Still Open America

Woodstock Inn & Resort

Formerly: Richardson's Tavern · Eagle Hotel · Woodstock Inn

Woodstock, Vermont  ·  Founded 1793  ·  Building: 1968–1969

Great Story

A Woodstock village inn with a tavern lineage dating to 1793, rebuilt as the present resort by Laurance Rockefeller in 1969.

Woodstock Inn & Resort traces a local hospitality lineage to Captain Israel Richardson's 1793 tavern in Woodstock. The present inn is not the early tavern or the later Victorian hotel: Laurance Rockefeller purchased the older Woodstock Inn in 1967, replaced it with a new resort building, and reopened it in 1969. Since 2008, the Woodstock Foundation has owned the inn as part of a broader community, conservation, and cultural portfolio.

View the exterior (Google Street View)
The Record

Timeline

  1. 1793

    Captain Israel Richardson establishes Richardson's Tavern in Woodstock, beginning the hospitality lineage later associated with the Woodstock Inn.

    Source: Historic Hotels of America, "History of Woodstock Inn & Resort"

  2. 1934
    January 1934

    A Model T-powered continuous rope tow opens on Clint Gilbert's farm north of Woodstock. It is credited with inaugurating the rope-tow era in the United States.

    Source: Vermont Historical Society, "The Early Days of Skiing, 1934"

  3. 1967

    Laurance Rockefeller purchases the Woodstock Inn and begins planning its replacement with a new modern resort.

    Source: Woodstock Inn & Resort, "Our Story"; Historic Hotels of America, "History of Woodstock Inn & Resort"

  4. 1968

    Construction begins on a new Woodstock Inn building to replace the earlier hotel structure.

    Source: Woodstock Inn & Resort, "Our Story"; historical accounts of the Rockefeller redevelopment

  5. 1969

    The present Woodstock Inn & Resort opens after Laurance Rockefeller's redevelopment.

    Source: Woodstock Inn & Resort, "Our Story"; Michelin Guide, Woodstock Inn & Resort profile

  6. 2008

    The resort is gifted to the Woodstock Foundation, which also owns Billings Farm & Museum and supports community conservation, recreation, and cultural initiatives.

    Source: Billings Farm & Museum, "Woodstock Inn & Resort"

  7. 2026

    Woodstock Inn & Resort continues operating as a year-round destination at 14 The Green in Woodstock.

    Source: Town of Woodstock visitor listing, January 30, 2026

The House Standard

The Truth-O-Meter

Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."

The Woodstock area was home to the first ski rope tow in the United States.
InventedUnverifiablePlausibleDocumented
Documented

A continuous rope tow powered by a Model T engine was installed on Clint Gilbert's farm north of Woodstock in January 1934. The Vermont Historical Society credits the machine with inaugurating the rope-tow era in the United States, while noting an earlier related installation in Québec.

  • Vermont Historical Society, "The Early Days of Skiing, 1934"
  • VT Ski + Ride, "Vermont Rope Tow Hall of Fame"
The current Woodstock Inn & Resort building is the original 1793 Richardson's Tavern.
InventedUnverifiablePlausibleDocumented
Invented

The current resort building opened in 1969 after Laurance Rockefeller purchased and replaced the prior Woodstock Inn. The property has a 1793 tavern lineage, but the present building is a late-twentieth-century structure.

  • Woodstock Inn & Resort, "Our Story"
  • Historic Hotels of America, "History of Woodstock Inn & Resort"
  • Michelin Guide, Woodstock Inn & Resort profile
The 1934 rope tow was located at Woodstock Inn & Resort.
InventedUnverifiablePlausibleDocumented
Invented

The first rope tow was installed on Clint Gilbert's farm north of Woodstock, not on the present Woodstock Inn & Resort property. The ski history is important local context but should not be presented as an inn facility.

  • Vermont Historical Society, "The Early Days of Skiing, 1934"
  • RetroSki, "First Ski Tow in the United States"
Woodstock Inn & Resort is owned by the Woodstock Foundation.
InventedUnverifiablePlausibleDocumented
Documented

Billings Farm & Museum states that the resort was gifted to the Woodstock Foundation in 2008. The Foundation also owns Billings Farm & Museum and supports community conservation, recreation, and cultural efforts.

  • Billings Farm & Museum, "Woodstock Inn & Resort"
Woodstock Inn & Resort has operated continuously in the same building since 1793.
InventedUnverifiablePlausibleDocumented
Invented

The inn's hospitality lineage dates to Richardson's Tavern in 1793, but the current principal building opened in 1969. This audit did not verify uninterrupted hotel operations through every earlier building, ownership transition, and reconstruction.

  • Historic Hotels of America, "History of Woodstock Inn & Resort"
  • Woodstock Inn & Resort, "Our Story"
Highest-Value Content

Corrections

Commonly Stated

The Woodstock Inn has operated continuously in the same historic building since 1793.

The Record

The inn traces a hospitality lineage to 1793, but the present resort building opened in 1969 after Laurance Rockefeller replaced the prior Woodstock Inn. This audit did not establish uninterrupted operation across every earlier building and ownership change.

Source: Historic Hotels of America, "History of Woodstock Inn & Resort"; Woodstock Inn & Resort, "Our Story"

Commonly Stated

The first U.S. ski rope tow was a Woodstock Inn facility.

The Record

The 1934 Model T-powered rope tow was installed on Clint Gilbert's farm north of Woodstock. It is a key part of local ski history but was not on the present resort property.

Source: Vermont Historical Society, "The Early Days of Skiing, 1934"

Commonly Stated

Woodstock Inn & Resort is still family-run by the Rockefeller family.

The Record

Laurance Rockefeller redeveloped the inn in the late 1960s, but the resort was gifted to the Woodstock Foundation in 2008. This audit found Foundation ownership, not evidence of present Rockefeller-family operation.

Source: Billings Farm & Museum, "Woodstock Inn & Resort"

The House Angle

Why It Survives

The Woodstock Inn has endured because its current form was created as part of a larger preservation vision for Woodstock rather than as a stand-alone historic building. Laurance and Mary Rockefeller reshaped the property into a modern village resort in the late 1960s, and the Woodstock Foundation received it as a gift in 2008. Its ownership alongside Billings Farm & Museum links the inn to a broader nonprofit commitment to local conservation, recreation, and culture.

Frequently Asked

Questions & Answers

When was the Woodstock Inn in Vermont built?

The hospitality lineage dates to Richardson's Tavern in 1793, but the present Woodstock Inn & Resort building was constructed in 1968–1969. Laurance Rockefeller purchased the earlier inn in 1967, replaced it, and opened the current resort in 1969.

Who owns the Woodstock Inn & Resort?

The Woodstock Foundation owns Woodstock Inn & Resort. Billings Farm & Museum says the resort was gifted to the Foundation in 2008; the Foundation also owns Billings Farm & Museum and supports local conservation, recreation, and cultural efforts.

Was the first U.S. ski rope tow at the Woodstock Inn?

No. The 1934 Model T-powered rope tow credited with beginning the U.S. rope-tow era operated on Clint Gilbert's farm north of Woodstock, not at the present Woodstock Inn & Resort. It is important local ski history, but it was not an inn facility.

Is the Woodstock Inn building from 1793?

No. The inn traces its local hospitality history to a 1793 tavern, but the current principal resort building opened in 1969 after Laurance Rockefeller replaced the previous Woodstock Inn.

Visit

Practical Information

Address

14 The Green, Woodstock, VT 05091

Phone

(802) 457-1100

Visit Note

Confirm current public access to the lobby, restaurants, village-facing grounds, golf, spa, activities, and events directly with the resort before visiting.