With winter nearing, New England innkeepers are...

With winter nearing, New England innkeepers are turning their attention to the holidays, but nowhere with the enthusiasm of Vermonters. In addition to inns named in today’s cover story, here is a selection of lodgings where the spirit of the season is coming alive:

--The Inn at Weston, P.O. Box 56, Weston, Vt. 05161, (802) 824-5804. Rates: $64/$98 per couple, bed and breakfast; $106/$140, modified American plan. Service/tax extra. During the holidays, guests will sing carols door-to-door through this charming 18th-Century village in south-central Vermont’s Green Mountains. With its country store, craft shops and Old Mill Museum, Weston is a classic example of a peaceful New England village. Winter sports at the Bromley, Stratton, Magic and Okemo ski areas, all within driving range, plus cross-country skiing in Weston.

--Rowell’s Inn, RR 1, P.O. Box 269, Chester, Vt. 05143, (802) 875-3658. Rates: $120/$140 double. Service/tax extra. Rowell’s in south-central Vermont is a former stagecoach stop (circa 1820). Brass beds, quilted spreads, an old-fashioned clawfoot tub in which Mary Todd Lincoln once bathed. Complimentary tea/cookies. English/Irish beer poured in the pub. This small, snug inn provides a game room with a wood-burning stove, a piano. Rowell’s is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

--Vermont Marble Inn, 12 W. Park Place, Fair Haven, Vt. 05743, (802) 265-8383. A tree-trimming party Dec. 24. Gifts for each guest. Rates: three-day package from $167.50/$287.50 per person, double occupancy, including breakfast/dinner/high tea/sleigh rides. West-central Vermont.

--Echo Lake Inn, P.O. Box 154, Ludlow, Vt. 05149, (800) 356-6844. Rates: $50/$65 per person with breakfast/dinner. Guests buying a three-night, three-day lodging/ski package get a fourth day free. A Christmas play is planned at this 1840s, 26-room inn in south-central Vermont.

--Topnotch at Stowe, Resort and Spa, P.O. Box 1458, Stowe, Vt. 05672, (802) 253-8585. This European-style resort (northern Vermont) features a snug bar, loads of books, afternoon tea, skiing, sledding, tobogganing, ice skating, an indoor swimming pool, saunas, massage rooms. Rates: $170/$245 per room. On the Dec. 25 menu: angel hair pasta with wild mushrooms, roast goose with spinach salad, fillet of venison, grilled Vermont quail.

--Chester House, P.O. Box 708, Chester, Vt. 05143, (802) 875-2205. Rates: $50/$75 double. The inn (on the green in southern Vermont) dates from the 1790s. Private baths, fireplaces. A short drive to ski areas. Reduced rates for stays of four nights or longer.

--Newton 1824 Inn, Route 100, Box 159, Waitsfield, Vt. 05673, (802) 496-7555. Six bedrooms, private baths, antique beds/quilts (in central Vermont). Rates: $75/$95 double, B&B.; Breakfast features fruit-filled crepes, blueberry pancakes with maple syrup (tapped from the inn’s own trees). Skiing at Sugarbush, Stowe, Mad River Glen.

--The Golden Stage Inn, P.O. Box 218, Proctorville, Vt. 05153, (802) 226-7744. In southern Vermont, the Golden Stage is laid-back, homey. Proprietors Kirsten Murphy and Marcel Perret are gracious hosts. An old-fashioned parlor, fireplace, antique beds, handmade quilts, ruffled curtains, country wallpaper, hooked rugs . . . and a cookie jar that’s always full. A wise choice for couples with children. Ten rooms (six with bath). Rates: $135/$155 double.

--The Old Tavern, Grafton, Vt. 05146, (802) 843-2231. An 18th-Century gem in southern Vermont. Canopied, four-poster beds; loads of antiques. An old barn out back with a fireplace/bar. The Old Tavern is set in a picture-book village with giant elms, quiet streets, antique stores, a blacksmith shop. Like turning the clock back 100 years. Rates: $65/$125. Meals, service, tax extra.

