A Whistle Stop in White River Junction, Vermont

An Historical Railroad Town Has Some New Tricks

As busy self-employed consultants, we’re finding it more difficult than ever to take traditional vacations. So, we’re taking more mini-vacations. This has given us an opportunity to explore places in Northern New England relatively close to our home.

Most recently, we took an overnight trip to White River Junction, Vermont, a historic railroad town on the Connecticut River.

Technically, White River Junction (WRJ) is part of Hartford, Vermont. The “junction” refers to the train station, which connects St. Albans (near Burlington and the Canada border) with New York City and Washington, D.C.  Amtrak runs regular daily passenger service between these locations, including stops in Vermont (such as Essex Junction/Burlington and the ski areas), New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut. “The Vermonter” line is one of the northernmost segments of the Amtrak system.

Located right off Interstate Route 91, White River Junction is another one of those great small New England towns that people touch – for example, to tank up their cars in the commercial strip outside of town – but often never take the time to explore.

It’s well worth taking a detour to explore White River Junction – particularly if you’re a lover of classic small towns, early 1900s architecture, railroads, or the arts. WRJ mixes up turn-of-the-century architecture with a thriving arts scene, interesting shops, a few good restaurants, and a friendly, local vibe.  Like many small towns in the North Country, WRJ is struggling a bit, but there’s a great sense of community spirit, a can-do attitude, and always new things to see and do.

An Evening at Tupelo Music Hall

The reason for our visit was a performance by our favorite comedian, Paula Poundstone.  We try to catch her act whenever we can – she’s brilliant and we’ve been fans for 25 years.  Fortunately for us, she is one of the nationally recognized acts that come to the North Country.

The Freight House

Paula was performing that night in the Tupelo Music Hall, a relatively new performance hall located in the renovated Freight House. With its intimate theatre-style seating – the sold-out house appeared to accommodate about 225 people that night – Tupelo is actually more like a performance club. You can bring in your own beer and wine if you want – for a nominal charge ($3/person) – and the house sells non-alcoholic beverages and snacks.

It was great to see Paula work with a smaller audience in a club-like setting. Tupelo books national acts, but not the usual commercial dreck, and the staff is great. This is a terrific way to enjoy great music and other acts in an intimate setting with a friendly, mostly local crowd.

Dinner at Elixir Restaurant & Lounge

Before Paula Poundstone’s performance, we had dinner at Elixir Restaurant & Lounge, also in the Freight House. Elixir offers cosmopolitan food and a great wine list in a laid-back setting with excellent service. This was one of the best restaurant experiences we have had in ages. (Read our full review here.)  A tip: Elixir also caters the bar snacks at Tupelo.

Resting Up at the Hotel Coolidge

We took advantage of the Tupelo’s special deal ($79/night plus tax) with the Hotel Coolidge, a vast, 1920s-era hotel that we had always wanted to try. David Briggs and his team lovingly maintain this old gem, and they provide a welcoming experience and a good value. (If you require air conditioning and “modern” services, better to try the cluster of chain hotels up near the Interstate.) Although it books itself as “real North Country hotel,” the Hotel Coolidge offers modern conveniences like wireless Internet and plenty of free parking.  We had fun wandering the halls of the hotel, and checking out the architectural nuances.

The rooms at the Hotel Coolidge are simple but clean and comfortable. Our request for a king-bedded room netted us one-half of a suite on the front of the building; we had not only a full bath, but also a half bath.  The mattress was new, the full bath was spacious and sparkling, and there were two easy chairs and good lighting for reading. 

We had only two criticisms of the Hotel Coolidge, and they are both likely due to the fact that it’s an old building.

Our first criticism was the ventilation: although the hotel had helpfully included both a space heater and a box fan in the room, we were unable to open either of the large bedroom windows that overlooked Main Street (they were painted shut). We ended up opening the large bathroom window, and propping open the broken sash with a wastebasket. 

Our second criticism was the thin walls. We were kept awake by the unusually loud snoring of the guest in the next room. Therefore, I can’t really recommend this hotel if you are in town on business and need to count on a good night’s sleep. (Although I have little doubt that the hotel staff would have relocated us if we had complained – they are very accommodating.)

The Hotel Coolidge did something else very smart: one back wing of the sprawling building has been converted to hostel accommodations. As a result, the guests were an interesting mix of hotel guests and hostel guests, and nearly all adults. It had a bit of the feel of a weekend party in a very large, genteel English castle (circa 2011), with people sprawled in overstuffed chairs in the common areas reading, talking and working on laptops.

This was a unique hotel experience, and we enjoyed our adventure.

A Walker's Town 

If you get hungry, there’s a deli, an excellent bakery/coffee shop (killer bagels), a new coffee bar, a pub and an old-fashioned diner (the Polka Dot) all within a block. The Tip Top Café is a few blocks north, a café by day that turns into a bistro at night, and Elixir Restaurant, with its martini bar, is two blocks south of the hotel.

Get a coffee and walk around the block. There’s a bunch of funky shops on Main Street and in the first floor of the Hotel Coolidge building, which takes up most of a whole block on its own. Or just enjoy the old buildings on and off of Main Street, which include such businesses as a typewriter store and Vermont Salvage.

The Center for Cartoon Studies is right across the street from the hotel.  Step inside and check out the gallery of students’ work (free). Congratulations to the Class of 2011, which was graduating from the school the weekend we were there. We knew this because the list of graduates was proudly promoted in the window of the Coolidge.

If you’re a train lover (as we are), check out the train station. It’s a blend of old and new. Every September, WRJ hosts a special weekend event called “The Glory Days of the Railroad,” with a flea market, displays of trains and memorabilia, food and drink, and excursion rides alongside the river that offer some great views of one of Vermont’s famed covered bridges. This event ($3/person, rain or shine) is a lot of fun.

A Thriving Artists Community

White River Junction has a thriving arts community. There’s always something interesting going on – just check out the store windows or the many community bulletin boards scattered around town. Of particular note is the Northern Stage, a popular non-profit regional professional theatre that performs at the Briggs Opera House on Main Street.

White River Junction is a few miles from Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth College as well as many restaurants, shopping, bars, a movie theatre, a performing arts center and a terrific museum, the Hood Museum of Art (admission is free).

The Fussy Diner's verdict: Two Forks Up – and a hearty “all-aboard” for White River Junction, Vermont.