The Roseland Cottage is truly a beautiful historical gem in CT! I recently took a tour of the house…read moreand it was super interesting. Though the grounds are always open to visitors, guided tours of the house are only available June through mid-October, Thursday-Sunday from 11AM-3PM, every hour on the hour. Timed tickets can be purchased online in advance (and this is recommended). Adult admission is $20. Once I arrived, I was greeted by staff who were very friendly. The tour guide, MaryLou, took me through the house and explained the history of Henry Bowen (the original resident of the house) and his family. She was extremely knowledgeable and it was very interesting! The tour was supposed to last around an hour, but she went for about an hour and 15 minutes. After the tour you are free to roam the grounds and take photos, and there's also a small gift shop. Non-flash photography is allowed inside the house, but no video. Overall I found this to be a really beautiful historical spot in Woodstock, CT and would definitely recommend taking a tour!

My husband and I had our wedding here, the place was absolutely beautiful and that is the only…read morething that made the venue worth it. Laurie the women who handles Roseland cottage, on the other hand ended up being a bit difficult as our wedding got closer and closer. Sadly on the rehearsal day and wedding day she was rude and did things that we did not agree upon or said she wasn't going to do. She made herself seem understanding up until those days. She gave me sass remarks and honestly made the rehearsal day and wedding day more stressful. The only thing that made it worth it, like I said, was the beautiful venue. But Laurie in the end did make things feel way more stressful and difficult. Our catering was wonderful though, I could not have asked to better catering. They handled Laurie and everything else with class. Thank you renees Bistro.

I fell in love with the Spanish garden and knew immediately that I wanted to have my wedding here…read more Unfortunately, the venue itself was the highlight of an otherwise disappointing experience. Communication was a significant issue throughout the planning process. Dennis was often difficult to reach, and phone calls frequently went unanswered or were not returned in a timely manner. As a bride trying to coordinate an important event, this added unnecessary stress. I stayed at the property the night before the wedding so I could begin setting up. I was surprised that despite being present, the family appeared uninvolved and offered no assistance while preparations were underway. The interior of the home felt dated and had a noticeable mildew odor. As someone with allergies, I found it particularly uncomfortable. We were also told that the venue worked exclusively with a single caterer, leaving us with no flexibility in our catering choice. Unfortunately, the food did not meet our expectations, and several guests told us they were denied additional servings when they asked for seconds. That was especially disappointing and embarrassing on what should have been a joyful day. The garden is beautiful, but based on our overall experience with communication, accommodations, and catering, I would not choose this venue again.

We stayed there in May - that short time between ski season and tourist season. It was great…read moreexperience and the original house was built by one of my ancestors which made things even more special. The Inn is oriented towards hosting weddings, but the hosts, Dennis and Rosemary, go out of their way to make "regular" guests feel welcome, including providing a "self serve" pantry in case a late night refreshment is needed. In the morning, we had a great breakfast more akin to a bed and breakfast than a full-scale hotel. Two bits of advice: 1. Call ahead to make sure the Inn will be open - the Inn is closed sometimes in the winter and there might be nobody around. 2. I think the prices on the website are somewhat dated so confirm things when you call.

Genuinely the easiest part of planning our wedding!…read more I'll be honest by the time we found Falls Creek Farm, I was burnt out. Wedding planning is exhausting in ways I didn't expect, and I'd already dealt with enough unresponsive vendors and confusing contracts to make me want to elope. Falls Creek Farm was just... different. From the first tour, it felt organized and warm. They have put so much care into this property and it shows. The team is extremely responsive. They answer questions without making you feel like a burden. The property is 300 acres and absolutely stunning. It is so I'm gonna hack you picturesque. They are extremely flexible and give you the opportunity to bring your wedding to life and make sure it's exactly as you envision it. Our guests are still talking about it. If you're in the middle of planning and feeling the stress, go take a tour. It was the first time during the whole process that I actually felt excited instead of overwhelmed.

