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-Article by: Norm Goldman -Paintings by: Lily Azerad-Goldman Unhurried, quiet and gentle are the most appropriate adjectives to describe the quaint town of Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. This scenic hamlet on the Western edge of the White Mountains was originally part of the town of Lisbon, and only in 1962 was it incorporated. Perched along a ridge overlooking Franconia, you can observe the Canon and Lafayette mountains to the east, and within bird's eye view you also notice the Presidential ranges of the White Mountains. Today, Sugar Hill consists of not much more than a town hall, post office, and general store, lodging facilities, private homes and a population well under one thousand. In retrospect, very little has changed over the past century. Can you fathom how difficult life must have been when the first settlers dared to venture here by ox cart, and began building their farm homes within this beautiful serene setting? No railroads or other agencies existed at the time. One such brave family was the Oakes, who arrived in 1789, and built a farm home, where the present day SUGAR HILL INN now sits. Driving up to the inn you can't help noticing the beautiful groves of sugar maples adorning the fields and roadsides. You now can well understand why the town is called Sugar Hill.
Situated within an atmosphere of rustic charm and vibrant foliage, the Sugar Hill Inn blends the natural surroundings of forest, mountain and sky. Where peace and quiet are primordial; folks can relax and escape the asphalt, the noisy traffic and flashing lights, and enjoy the rich diversity of wildlife, flora and fauna. The inn's charming owners, Judy and Orlo Coots, have owned the inn since 2002, and they love what they are doing. They exude the necessary attributes to create a magical romantic escape beckoning their guests to return again and again. Judy's background in massage therapy and esthetics combined with Orlo's culinary expertise make them a perfect team to show how a country inn is far different from a hotel or motel. They have been in the customer service business for so many years that they know how to pamper their guests. As a member of the Select Registry Distinguished Inns of North America, Sugar Hill Inn adheres to the highest standards of excellence in accordance with the rules and regulations of the association. What is quite "cool" is that many of the inn's guest rooms bear historic names reflecting Sugar Hill's early pioneers. The Moses Aldrich room is in memory of the earliest Sugar Hill family, who arrived in 1780. The Peckett suite commemorates the famous Sugar Hill inn by that name, where in 1928 the second U.S ski school
in the USA was founded and was the first resort school. It was likewise the gathering place for many socialites,
literary elites, actors and actresses and the well to do. To capture this bygone era, one of the rooms is named after her. The Bette Davis room, with its picture windows,
contains books mentioning her love of the area, her house, Buttercup, and her marriage to Arthur Farnsworth and
honeymoon that took place in the area. In the 1970's another addition was put on the west end of the house-enlarging one room, adding another and creating more living space for its owners. In 2000, the "new wing" was reconfigured to change 5 rooms to 3 with more luxurious amenities added.
The owner's living quarters were converted to an additional luxury room, and added to the west end was another
luxury room. We had the pleasure of savoring the butternut squash soup and field greens with julienne vegetables and shallot vinaigrette. This was followed with the seared tuna steak with maple balsamic glaze and braised red cabbage. Topping all of this was the luscious desert. Lily was so impressed with the braised red cabbage that she had to ask for the recipe. In February, the inn runs a weekend special, where dinner, wine, extra chocolate truffles and roses are included. Unfortunately, one of the most famous New Hampshire attractions, the Old Man of the Mountain, recently collapsed.
I guess old age caught up with him. |
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