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Thanksgiving every day – Sturbridge Massachusetts

It was a newsprint flyer full of hotel coupons that steered us off the Massachusetts Turnpike at exit 9 and into life in the 1770’s. One coupon claimed that for a very low price we could get a room at the Publick House in Sturbridge. The name of the hotel intrigued us and so did the price. It was a dark, rainy night when we drove up to the hotel, a gracious white old mansion.  

“Must be in the wrong place, this is too nice,” I said to my husband. But we were assured by the welcoming staff that the Publick House had rooms for travellers on all budgets. We agreed to try the economy room in their country motor lodge on the way to Boston, and a room in the historic part of the Inn on the way back.

And so began our taste of early American life, on the road to Boston.  We learned that the Publick House has been around to accommodate and feed visitors every day since 1771, except during World War 2 when it was used to house soldiers. It was, and is still situated at the crossroads between Boston and New York and from Providence to Springfield. Walking upstairs through the wibbly, wobbly hallways we were told stories of the history that rests in these walls.

Much of the building is original, but the Inn has been so successful over the past two hundred plus years, that new extensions have been added, with care to match style with the original inn and eatery. When you enter the Inn, a cozy front room furnished with wing chairs around a fireplace sets the tone for the history within these walls. In the main Inn are rooms of the past, each with individual character, furnished in replica period pieces, where guests with imagination can sleep with the ghosts of the past.  Behind the original Inn is the motor lodge, built in the 1970’s with guest rooms that whisper the history in their style. Balconies beckon visitors to rest and look at the trees remaining from forests of years gone by. Those rooms, that I call The Best Bargain off the Massachusetts Turnpike, offer a welcome respite to guests travelling by on the highway. Each morning the Publick House Bake Shop feeds breakfast to guests from food baked in the 18th century Yankee ovens. This bakery is known for their Sweet Rolls, tiny gooey cinnamon buns made from a recipe that has been popular for as long as memory serves those baking in the kitchen.

Guests can dine in front of open hearth fireplaces surrounded by interesting relics in the Dining Tap Room or in Colonel Ebenezer’s Tavern and Bar Cavery, both serving food that honours the history of the Inn.  

“Every day is Thanksgiving at the Publick House,” I read.  

That claim honours the historical fact that First Nations travellers passed through this bend in the road, taking corn to the Pilgrims. The daily menu includes food items used in the past but prepared to please diners of 2011. The famous Turkey Dinner served every day, includes Sweet Apple Cider, home baked rolls, roasted native turkey with cornbread-sausage stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce, candied yams, squash, and desserts. The Thanksgiving Day Feast served in November includes many more dishes in addition to the regulars.

 I chose to end my turkey dinner with Indian pudding, to try a taste of history.

 “It’s got a different taste,” warned the waiter. “Bring it on,” I said with enthusiasm.

The warm pudding was made using cornmeal, milk and molasses and tasted even more special considering our ancestors enjoyed this treat at the end of a meal.

With full stomachs we headed back to our rooms to imagine the creaking sounds in the night to be travellers of the past, stumbling down the stairs to ride the horse and carriage on their way to Boston.

“Come back and visit Old Sturbridge Village to experience life in the 1700’s” recommended the friendly fellow that checked us out of the Inn the next morning. And so we will, we promised each other.  

 The fog hovered over Sturbridge in the morning, giving a ghostly appearance to the buildings history has proudly left behind. We hopped in our car and headed onto the Mass Turnpike towards Boston.

If you take Exit 9 off the Massachusetts Turnpike:

Accommodation

Publick House Historic Inn www.publickhouse.com – provides rooms at special rates for the walk- in travelers with coupons at the Country Motor Lodge including breakfast.

Rates for rooms in the historic section of the Inn starting at $160.00.

Dining at Publick House  

Publick House Bake Shop sells daily baked goods.

Dining Tap Room serves meals daily.

Colonel Ebenezer’s Tavern and Bar Cavery.

 

 

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