbors.
It is our way of marking the season and thanking the people who make Swift House part of a community rather than simply a place to stay. Fall is one of our busiest times, but the porch party gives us a moment to stop, gather and enjoy the place where we live and work.
The party also reflects something we love about Middlebury: visitors are welcome here, but the town does not exist only for visitors. It remains a real community throughout foliage season.
A New Year at Middlebury College
Fall also brings a new academic year.
We begin meeting the parents of first-year Middlebury College students, many of whom are visiting the area—and Swift House—for the first time. At the same time, we welcome back parents we have come to know over several years.
Those returning faces are one of the pleasures of running an inn in a college town. Families arrive as strangers during a student’s first year, then return for visits, performances, games, dinners, move-ins and eventually graduation. Over time, they become part of the seasonal rhythm of Swift House.
Getting Ready for Foliage Season
Behind the pumpkins, donuts and fireplaces is the less picturesque work of preparing three historic buildings for one of Vermont’s most anticipated seasons. Guest rooms are readied, reservations accelerate and our team prepares to welcome travelers from around the country.
The work is considerable, but the result is worth it. Fall brings a particular energy to Swift House: cool mornings, brilliant trees, lively evenings at Jessica’s, familiar parents returning and new guests discovering Middlebury.
We do the preparation so that, once you arrive, you can simply enjoy the season.
Come experience fall at Swift House Inn and make Middlebury your home base for exploring Vermont’s foliage.
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