Shopping Vermont: In the Mad River Valley in central Vermont, Gaelic McTigue is the mistress of the nation’s largest stuffed animal store. Teddy bears, reindeer, gorillas, cows that moo, lions that growl, chimpanzees, dogs, cats. Prices: $5 to $5,000. McTigue calls her shop All Things Bright & Beautiful. There’s a pony that pulls a sleigh to the tune of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” A full-size Lapland reindeer is tagged at $1,500. “Something like 5,000 critters,” says McTigue. In addition, she has a house full of Santas (one with a $2,000 price tag). Selections from Italy, Germany, Czechoslovakia, England, Denmark, Sweden, the United States, including Coco the Gorilla, Jake the Chimp, a St. Bernard named Brewster and a Dalmatian that McTigue calls Boomer.

All Things Bright & Beautiful, Box 43, Waitsfield, Vt. 05673, (802) 496-3997.

Dickensian Dinner: In Vermont’s Sugarbush Valley, a restaurant called The Common Man will serve its annual old-fashioned English holiday buffet this year on Dec. 16: galantines of duck and turkey, rabbit pate, duck liver mousse, roasted suckling pig, ham, roast goose with apple stuffing, sirloin of beef, quail, cornish game hen, Yorkshire pudding, mince and apple pies, cake, English pudding flambeed with brandy. With a glass of port, cheese and crackers, the entire buffet costs $26 per person. The setting: a huge barn with an open hearth, candlelit tables, chandeliers. During the holidays, the restaurant will be decorated with mistletoe and a nine-foot tree with handcrafted ornaments.

The Common Man, German Flats Road, Sugarbush Valley, Warren, Vt. 05674 (just down the road from Gaelic McTigue’s stuffed animal emporium), (802) 583-2800.

Luncheon Stop: The Bryant House Restaurant near the Inn at Weston is a good choice for lunch. Chicken pie, red flannel hash (corned beef, potatoes, onions, chopped beets), maple smoked ham, charbroiled chicken, johnnycake with chicken salad. And a dessert menu that would give your dietitian fits.

The Bryant House Restaurant, Weston, Vt. Call (802) 824-6287.

The Ski Scene: Killington Ski Resort in central Vermont was named the No. 1 Eastern ski resort in a reader poll conducted by three outdoor magazines. Features 107 trails on six interconnected mountains. A total of 18 lifts, plus a 3 1/2-mile gondola.

For accommodations, contact the Killington Lodging Bureau, 203 Killington Road, Killington, Vt. 05751, (802) 773-1330. Ask for a free copy of the Killington Ski Week Guide and Lodging Directory.

Sugarbush Resort, RR1 Box 350, Warren, Vt. 05674-9993. Call (802) 583-2381. A leading Northeast ski destination in central Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest. Dozens of inns, lodges, condos. Both downhill and cross-country skiing. Lift tickets, lodging, meals included in package vacation plans. Sugarbush features a sport center with tennis, squash, racquetball courts, indoor swimming, Jacuzzis, saunas, a steam bath. Ask about the Country Christmas Package--$76 per person per night based on four nights, including accommodations, lift tickets, breakfast, dinners daily, tax, service, sleigh rides, etc.

Note: For a free planning kit containing information for skiers, ice skaters, etc., write for Vermont’s 92-page Winter Kit, Vermont Travel Division, R117, 134 State St., Montpelier, Vt. 05602, or call (800) 238-4000, Ext. 117.

Reader Recommendations

California--Lynn Crawford, Palos Verdes Estates: “A bed & breakfast inn called The Cain House, P.O. Box 454, Bridgeport, Calif. 93517. Rates: $75/$125.”

Washington--Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Gilston, Cambria: “The Inn at Langley, 400 First St., Langley, Wash., Whidbey Island. Breakfast served daily, dinner on weekends. Truly an impeccable inn. Rates: $135/$225.”

Virginia--Helen B. Emerson, San Diego: “For superbly prepared continental fare, I recommend the 23 Beverly Restaurant, 23 E. Beverly St., Staunton, Va. Dinner for two: $50/$65.”

Switzerland--Jean Smith: “The Panoramic Hotel, 1884 Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. Rooms with or without kitchens. You can walk to the lifts. Rates from $75 to $130 per night.”

Scotland--Tom Cavallaro, Huntington Beach: “Long Acre Manor Hotel, Ernespie Road, Castle Douglas DG7 1LE, Scotland. Four large rooms. Spotless. Rates: $40/$50 range.”

We regret that only a select few recommendations can be used. They must be brief (typewritten or printed). Only one recommendation per reader, please. Note: Recommendations will not be used unless prices and addresses are included.