Where to Stay in Litchfield County: An Inn Guide & What to Do

Litchfield County has quietly become New England’s best small-inn destination — four very different places to stay within about 20 minutes of each other, and the county’s lakes and rivers right there for the other half of the day. Here’s where to sleep, where to eat, and what to do on the water once you’ve checked in.

Mayflower Inn & Spa — Auberge Collection (Washington, CT)

The Mayflower Inn & Spa sits at 118 Woodbury Road (Route 47) in Washington, a five-star Auberge Collection retreat on 58 acres at the foothills of the Berkshires — about two hours from New York City. There are 35 rooms and suites across four buildings, redesigned by decorator Celerie Kemble in 2020. Dining runs from Café Boulud at The Mayflower (Chef Daniel Boulud’s residency, running through 2026) to the tavern-style Tap Room and the health-forward Retreat spa dining. The Retreat itself is a 20,000-square-foot Forbes 4-Star spa with an indoor biophilic pool and an outdoor barrel sauna.

Amenities cover the full resort list: indoor and outdoor heated pools, tennis, a putting green, hiking trails on the property, horseback riding, and bicycles. It’s pet- and family-friendly. The location is the draw for lake people — Lake Waramaug is about 14 minutes away, Steep Rock Preserve is roughly 3 miles, and Bantam Lake is about 15 minutes.

Pair it with: a captained sunset cruise on Lake Waramaug. You bring the cooler; our captained pontoon handles the rest — no boat, no license, no experience needed.

The Abner Hotel (Litchfield, CT)

The Abner is at 15 West Street in Litchfield, right on the Litchfield Green at the corner of West and North. Salt Hotels turned the 1880 Romanesque-Revival former Litchfield County Courthouse — vacant since 2017 — into a 20-room boutique hotel that opened in September 2024 after a three-year, $15 million renovation by Lexington Partners and Salt Hotels. The guest rooms were converted from former judges’ offices, with rates starting around $195 a night.

Dining and drinks are the reason to come even if you’re not staying: The Courtroom restaurant on the second floor serves modern tavern food (Chef John Gapasin, open Wednesday–Sunday, 5–10 p.m.) in the old courtroom with its 14-foot ceilings and jury boxes repurposed as banquettes; Verdict is the seasonal rooftop bar with countryside views; The Parlor is the cocktail lounge with a fireplace. There are event spaces too, including The Tower Room and The Lockup (a former jail cell).

Pair it with: a paddle at Mount Tom State Park with Litchfield Paddle, then a captained cruise on nearby Lake Lillinonah in New Milford. See our pontoon charters for the sunset version.

The slow water of the Litchfield Hills — the half of the day the inns don’t cover.

Winvian Farm (Morris, CT)

Winvian Farm at 155 Alain White Road in Morris is a Relais & Châteaux luxury resort on 113 scenic acres bordering woodlands, lakes, and meadows. (The name is a portmanteau of the original owners, Winthrop and Vivian Smith, who bought the property in 1948.) There are 18 uniquely themed cottages — Treehouse, Helicopter (with an actual Sikorsky inside), Log Cabin, Library, Maritime, Music, Secret Society, Beaver Lodge, Greenhouse, Stable, Stone, Woodlands, Artist, Camping, Charter Oak, Clubhouse, Connecticut Yankee, and Industry — plus The Hadley Suite in the historic family home. Each cottage has at least one fireplace, a soaking tub, a rainfall steam shower, and heated floors.

Dining is the headline: The Restaurant at Winvian, led by Executive Chef Chris Eddy, runs farm-to-fork with roughly 70% of its produce grown in Winvian’s own gardens, and it holds an AAA Five Diamond rating. Maggie’s Tavern is the more casual sibling. There’s a Condé Nast award-winning spa on site, and the property is dog- and family-friendly. Winvian borders Bantam Lake.

Pair it with: a paddle on Bantam Lake or the Bantam River, then a captained pontoon or eco-tour on the same water. See our Bantam Lake private pontoon and pontoon charters.

Litchfield Inn (Litchfield, CT)

The Litchfield Inn at 432 Bantam Road (Route 202) in Litchfield is a classic colonial estate on 10 acres in the heart of Litchfield County, with 32 guest rooms (litchfieldinnct.com). It’s positioned as a refined retreat offering stays, gatherings, and curated experiences, and it recently opened a new Pool & Field House. The property has been home to a series of restaurant iterations over the years (the Bantam Bistro era among them).

Pair it with: a paddle at nearby Mount Tom State Park, then an afternoon watersports or fishing charter on Lake Lillinonah. Our captained pontoon is the easy sunset finish.

On the water, part 1: Paddles with Litchfield Paddle

For paddle-power, the local outfit is Litchfield Paddle (litchfieldpaddle.com), based at 95 Old South Road in Litchfield. They rent kayaks, paddleboards (SUPs), and canoes, and run classes — Paddleboard 101 and paddleboard yoga with Soulful SUP & Yoga — plus group and corporate events. They operate at two Connecticut State Parks in season (roughly Memorial Day through Columbus Day, weather permitting): Lake Waramaug State Park (30 Lake Waramaug Road, Kent/New Preston) and Mount Tom State Park (Route 202 & Mount Tom Road, Litchfield). They also deliver to Bantam Lake, the Bantam River, and beyond, and run an appointment-only satellite, Litchfield Paddle @ Camp David, on Bantam Lake.

The fleet is mostly brand-new — Pelican fishing kayaks, BOTE and BOARDWORKS paddleboards, Perception kayaks — with PFDs in all sizes, dry bags, and cold water included. There’s a 25% weekday pre-noon discount, a $999 season pass, and a Frequent Paddler program (pay for 10 paddles, get 2 free). The experience itself is the point: quiet, flat-water paddling, a slow way to see the county’s lakes that no motorized boat can replicate. (Litchfield Paddle is a separate local outfitter, not affiliated with us — we’re the motorized half of your day.)

On the water, part 2: Fish, sightsee & watersports with CT Water Sports

The motorized half of the day is ours. We run captained pontoon charters for the cruise, swim, sunset, and eco-tour bird-watching crowd; watersports charters — wakesurfing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, and tubing — with a pro driver/instructor; all-inclusive fishing charters with gear and a licensed captain; and kids clinics. You ride as passengers, so there’s no license, no boat, and no experience required — see our Connecticut boating license guide for why.

We run on Lake Lillinonah (New Milford), Lake Waramaug, Candlewood, and Bantam. If you’re weighing whether a delivered, outfitted boat beats owning one for a lake-house week, our rent-vs-own breakdown makes the case. And if you want the water to come to you — boat, gear, and captain at your dock — that’s the white-glove version.

A captained cruise to finish the day — the motorized half of a Litchfield County inn weekend.

A two-day Litchfield County inn + water itinerary

This is a sample, not a booking requirement — mix and match to your inn and your energy.

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