Traditional, quaint, and festive, are the three words that come to mind when I think of The Red Lion Inn in winter time. The Red Lion Inn is a gorgeous, older Inn located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. If you live within an hour or two of the Inn and have never gone there, then you are truly missing out. Although some choose to actually stay at the Inn overnight, most choose to just go for a family lunch or dinner and to visit the Country Curtain store in the back of the building. My family, just like many other families, have made going to the Inn around the holidays as an annual family tradition.

When one pulls up to the Inn, it is indescribably beautiful. A large house-like building, with a lion statue in the front. The building is meticulously decorated with lights and trees, and when it snows, the whole picture just comes together to bring a festive look and feel. One of the first things you see inside is a big, beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The lobby is full of couches in the seating area, along with a nice warm fireplace and a person playing a harp in the background. There’s families dressed in their holiday best all conversing amongst themselves and people going in and out of the gift shop. The dining room has elegant teapots and glassware on the top of every beam, and in the back they make a large gingerbread structure every year that many people look forward too! The place and people look like they belong in the early 1900s.

When you go to eat there, make sure to make reservations well in advance. The place is always packed with people, and you can’t expect to get in without one. Or at least seated within a reasonable amount of time. The nice thing is that there’s not just one place to eat either. There’s the main dining room, but they also have a bar area called "Widow Bingham’s Tavern", and a pub in the basement called "The Lion’s Den". In the summer, they also have outdoor eating in the Courtyard. Many choose the traditional choice of eating in the main dining room. Their menu may be only one page, but trust me -- it does not need to be any longer. Everything listed on the menu is absolutely to die for. The menu may be on the pricier end, but once you take your first bite, it's worth every penny.

As you sit back and enjoy a nice meal with family, you can’t help but notice the warm atmosphere that the Inn brings. You look around and watch as many families enjoy a nice meal and share many laughs and create many memories. The waiters and waitresses always have such great hospitality and do nothing but make sure your time there is everything it should be.

So do yourself a favor when the holiday season comes back around. Be sure to make a family trip to the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. You won't regret the experience -- seriously.