New England Inns with Romantic Sleigh Rides

The only thing more romantic than a cozy winter getaway at a New England country inn is adding a ride for two across the snow-covered landscape in a horse-drawn sleigh. If a winter trip without the whole family is in your travel plans, consider these New England inns offering sleigh rides for couples.

From late December through March, snow conditions permitting, Vermont’s Mountain Top Inn  offers sleigh rides through the resort’s woods and meadows, with views of the Green Mountains. For special occasions, reserve the Sleigh Ride & Dinner package, which includes a three-course dinner for two.

Farther north in Vermont, at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, ride across their hilltop pastures in an intimate, custom-built sleigh for two, pulled by Belgian horses. The hilltop setting is surrounded by the Northern Green Mountains for views in every direction.

Also in Stowe, Topnotch Resort is not a traditional country inn, but the chic resort also has its own equestrian center on the grounds, where giant draft horses pull sleighs through the snow-covered woods to the sound of jingling sleighbells.

In the heart of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, guests at the charming Franconia Inn can warm their hands in front of the fireplace after riding through the woods and fields in an antique sleigh pulled by a Belgian draft horse. For a more active winter experience, the inn’s extensive property includes a 25-mile network of cross-country ski trails.

A few miles away, Breton Arms Inn at Mount Washington is a smaller, more intimate inn on the grounds of the majestic Omni Mount Washington Resort. Guests have access to all the resort amenities as those staying in the historic grand hotel. Couples can tour the scenic valley in a beautiful one-horse sleigh, with Mount Washington and the ice-capped Presidential Range rising above.