Years ago I did PR for a client in western Massachusetts (it was so far west you could stand with one foot in Massachusetts and the other in Connecticut.)
I would stay at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge the night before my meetings because they started early and it was a three hour drive. No woman I know wants to drive for an hour and then see a sign that says “next exit 30 miles” after her morning coffee.
Stockbridge is a beautiful town. Recently it was voted the most charming town in America by the travel website Big 7 Travel. And the Red Lion Inn is a special place; it’s quaint but not fussy, with modern conveniences. The first time I stayed there it was fall and the colors of the leaves and the autumn light were exactly what you’d picture for a New England scene. The Inn’s chef made me a special vegetarian dinner, and in my poster bed I felt like the spoiled cousin of the Little Women.
The second time I stayed the leaves were gone, but I still enjoyed my afternoon bundled up on the Inn’s front porch. When I went up to my room at about 6pm I heard what sounded like elephants clog dancing on the floor above. Finally at 11pm I called the front desk to ask them to stop whatever was making the noise.
The desk clerk didn’t respond for a few seconds. Then he asked me what I was hearing. More silence for a few seconds. After which he told me what was above my floor was just the attics, there was nobody up there now and nobody had been up there all day. I thanked him and hung up, took a sleeping pill, turned on all the lights and dove under the covers.
On later visits there were no more unexplained incidents. Maybe the spirits didn’t think I was enough fun to haunt. Or maybe they don’t like tattlers.
But it’s a wonderful place, and worth a visit if you’re going to Stockbridge or surrounding towns. www.redlioninn.com
XO Brenda
P.S. Have you ever experienced something strange at an inn or hotel in New England? Let us know!