New England Inns with Fireplaces

Garden Gables Inn

The homey aroma of wood smoke greets you before you set foot inside, and once a log is flickering in your main inn or cottage room, you’ll feel as though you’ve been bestowed a royal title—and the country manor that goes along with it. When the Berkshires are a frosty fairytale land, some guests never venture far from this historic inn with its jaunty roofline and dozen working fireplaces. Breakfasts are made-to-order; spa indulgences are available on-site; an English-style indoor garden blooms in defiance of frightful weather outside. Arrange a fireside chef’s table dinner. Sip complimentary sherry, as another blaze mesmerizes. And, if the need for a bottle from the inn’s sister venture, Furnace Brook Winery, arises after you’ve retired, innkeeper Jayne Carroll assures: “That is an emergency” she’s happy to rectify.

Lenox, MA. 413-637-0193; gardengablesinn.com

The Lodge at Moosehead Lake

It’s a snap to ignite your room’s gas fireplace and only a bit more work to assemble melty s’mores with Ghirardelli chocolate, homemade graham crackers, and Maine-made vanilla or maple marshmallows toasted over the living room’s wood fire. Built of local slate and stone nearly a century ago, this grand fireplace is one of 14 on-property at this elegant North Woods lodge. Guests are “outdoorsy people,” says owner Linda Bortis. After a day of snowmobiling, dogsledding, skiing at Squaw—or even sometimes in July when nights by the lake turn cool—guests are enchanted by rustic-themed rooms’ snuggly décor and fires framed in natural or reclaimed materials. The only thing that competes with the glow is the view. When sunlight and snow collide, “it looks like diamonds,” Bortis says. “It sparkles.”

Greenville, ME. 207-695-4400; lodgeatmooseheadlake.com

Notchland Inn

The experience of building and tending a real wood fire is the number one enticement of this White Mountains mansion, where every guest room, all but one public space, and two pet-friendly cottages have fireplaces. With 19 total, co-owner Les Schoof struggles to choose a favorite. “I love the one in the dining room, which is raised and can be seen from just about every table in the house,” he says. He’s partial, too, to the medieval-looking terra cotta hearth in the Gustav Stickley-designed parlor. With no televisions nor cell service, bright embers encourage warm interactions between guests and with the owners’ Bernese Mountain Dogs. While sipping drinks before five-course feasts, “complete strangers will meet in the Music Room, and they will make music together,” says Schoof. He disapproves of “Chopsticks.” And of summertime guests who “turn on the air conditioning and light a fire.”

Hart’s Location, NH. 603-374-6131;notchland.com

The Pitcher Inn

Woodwork and brickwork, natural elements, sunny nooks, intimate gathering spots—when this uber-luxurious village inn in ski country was rebuilt in 1996, it was engineered to be as cozy as earthly possible. “Everything about this property is designed to reinforce a sense of genuine warmth,” says General Manager Ari Sadri, and 14 wood-burning fireplaces are integral to that ambiance. “I’m constantly stoking fires around here,” he shares. The inn burns 16 cords of wood annually. Tearing yourself away from the immense stone fireplace that fills Tracks tavern with glimmering light isn’t easy. But whimsically rustic accommodations feature fireplaces that are true marvels. “I don’t think people could tell you why they like a wood-burning fire,” Sadri says. “It’s in our DNA.”

Warren, VT. 802-496-6350; pitcherinn.com

Rock Hall

Rumor has it the great hall’s imposing mantelpiece was the first ever crafted of poured concrete. That may not be verifiable, but this is true: When you’re invited to unwind beside the golden fireball it frames and sample a light bite and innkeeper Michael Somers’ latest cocktail creation, you’ll know you’re in a singular space. This National Register property is an architectural masterpiece—the only surviving Addison Mizner-designed home in the northern United States. Four antique-furnished bedrooms have wood-burning fireplaces, and guests, says Somers, “demand to have fires.” It’s a hideaway where your wishes can become commands. Fireside in-room massages, a round of billiards, films in the mansion’s movie theater, mixology classes, private yoga instruction, a sleigh ride at a nearby farm: Your stay “can be anything you want it to be.”

Colebrook, CT. 860-379-2230; 19rockhallroad.com