The footing inside the show indoor desperately needs to be redone. It has several high and low…read morespots and gets very hard after so many horses traveling on it without dragging. They also need to put a stop to allowing horses to be cross tied in the isle during busy shows. It's not only a massive fire hazard, but also created unnecessary blocks of foot traffic. It was so disappointing that every isle you turned down there was a horse blocking the isle. I'm surprised the fire department allows this! Additionally, the wash stalls seemed to plugged up with inches of water Thursday thru Sunday. The wash stalls were essentially useless leaving people to fight over other wash stalls.. and why do you have double wash stalls with only one hose?! My final recommendation would be to add a warmup ring next to the front outdoor show ring. It created a dangerous situation where people had tents and chairs set up in the same area horses where trying to warm up for their classes. People traffic and horse traffic in the same space is a guarantee liability issue. On a good note, the property is very well maintained and is a beautiful place to drive through. I appreciate the meticulous maintenance! Lastly, the outdoor lunge ring and warmup ring had excellent footing.

What can we say Erin, George, and Bill - everything was PERFECT! What an amazing team at the…read moreWhispering Pines Conference Center. We cannot thank you all enough. From the first moment of planning until the clean up on Sunday, every staff person was attentive, insightful and courteous. You listened with care to the bride, groom and parents. You understood our shared vision and delivered the weekend impeccably. And that isn't easy with a demanding Jewish mother, a southern dad with slow to warm preferences, and busy high powered professional bride and groom with demanding jobs in New York City! Here are just some of the things we appreciated about our experience with you: all our questions were answered in a timely fashion (even tiny details like how tall is the awning on the deck in case we have to put the chuppa there), the play fields were in excellent condition even after a miserable winter, the star gazing at observatory was inspiring, the food was consistently delicious and presented beautifully (delighting even the hard to please cousins from NYC), rooms throughout the site were clean and inviting, all amenities provided and beautiful views from all of rooms, service was outstanding at every moment and, of course, you even did a great job on the weather. You all think of every detail and guided us with gentle awareness whenever we were floundering or headed in the wrong direction. You all were flexible and understanding and just fun to work with. Erin, you were amazing at your meticulous attention to detail in planning and George you were a reassuring and helpfully guiding voice even in the most intense moments of the weekend. Bill, loved your humor and inspiration with the food, making every guest feel nurtured and grateful for the experience. Facility was in impeccable condition and everything that was promised was delivered and more - right down to the smore ingredients and fire started just as promised - even after a rainy day preceding the wedding. You all are amazing. Thank you from the bottom of this mother of the bride's heart. Ruth Ettenberg Freeman

We attended a wedding at Whispering Pines this past weekend and it was awesome! The weather did…read morenot fully cooperate with the couples plan of an outdoor wedding so instead it was held on a deck over looking the pond, it was very surreal and peaceful. The whispering pine staff was very friendly and on top of everything, they did an amazing job taking care of the wedding party and all of the guests. The food was some of the best I have ever eaten at a wedding; appetizers included grilled pizzas, scallop wrapped bacon, coconut shrimp, mini ribs, and a plethora of tasty cheeses and fruits. The dinner was buffet which included steaks, flounder stuffed with shrimp, lobster, and scallops, pasta, grilled vegetables, fresh breads, etc... They topped it off with a variety of fresh desserts which included amazing chocolate covered cherries and lemon cake to name a few. Whispering Pines is a perfect location for a wedding, family reunion, party, etc..

My mom and I just got back from a wonderful weekend at the spa celebrating her birthday. We stayed…read moreone night at the Inn, enjoyed massages and the spa facilities, and ate at both Kensington's restaurant and the pub (in our white bathrobes mostly, ha!). We also did the afternoon tea, which was absolutely lovely and a good value. Our hotel room was clean, comfy, modern, and spacious. The spa facilities were also extremely clean and well kept, with the ladies locker room stocked with everything you could ever need. Every staff person we dealt with from the hotel to the restaurants to the spa was friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed the hot tub/sauna/steam room area.. yes, it was crowded a few times but I noticed that crowds in both the pool and hot tub areas tended to clear quickly and several times I had both to myself! I especially appreciated the thoughtful little touches everywhere, like cold washcloths available for post-sauna cooldowns and fresh flowers all over the place. The vibe was extremely relaxed and I appreciated that when staying in the hotel you get full use of the spa facilities even on check-out day. We had breakfast and lunch at Kensington's and also had the afternoon tea. Everything was delicious!! Good cocktails too. I wished the indoor pool had been larger to better accommodate busy times, and the spa treatments are definitely on the pricey side, but those are about the only two criticisms I can come up with about this place! We are hoping to make it an annual tradition!

