My husband and I are planning a two-night stay in the Connecticut River Valley, preferably near Essex. We have narrowed down our lodging choices to the Griswold Inn and the Copper Beech Inn. Generally we prefer rustic-elegant accomodations (i.e. wine country elegant) over country-kitsch accomodations. After much research, it appears the Griswold Inn seems to be "the place" to stay in the area, but I am concerned about it being overly touristy/kitschy and I cannot find much information about the actual rooms. Does anyone have any recent experience with either of these two inns? We'd appreciate any comments you might want to share. Thanks.

Hi haydencat,
My husband and I stayed at the Griswold Inn- tho I hate to think of how long ago. At the time it was not at all country-kitsch.I certainly hope that it hasn't changed. We were with friends on that trip and we still talk about the skinny/steep stairway. We have fond memories of our stay.
Have a good trip.

Thanks Leilei. We still haven't made our decision. Tripadvisor reviews are all over the map about the quality of the rooms, which is my main concern about the inn. It's good to hear you found the inn charming, however, and we're leaning towards booking there because we like the fact that it has a lively bar scene downstairs. Thanks again!

I stayed at the Gris many, many years ago and absolutely loved it. It's very old, and I remember the floors in our room being quite slanted, but I think that's part of the charm of this lovely old place. They used to, and hope they still do, have an old guy playing the piano in the bar on the weekends, I think on Saturday night, and everyone sang along to everything from Broadway show tunes to college fight songs. They were also known for their "hunt breakfasts" on Sunday morning. So, even if you don't stay there, do check to see if these are still happening.

Thanks Sailorgirl2001. Our stay will be on a Monday and Tuesday night. I heard they do sea chantys in the bar on Monday nights, which sounds fun. Thanks for your input!