Simon Pearce Glassblowing at the Mill

The building began as a woolen mill in the 1800s, one of many that harnessed Vermont's fast rivers to spin and weave during the state's manufacturing era. Its position over the Ottauquechee falls was chosen for power, and for a long time after the mill closed the handsome brick structure stood idle.

When Simon Pearce restored it, he honored that industrial past while giving it a new craft purpose. The waterfall that once turned the mill's wheels now drives a turbine that contributes power to the glassblowing operation, a rare case of a historic building running partly on the same energy source it always did.

Standing on the terrace and looking down at the falls, you can feel how completely the place is tied to its river, the sound of the water a constant behind everything that happens inside.

On the studio floor, glassblowers work in teams around glowing furnaces, gathering molten glass on the end of a blowpipe and shaping it with tools, breath, and constant motion. Each piece, a bowl, a glass, a pitcher, is formed by hand while it is still hot enough to flow.

The work is mesmerizing to watch, a mix of heat, timing, and practiced skill, and because the studio is open to visitors you can stand close enough to feel the rhythm of it. The clean, simple forms that come off the floor are the same designs sold in the shop upstairs.

Alongside the glass, potters throw and finish tableware, so a visit shows two crafts under one roof, both made on site rather than shipped in.

The finished glass and pottery fill a retail space in the mill, where you can see the full range of the work and, often, pieces marked as seconds for those who want the craft at a lower price. Handling the goods where they are made adds something to them.

The restaurant is a destination in its own right, with a menu built around New England ingredients and a wall of windows over the falls. Tables by the glass look straight down at the water, and the setting makes even a simple meal memorable.

Together the studio, shop, and dining room turn a stop here into an easy hour or an unhurried afternoon, depending on how long the waterfall holds you.

Fall is the busiest time, when Upper Valley foliage draws crowds to nearby Quechee Gorge and the mill's windows frame the color over the falls. Reservations for the dining room are wise.

Summer is warm and lively, with the terrace and the river at their most inviting. Spring brings high, thundering water over the falls as the snow melts, a dramatic backdrop to the glass work.

Winter quiets the village, and the mill becomes a warm refuge, the furnaces glowing inside while ice rims the falls outside, a striking contrast that makes a cold-weather visit worthwhile.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.