New England Vegetarian Bed & Breakfasts
Here are three delightful destinations for vegetarian travelers.
Cape Cod | Metro West | Vermont See also: Boston Area Accommodations
Shady Hollow Inn, South Dennis, MA
We
each have spent lovely weekends at the Shady Hollow Inn in South Dennis,
Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Ideally situated on the lush and verdant north
side of the Cape, it is a short walk from the beautiful Bass River, and
an easy drive to all points of interest on Cape Cod. Our hosts, Ann Hart
and David Dennis, opened the Inn May 18, 2001, offering four appealing guest
rooms, vegetarian or vegan home-cooked breakfasts, as well as dinners and
picnics on request. Two kayaks and two bicycles are available for guest
use.
Our hosts could not have been more friendly or accommodating, and we were delighted with everything! Delicious breakfasts included organic orange juice, fresh-baked muffins, a delectable fresh fruit salad, and a choice of breakfast entrees such as a wonderfully flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth tofu scramble. Dinner was vegan and excellent, a healthy four course meal that left us feeling both satisfied and nourished. Organic ingredients are used when possible.
David and Ann have done an incredible job renovating this 1839 house to offer gracious comfort, doing everything themselves even while Ann, who is an artist, worked. The Inn has all new furnishings with the pleasing, clean lines of mission style, comfortable beds, and special touches such as an outdoor shower to wash off the sand and salt under the open sky, an old Cape tradition. David also brings to the endeavor a background in the vegetarian natural foods distribution business.
In all, Ann and David seem to be doing everything right to make the Inn comfortable, inviting and affordable, and the food delicious!
Contact them at 508-394-7474 or visit www.ShadyHollowInn.com.
—Beverly Rich & Evelyn Kimber
The Guest House at The Peace Abbey, Sherborn, MA
The
unique setting of the Peace Abbey provides the visitor with an unforgettable
experience. In addition to offering four gracious and
comfortable guest rooms
for overnight lodging, guests have access to the meditation room and its
artifacts from around the world representing many spiritual traditions.
Stroll the grounds
and take inspiration from the Pacifist Memorial, "bearing witness to humanity's
long-cherished pursuit of justice and peace through nonviolence and love." Reflect
on the Walls of Names, six brick walls on which are recorded the names
of and quotations from sixty peacemakers.
The Peace Abbey's philosophy of nonviolence extends to all beings. Of special
appeal for vegetarian visitors are the magnificent Sacred
Cow Animal Rights Memorial with its
life size bronze statue of Emily the Cow, and the Veganpeace
Animal Sanctuary,
a small, safe
haven for animals bred for food production who have escaped fate at the
slaughterhouse.
The three acre site includes surrounding forest and pastureland, and is a 40
minute drive from Boston, just south of Natick. The Guest House has a vegetarian
kitchen and dining room. Guests are welcome to bring their own vegetarian ingredients
and use the facilities, as the Abbey does not provide breakfast.
Visit www.peaceabbey.org/abbey/guesthouse.htm or contact them at 508-650-3659.
—Evelyn Kimber
Sweet Onion Inn, Hancock, VT
It's
always a treat to visit the Sweet Onion Inn, nestled in the Green Mountains
of Central Vermont in Hancock (pop. 343). Hosts Kathy & Ron Heatley
have created a charming and welcoming inn in a restored 1820s farmhouse
on one of the most scenic byways in America. The six guest rooms and the
family unit each have distinct themes, and fine touches like wall stenciling.
The very reasonable room rates include a sumptuous and healthy breakfast
and a hearty, scrumptious dinner—both completely vegan and using organic
ingredients when possible!
Breakfast specialties may include french toast with raisin-rice pudding or apple crisp, multi-grain pancakes with fruit, or vegi sausage and gravy over biscuits with hash browns. Additional offerings include fresh fruit cup, muffins, breakfast cakes, toast and bagels with spreads, hot and cold cereals with rice milk and Vermont maple syrup, organic coffees, herb teas and 100% fruit juices.
Dinners include such healthy and delicious offerings as Shepherds Pie served with avocado salad, French onion soup and whole grain biscuits, or Mountain Patties served with lentil soup, onion potatoes, mushroom gravy and honey squash.
Innkeepers Ron and Kathy Heatley are welcoming and talented hosts. Ron is a certified nutritionist and former health food store owner and he offers cooking classes at the Inn. He is happy to accommodate most special dietary needs and offers personal nutritional consultations. Massage Therapy, Reiki, Yoga, and other Wellness Treatments are also offered at the Inn as extras.
Visit them at www.sweetonioninn.com, or call them at 802-767-3734 or 800-897-6490.
Their sister inn, Sweet Thyme Inn, is located in Green Bank, West Virginia, and offers the same high food standards -- vegan, organic, and delicious.
—Evelyn Kimber and Beverly Rich