Party in a rumored prohibition-era speakeasy during a themed weekend at this NH resort
The Omni Mount Washington Resort is hosting a Golden Era Jazz Weekend July 7-9.
The Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, is transporting guests back to the Roaring ’20s this summer.
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During the weekend of July 7-9, the resort will host a Golden Era Jazz Weekend full of live jazz music, dance classes, historic tours, and whiskey tastings. Visitors can picnic and attend high tea on the lawn, eat and imbibe at Great Gatsby-themed dinners, and revel at a prohibition party at the property’s bar, The Cave, which may or may not have served as a speakeasy back in the day.
They’ll also be able to buy or rent costumes at the resort and pose for pictures with a vintage photographer, while “cigarette girls” wander the grounds (with non-tobacco items).
“When you look at the history of the resort, being built in 1902, and the rumors that The Cave was actually a speakeasy during prohibition, it really geeks us up and gets us excited,” said Gene Meoni, director of food and beverage at the resort.
The Cave, a bar on the property of Omni Mount Washington Resort.
The Cave sports stone-lined walls and a trapdoor, where workers allegedly hid whiskey, he said. In keeping with the spirit of the weekend, a password will be required to enter.
Once inside, guests will learn the history of prohibition while they sip cocktails from teacups, said Lauren Anderson, events and activities manager.
“So, if there’s a raid, they can get rid of the evidence,” she said.
During the prohibition era, guests would drink from teacups so they could easily replace their gin with tea in the event of a raid, Meoni said.
Omni Mount Washington Resort in 1920.
The food will also reflect the time period. Sweet brined chicken, root beer-glazed ham, carrot and raisin salad, curried chicken salad, buttermilk biscuits, and peach cobbler will be among the picnic offerings. The Great Gatsby-themed dinners will include oysters Rockefeller, mushroom and Champagne terrine crostini, barley and whiskey soup, baked salmon with Champagne and chive sauce, flat iron steak with wild mushroom sauce, and a variety of pies, cakes, and cobblers.
It’s not the first time guests will dine on foods of the past at the Bretton Woods resort. In April, the resort hosted a Titanic dinner, serving dishes similar to what first-class passengers ate aboard the ill-fated ship.
Deluxe room packages are still available for the weekend. They cost $1,500 for two nights and include a Friday welcoming reception, the Great Gatsby-themed dinners on Friday and Saturday night, the speakeasy party, and the picnic on the lawn, said Jenn Huntoon, assistant marketing director for the resort. Visitors looking to stay Saturday night only can purchase a package for $685, which includes a room, the picnic, the Saturday Great Gatsby dinner, and the speakeasy party, she said.
Guests not staying on the property can also take part in the festivities by booking activities a la carte, Huntoon said. For example, the jazz picnic on the lawn costs $39 per person, and a Great Gatsby-themed dinner is $99 per person.
“I think the whole step-back-in-time ambiance of this is just going to be incredible,” Meoni said.
