WE’RE OUTTA HERE

a weekend destinationkeeping you on the backroads

TOWN & COUNTRY INN AND RESORT 20 US-2 SHELBURNE, NH 03581

603-466-3315 • WWW.TOWNANDCOUNTRYINNANDRESORT.COM

Up near the top of the Granite State of New Hampshire, you will nd a comfortable road designated Route 2 that meanders across the top of the state. On this road, just a few miles east of the town of Gorham, you will nd a remarkable Inn, with a great and deep history.

Welcome to Town & Country.

When we strolled in, the rst thing that we noticed was the American Flags folded and displayed with military honor. It was then we began to learn about the history of the Inn.

In 1956, Ralph “Navy” Labnon purchased the Androscoggin Valley Country Club House from the Brown Company. This property had formerly been known as the Hitchcock Farm.

In the ‘50s the clubhouse for the golf course, at that time, consisted of seven rooms, three baths, and six dining tables.

In December of 1956, the small facility would begin operations under the name of the Country Club Inn with 11 hotel rooms, only one of which had a private bath, and an expanded dining room as well as a minuscule lounge.

But Labnon had bigger plans for the Inn.

As the law at that time stated a hotel needed 12 rooms in order to be granted a liquor license, one room was added to meet the state requirements. Several years later, the name was changed to the Country Inn, and then it nally became incorporated as the Town & Country Inn and Resort. A major event in the history of the business was the devastating re that occurred on December 30, 1973. The main building, housing the kitchen, dining room, banquet rooms, lounge, and twelve motel units were totally destroyed. The family faced the New Year with a tremendous loss, but with rm determination to rebuild the Inn. Within thirty days, all the debris had been removed and construction of the new building was underway. Late in June, the major rebuilding project was complete and the Town and Country reopened.

That was then….

Today, the Inn boasts 160 rooms, a dining room seating 180 guests, four banquet rooms that can accommodate over 500 people, a lounge featuring live entertainment on weekends, an indoor heated pool, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi, and a full health club facility.

We have all heard the phrase location, location, location. This truly applies here at Town & Country.

The hotel has had many famous guests who have all enjoyed the hospitality know as “TLC”, Tender Labnon Care.

Political guests have included President & Mrs. Ronald Reagan, President & Mrs. Richard Nixon, Senator Robert Dole, Mrs. Elizabeth Dole, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., Pierre Salinger, and Senator Ted Kennedy, to name a few.

Among the many other celebrities who have enjoyed the ne amenities offered at the Town & Country, are Kurt Russell, Derek Sanderson, Bobby Orr, Melvin Belli, Julia Child, and Leonard Nimoy.

Spock and Dutch the Gipper?! The T & C just raised their own bar.

The place has had an odd dichotomy of guests – many nights will nd the Side X Side and offroad crowd rubbing elbows with the Caddyshack crowd of high-end golfers.

That was the case the evening we were there.

After we landed, we spent a bit of time in the oh-so-refreshing pool and kept seeing more and more off-road vehicles rolling in. Although many were your standard Off-Road machines, some were truly outstanding, well designed and built rides.

Back to the comfortable room, with bikes parked right outside the window, we showered, put on some civvies, and went to explore more of Town & Country.

We had heard that the food here was ‘off the charts wonderful.

But rst, we made a stop at the Inn’s large bar. This is where the odd mix of patrons came into the play. Inside were dozens of golfers, many well into the 19th hole after a long day on the green.

The riders and the putters all got along swimmingly and it was interesting to listen to the conversations.

We spoke with the owner Scott Labnon, a cheerful and attentive host for sure. He gave us a bit of the history – much of which you have just read - and it was obvious that he, his family, and all the staff take great pride in Town & Country.

Dinner was everything that we were led to believe. The stuffed mushroom caps and Caesar were great starters. I went for the baked shrimp but Shira, a huge carnivore, took on T & C’s roast prime rib – the house specialty since 1956. Even the Queen cut was enormous, as were all the portions of their very healthy dinner menu.

What a great night.

But we talked location, location, location a bit back. There are some of the nest roads, incredible sights, and just beautiful things to seek out and explore while riding in this part of New England.

That is one of the reasons we loved the Town & Country and it easily made this month’s We’re Outta Here and we’ll certainly be returning to Gorham soon.

We’ll get you to the Town and Country Inn, but you may want to make it a two-day ride as it is almost 425 miles. We put a stopover point in West Dover, VT, where you can stay at the Kitzhof or Gray Ghost Inns, our homes away from home. Once you settle at the Town and Country, just point your motorcycle east on 2 towards Bethel, ME and you’ll nd this month’s Big City Getaway – the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum. ,

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