Please note that businesses, attractions, and events throughout New England have been closed and/or canceled in response to the COVID-19 health crisis. Please travel responsibly, and check with individual businesses and event organizers before making travel plans.As of mid-May 2020: The grounds at Wayside Inn are open, but visitors must comply with social distancing rules listed on their website.
The Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts, is the oldest operating Inn in the country and has the historic character, charm, and beauty to prove it. The Wayside Inn Historic Site is made up of four main buildings; the Inn, the Grist Mill, the Chapel, and the Schoolhouse. The property’s Grist Mill served as the inspiration for the Pepperidge Farm logo and is considered one of the most romantic settings in New England. According to the Wayside Inn Web site: “It was built under the direction of former property owner Henry Ford, and ground its first “grist” on Thanksgiving day, 1929. The mill is water-powered, and uses two separate grinding-stones to produce the cornmeal and wheat flour that is used in Longfellow’s Wayside Inn’s baked goods.”
View a selection of reader-submitted images of this 1929 building and surrounding grounds throughout the seasons.
The Wayside Inn Grist Mill
The Old Sudbury Grist Mill at the Wayside Inn. Photo Credit : John McMahonGetting up close and personal with the large red wheel at the mill. Photo Credit : Carmen Chiango Jr.The Wayside Inn Grist Mill after the rain in the early autumn. Photo Credit : Peter HennesseyAbove the Grist Mill during the autumn foliage. Photo Credit : Susan ClineA beautiful autumn view of the Wayside Inn Grist Mill. Photo Credit : Maria Lourdes RiosThe Martha-Mary Chapel just up the road at the Wayside Inn. Photo Credit : Maria Lourdes RiosBrook by Longfellow’s Wayside Inn. Photo Credit : Maria Lourdes RiosThe Wayside Inn Grist Mill in the sparkling white of winter. Photo Credit : Alyson HorrocksWayside Inn. 72 Wayside Inn Road, Sudbury, MA. 978-443-1776; wayside.org
Have you ever visited the historic Wayside Inn?
This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated.
