Borrow a canoe to ply the waves of Lake Champlain. Sea-gulls roost in the pastures. Ask for a picnic lunch of smoked-cheddar sandwiches, and wander the Frederick Law Olmsted designed grounds. You could also drive into Burlington to find shops and nightlife and young couples in Patagonia jackets, but that would spoil the fantasy. Better to stick to your 1,400-acre private reserve, puffing on a pipe and reading Henry James.
Dinner is where the few contemporary touches sneak in.
I could have been in Santa Fe, had it not been for the flocked burgundy wallpaper and checkerboard marble floor. Children are welcome at the inn, and they'll love the giant dollhouses in the attic. The rest of the building may be a little stuffy for them, unless they're in a Louisa May Alcott phase. For grown-ups, the thrill of Shelburne Farms is the chance to play the part of William and Lila Webb, ruling quietly over these bluffs, if only for a weekend. All rights reserved.