I went here with a friend and I only had a day pass but my friend got two treatments, a massage and…read morea facial. When walking in I found a cute shop a little expensive though but there were cute clothes and spa items for sale. To the left was the area for facials, hair, nails ect. If you keep going you get to the check in counter a lounge and a juice bar that also serves cocktails. You go through a door on the left that leads to a pool area, gym, outdoor lounge and quiet room. In here are also doors to the locker rooms bin the locker room there are vanity's, showers, changing rooms, a sauna, steam room and hot tub. I spent the majority of my time in the hot tub and sauna. The vanity area provides deodorant, lotion, hair gel, hair dryer, a comb, q tips, & mouthwash. If you go back out and go to the right of the Enterence & up stairs there is bar, and then a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating as well. The food was good, the spa was relaxing. The reason it has 4 stars instead of 5 is that the check out was long lasting because they were in the process of updating their birthday reward program and it wasn't matching there flyer on the counter. They did end up matching the flyer in the end it just took a long while.

Allen Hill is a first class operation and a great place to get your Christmas tree. They have many…read morevarieties of trees in all sizes. You will find the one for your own home to get the season in full swing! A family and dog friendly farm that covers hundreds of acres. You can get a free tractor ride out onto the farm and to carry your tree back to the barn. It will be a memorable day! The staff is super helpful. They do provide tree wrapping and trunk drilling for Stand Straight tree stands. Don't forget the apple cider and cookies in the store! Price for any tree is $9 per foot in 2024.

A beautiful venue for a wedding. The staff were well trained, efficient and nice. The tables were…read morewell spaced and the dance floor was perfect for many dancers!

I spent yesterday at the Mohegan Sun Bridal expo as both a vendor and bride-to-be. My fiance has a…read morephotography business, so we reserved a booth to promote his wedding packages and ended up meeting some wonderful couples. Overall, the expo was much better than any other wedding conventions I've been to. Usually I absolutely hate them but this time around, I actually met a few vendors that I'll keep in mind when my wedding rolls around next year. On the vendor side of things, the Mohegan staff could NOT have been more fantastic to work with. Load-in was seamless with plenty of carts available to transport our setups, and breakdown was a bit chaotic but overall quicker than expected. The organizers provided their cell numbers beforehand and were remarkably helpful and easy to get in touch with. We will definitely participate again next year!

Wow, this place is huge!!! Everyone we encountered was friendly and professional. Food,…read moreentertainment and shopping options to cover every taste. If this is your thing, lights, noise, people, people, people and you don't mind second hand smoke - you will enjoy!!!

For all brides looking to get married somewhere unique and special in CT look no further than…read moreTyrone Farm. It's privately owed and has been in the MacLaren family for generations. It also has the personal touch so many outdoor venues are lacking in this popular stretch of wedding country. Ian is the sort of person you feel like you could be friends with and is so eager to make your day personal and special, from getting the right balance and setting for the event to recommending a wealth of local vendors to work with for your wedding day (caterers, hair and make up, transportation, etc). They only do one wedding at the farm a day and in quieter months sometimes only a weekend a weekend. An added bonus is that there is a guest cottage onsite (additional cost) which can sleep up to 10+ people so it's the ideal destination spot, especially if you're looking to host the bridal party or an extended family. The best part about Tyrone Farm is that everything is taken care - you don't need to worry about renting chairs, or tents, everything from a furniture and fixture perspective is included in the price (there is an additional fee if you want to host your ceremony here which I'd highly advise). Tyrone Farm is highly eco-friendly from the solar panel field to the water system in the cottage. Even if you're not an green geek it's nice to know your special day isn't causing unnecessary harm to the environment. Our wedding is on August 6 - I'll post an updated review then but in the meantime if you're recently engaged, looking for a venue in CT and want something unique, outdoors and truly special check out Tyrone Farm.

Stunning views! I attended a wedding here recently and absolutely loved the rustic venue and…read morefabulous scenery. From the very "New England country" reception barn to the cottage, 170 bucolic acres and wonderful staff, it was an excellent place to witness the nuptials of two close friends. I'd happily attend another event here!