In the shadow of Crotched Mountain and with a view of peaks north of Concord, the new owners of Blue Bear Inn are ready for the après-ski crowd as well as anyone seeking food and rest in a 200-year old space.

Carrie and Bob Mayer took over the Francestown establishment in October, but do not plan on reinventing the venerable operation. 

“We didn’t want to come in here and change a lot because we love it here,” said Carrie on a recent afternoon in the inn’s tavern. 

One example of this constancy is that staff at the inn under the previous owners have stayed on since the transition. 

“The existing employees could run this place on their own,” said Bob, who is happy with what the continuity this means for the inn.

Among the people they’re thrilled to have stayed on is Meg Vanni, a pastry chef who counts carrot cake among her specialties. Bob Mayer likes making sauces, as well, and Carrie described their culinary offerings as “elevated comfort food.”

“Our menu takes the nostalgic dishes and cocktails people love and elevates them with high-quality ingredients,” Carrie said. “Thoughtful preparation, and a touch of creativity. We’re bringing people flavors that are both familiar and unexpected.”

Examples of dishes on offer are flatbread pizza with honey and burgers with a novel variety of toppings. 

“We want to be accessible, and don’t want people to think it’s too fancy,” Carrie said.

No stranger to bartending, Carrie mentioned having a mean hot toddy recipe that will ideally get sampled with winter at hand. 

The couple has Massachusetts roots, and Carrie brings 20 years in the hospitality industry to the operation. 

“I’ve done everything from the 19th hole at a country club and fine dining to slinging beers at Fenway Park,” she said.

Carrie appreciates that the inn predates the home of the Red Sox in Fenway Park.

“There’s lots of history here that we’d love to share with guests,” she said “We’ve found old maps and photos that really enhance the spirit of the building.” 

An artistic example of the inn’s past is a mural over a fireplace dated from before the Civil War. One theory that the Mayers have learned is that artistic guests of that era who could not pay for their lodgings would create artwork for establishments to cover the cost of their stays. 

Part of the building dates from 1822, and the decor in the dining spaces as well the rooms for lodging convey this history. 

“We found that map up in the attic,” said Carrie pointing to a framed artifact in the tavern, but mini-splits in all the rooms provide 21st-century comfort. 

A sign pointing the way to various rooms at the establishment still sports the Crotched Mountain Inn logo. The Mayers have this in a prominent spot, saying that they know how many longtime residents in the area were attached to that name of the establishment from decades ago.

Between one of the dining areas and some first-floor lodgings is the Pine Room, where wide boards frame a yawning fireplace that still has an arm for a kettle and an oven built into a wall for baking bread. 

Behind the building are grounds that will ideally host a variety of fruit trees next spring in addition to the heirloom apple and grafted cherry trees already there. 

A space has been cleared for an outdoor deck not far from an inground pool with a sky bar built last summer. From this area, Gunstock Mountain was visible on a recent afternoon. The grounds stretch into the woods, where trails for hiking and snowshoeing meander over some of the 55 acres.  

The space and solitude lend themselves to Blue Bear Inn being a good setting for a retreat, said Carrie, and a sewing group was meeting for just that purpose recently. Carrie is a Pilates instructor who envisions yoga classes happening with the northern peaks in view in time. For now, however, they’re listening to what guests have to say. 

“We’re taking in everyone’s ideas and opinions, and if something seems like a very good idea, we’ll do it,” Carrie said

“It’s not an inn about us,” Bob said, noting how many hosts create a place to their particular tastes. “It’s for everyone.”