Enjoy a step back in time to the early 19th century at the Parsonage Guest Suite in Gilead's Old Church District. The renovated space, where the resident minister once welcomed visitors, combines historic charm with contemporary comfort. The spacious, light-filled suite, with its original wide pine floorboards, is furnished with period pieces, including an elegant queen-sized canopy bed. It has a private porch entrance, bath and full laundry, a custom-built kitchenette, and ample closet space. Begin your stay with complimentary, home-made muffins or locally-made bagels, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. You can relax in the warmth of the suite’s flickering soapstone fireplace, or follow meandering Gilead Brook with a stroll along the scenic country road that shares its name. The Parsonage is surrounded by long-established perennial flower gardens and stone walls “laid to attract a minister’s wife” when it was built in 1826. Visitors are able to attend Sunday morning services that are still held from Memorial Day to Labor Day at nearby Old Christ Church (1824) with its wooden box pews and simple whitewashed beauty. A stay at the Parsonage Guest Suite provides opportunities for authentic experiences in all four-season. Hiking, biking, snow-shoeing, and cross-country skiing are available right outside the door and in nearby recreational centers. Some of Vermont's most popular downhill ski areas - Stowe, Killington, Sugarbush, Suicide Six, and Mad River - are an hour or less drive away. Central Vermont is a region that combines rural beauty with a rich cultural scene. It is also a hotbed of the farm-to-table movement. The Parsonage’s central location and easy highway access make it a perfect base for exploring Vermont’s 251 towns and cities, covered bridges, historic sites, Farmers Markets, and an expanding roster of small breweries, wineries, and distilleries. Gilead Brook Road is approximately 15 minutes from I89. Here is a sampling of destinations and attractions within easy reach: • Randolph, the first town north of Bethel Gilead, is home to Gifford Medical Center, the Chandler Center for the Arts, Kimball Library, the Vermont Veterans Cemetery, and Vermont Technical College, which makes its fitness center and indoor swimming pool (SHAPE) available to the public. • The picturesque village of Woodstock, home to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park and the Billings Farm & Museum, considered one of the finest outdoor history museums in the country. • The President Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth, the childhood home of the 30th President of the United States and the place where Calvin Coolidge took the presidential oath of office • The Justin Morrill Homestead in Strafford, one of the country’s first declared National Historic Landmarks and the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial in South Royalton. • Since 1867, Tunbridge hosts its “World Fair” (one of Vermont’s twelve annual fairs) in mid- September on historic fair grounds in the village center. Off-the-beaten path Brookfield is home to the famous Floating Bridge, while Warren and Waitsfield loom large as quintessential ski towns. • Norwich University, the oldest (1819) private military college in the United States, is in nearby Northfield. The Vermont Law School, known for one of the country’s leading programs in environmental laws, is in South Royalton. • Located in the heart of Vermont, Bethel affords an easy drive to numerous downhill and Nordic ski areas.