Gilmore Girls Fans, Now Is the Time to Plan Your Visit to the Mayflower Inn

Photo: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

For many Gilmore Girls fans, the return of chilly temperatures and changing leaves doesn’t just signal a change in seasons. Rather, it means it’s time to start rewatching the idyllic fall show. Whether you’re an autumn like Richard Gilmore or smell snow each winter like Lorelai, you may be dreaming up a visit to Stars Hollow, the charming small town where the show takes place. Unfortunately, you won’t find Stars Hollow on a map—most of the show was actually filmed on a set at Warner Bros. in Burbank, California—but there is a real-life version of the Independence Inn, where Lorelai works at the beginning of the show.

Not only does the Mayflower Inn & Spa, part of the Auberge Resorts Collection, in Washington, Connecticut, have a Gilmore Girls–esque allure, but it’s also said to have been the inspiration for the Independence Inn after show creator and writer Amy Sherman-Palladino stayed there in 1999. Valerie Campbell, the show’s key set costumer, and Rachel Kamerman, a production designer for seasons four through six, both recount Sherman-Palladino speaking of the Mayflower and Washington while working on set in the early 2000s. “Amy’s love of New England and that small-town magic was really important,” Kamerman tells AD. The inn was more than just a location or set, adds Campbell, “it was a character in itself because you have the backstory of Lorelai and Rory growing up and being taken in.”

Due to Gilmore Girls’ popularity and loyal fanbase, the Mayflower has seen a continuous stream of guests inspired by the property’s connection to the show, says Shannon Leland, general manager of Mayflower Inn & Spa, adding that many female travelers, such as mothers and daughters or girlfriends, tend to visit the inn together. “The show has done an amazing job of showcasing the beauty of New England in the fall, so many guests come and stay with us this time of year looking for a quintessential New England escape,” adds Leland.

The Mayflower Inn, which sits on 58 acres of land, was last renovated from 2019 to 2020 by interior designer Celerie Kemble of Kemble Interiors, a firm split between Palm Beach and New York City. Kemble’s goal was to add youthfulness to the decor, and the result is a space that’s both eclectic and feminine, honoring the inn’s history as a New England pinnacle while making it more approachable. “It's not looking to be opulent; it’s looking to be delightful,” Kemble tells AD. She used whimsical patterns, collected Swedish antiques, and soft materials to infuse the inn with vibrance. Because of this, the inn now feels like a more modern, lively version of the show’s Independence Inn, which had a more formal feel with a dark color palette and mahogany wood.

In season four of Gilmore Girls, Lorelai and Sookie leave the Independence to open the Dragonfly Inn, a space that is more closely aesthetically aligned with the Mayflower Inn of today. Kamerman, who designed the Dragonfly behind the scenes, aimed to give it a layered feel with eclectic decor that she could see Lorelai and Sookie actually picking out. “I could envision [them] looking at all the fabric swatches [and] wallpaper samples and [not going for anything too conservative],” explains Kamerman. Instead, she made decisions such as combining multiple fabrics and patterns onto one chair, for example. Looking through photos of today’s Mayflower Inn, Kamerman points out similarities such as mixed media gallery walls and thrifted decor.

One of the biggest appeals of both inns in Gilmore Girls is their small-town magic and New England charm. The Mayflower, like the Independence and Dragonfly, has a welcoming lobby and communal spaces that encourage gathering. “There’s a very welcoming, accommodating, inclusive feel when you’re in there,” says Kemble, adding that during fall the inn has bonfires on the porch. After working on set for so many years, visiting the Mayflower and the surrounding area during Gilmore Girls Fan Fest, which takes place annually each fall, was entrancing for Campbell. “It is very easy to imagine the characters from the show walking around these towns, even though we never even got to go and film there,” she says.

The Mayflower Inn provides guests with a luxurious experience, whether you choose to stay in a guest room or suite, that’s intended to feel like a home, not a hotel. No two rooms are the same, to give the inn a more approachable feel. The linens are soft fabrics such as cotton and wool for added coziness. “Even the art is more modern or mixed in with old portraits, so it feels like someone's home,” says Kemble. “And when people stay there, it’s, I think, a very relaxing experience because of that,” adds the designer.

With walls covered in botanical prints and shelves styled with eclectic antiques, it’s safe to say the Mayflower Inn & Spa is a space that Lorelai and Sookie would approve of. Strolling past changing leaves with a hot cup of coffee in your hand and a chunky sweater keeping you warm, you may even forget that you’re not in Stars Hollow.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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