MANCHESTER, Vt. - On streets paved with marble, set before a village green and against a backdrop of burnish-leafed trees, the Equinox Luxury Collection Golf Resort and Spa welcomes leaf peepers to experience autumn in New England. Located within the Green Mountains in Manchester Village, Vt., the resort takes its name from the tallest peak in the Taconic Mountain Range - Mount Equinox - itself named to recall the 1823 autumnal equinox when Vermont's surveyor general reached the summit.

The resort's timeline stretches 250 years into history, to 1769 when a tavern sat on the land. Over the centuries it has grown to encompass 17 structures featuring a multitude of architectural styles, each an imprint of the passing times. In the 1800s, when marble was king in Manchester, miles of marble sidewalks were laid, including those in front of the hotel. For safety reasons, textured pavers replaced the slippery slabs, although original marble remains as distinctive trim.

THE LINCOLNS WERE HERE

Four presidents and one president's wife (Mary Todd Lincoln) left their mark on the hotel's registry. President Lincoln, who was supposed to visit in 1865, would have been the fifth. Mary, completely smitten with the resort during an 1864 stay, made reservations for the following summer, and a special suite was built for the occasion - but history and an assassin's gun intervened.

Mary wasn't the only Lincoln to fall in love with the resort and this scenic stretch of southern Vermont. Son Robert Todd Lincoln built a summer estate a stone's throw from the Equinox. Known as Hildene, https://hildene.org, the circa 1905 Georgian Revival-style mansion was the family home for the next 70 years.

Today, the more than 400 acres include the main house, formal gardens, a refurbished 1903 Pullman train car (Robert was president of the Pullman Company), Welcome Center and Museum Store in a historic carriage barn, a goat farm and cheese-making facility, 12 miles of walking trails meandering from woods to meadows, a floating wetland boardwalk and various other historic structures.

Abraham and Mary's granddaughter, Mary Lincoln Isham, bought what is known as the 1811 House at Equinox, a home that dates back to the 1770s. On the National Register of Historic Places, it offers 13 charming guestrooms, authentic to that colonial period right down to its uneven pine floors and whopper-jaw doors, earthy color palette and antique furnishings.

Also part of the Equinox complex is the Charles Orvis Inn with nine one- and two-bedroom suites, each named for a fly-fishing pattern, like the Hawthorn. The building honors the local fly fishing legend, whose 1874 fly reel became the benchmark of American reel design. Orvis is celebrated at the inn, the nearby American Museum of Fly Fishing, the Orvis Fly Fishing School and the north wing of the Equinox (originally the Orvis homestead), where the fireplace is inscribed with "L.C. Orvis 1832."

Visitors might wander into a pop-up art gallery at the Johnny Appleseed House; find their favorite Vermont specialty foods and other goodies at The Shoppes of the Equinox and pursue their sport at the Golf Club or Tennis Club. The Spa, with indoor heated swimming pool and fitness center, offers a full array of rejuvenating therapies, including signature treatment "Spirit of Vermont," a massage, reflexology and reiki combo based on calming energies.

NEARBY PLACES TO ROAM

In Manchester's postcard-pretty historic downtown is one of the area's biggest – and busiest – draws: Northshire Bookstore, www.northshire.com. The award-winning locally-owned and nationally-known bookstore is packed floor to ceiling with books, many of them lining unique, handmade shelves. The shop's dedication to the written word is obvious in the abundance of thoughtful, handwritten staff recommendations, a calendar crowded with author visits, bookish meetups for community members – even writers' retreats.

Pick out pumpkins, mums and other fall decorations from Dutton Farm Stand, www.duttonberryfarm.com, within a 10-minute drive from the Equinox. Vermont syrup; apple cider; 12 flavors of homemade fudge and baked goods, including fruit pies, cookies and breads; jams and jellies; a variety of cheeses; an array of fresh produce; and locally-made items lure visitors into the lot.

Wind along a country road to reach the Vermont Country Store, www.vermontcountrystore.com – but don't let the deceptively small storefront fool you. This is the catalog come to life with shelves, bins and racks of flannel shirts, sock monkeys, kitchen utensils, old-fashioned candy, glassware and so much more. It's fun to poke around the toys, tools and Halloween decorations and samples of foodstuffs, too: cookies, red pepper jelly, salsas, cheeses, dips and mustards. (Tongs and dippers provided.)

Back at the Equinox, tasty treats abound in the resort's several restaurants: the famous chicken pot pie and mouth-watering comfort plate of richly sauced braised short rib meatloaf, airy whipped potatoes and charred bacon carrots at the Marsh Tavern; steaks served in the quintessential steakhouse atmosphere of the Chop House; a small iron skillet filled with sweet potato apple bacon hash, poached eggs and hollandaise – a New England fave – and a stack of buttermilk pancakes topped with Vermont maple syrup or local honey in The Colonnade.

Autumn in Vermont is a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds.

PLAN YOUR ADVENTURE

The Equinox Luxury Collection Golf Resort and Spa, www.equinoxresort.com, is a year-round four-season resort. With the surrounding mountains, it is not only leaf peeping paradise in the fall, but a sell-out ski destination in the winter. There is a lovely spring lull between ski season and peak season, which is May through October, when several active adventures further enhance the Equinox experience.

These include Falconry School where participants handle a trained hawk and learn about the art of falconry from master falconer Rob White; the Orvis Shooting School, where beginners and experienced shooters learn methods based on the English Churchill technique; Orvis Fly Fishing, a lesson in setting up, selecting flies and tying knots on the resort's stocked casting ponds in the original 1856 headquarters of Orvis; and Land Rover Driving School, which challenges drivers' off-road driving skills in all conditions through the Green Mountains.

(Kathy Witt is the author of Secret Cincinnati as well as Atlanta, Georgia: A Photographic Portrait and The Secret of the Belles. Contact her at KathyWitt24@gmail.com or visit www.KathyWitt.com.)

(c)2019 Kathy Witt

Visit Kathy Witt at www.kathywitt.com

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