Vermont Trip - Sept/Oct 2010

 Notes from our trip to Vermont that we took in the Fall of 2010.

We stayed in Warren, VT (where Robert's company's condo is located...it is a ski resort area, so not much else to do other than ski). We went in the Fall, so no skiing. The mountain also had a really cool disc golf course, but we didn't have time to get to it, so that would definitely be something we do if we go back in the future. We did spend time just hiking the different trails (http://www.madrivervalley.com/activities/hiking-walking-and-trekking) and checked out this waterfall: http://www.northeastwaterfalls.com/waterfall.php?num=404&p=0
Here's a link to the other waterfalls New England: http://www.newenglandwaterfalls.com

Montpelier - Toured the State Capitol (very cool tour and gave insight into how their State/Local government operates). Montpelier is just down the road from Burlington (about 40 minutes). One of the cool things about Burlington, other than it being a college town, is that it's right next to Lake Champlain. We loved Burlington. We did the 20 mile bike ride loop that my cousin, Jeff had suggested (find those below). We also took a ferry across the Lake when we arrived (we had driven through upstate NY and that is how we crossed into VT). We have friends that took a guided boat tour around the lake, but we didn't do this. Montpelier is also very close to Waterbury (where the Ben and Jerry's factory is located. We stopped by there on our way down to New Hampshire. It's a short tour/presentation, but the downside is that it is jam packed with tourists [lots of tour buses]). We got to try a new flavor that wasn't released yet, but other than that, we would not go there again due to it being so touristy and not really anything "special."

In East Montpelier (on our way to State Capitol), we stopped at the Bragg Farm for a little tour and to buy maple syrup. http://www.braggfarm.com/visitus.html

Other things in Waterbury: We checked out the Cabot Cheese Annex (http://www.cabotcheese.coop/pages/visit_us/cabot_annex.php).  They had samples of basically all of their cheeses and then sold them at a discounted rate. We love cheese and it was fun to taste test flavors that we have never seen in the stores down here. Across the street is the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, where you can get apples, cider donuts and shop for overpriced goods.

Honestly, a lot of our trip was spent walking/hiking through different parts - we had lucked out and got the peak week, so it was just so nice to be outside and take in all of the scenery. We loved driving on the country roads and stopping at places that came up a long the way. Lots of covered bridges. Here's a site I found that lists covered bridges: http://www.central-vt.com/visit/cvrbridge/index.html (this link is for the Montpelier region)

Email from my cousin, Jeff on his suggestions for Middlebury and Burlington, VT. Jeff went to school at Middlebury College.

Here are some ideas for Middlebury and Burlington things to do/places to eat:

Middlebury Attractions

1.      College campus is pretty and can occupy you for an hour or 2, and it might be worth checking to see if there are any concerts at the college if you end up spending a night in Middlebury 

2.      Otter Creek brewery is kind of cool if you’re into breweries.  But if you’re not big into them, you may just want to visit the Magic Hat brewery in Burlington because that one is bigger, more  interesting, and you can get a tour which is kind of fun

3.      Middlebury College Center for the Arts – this is a small art museum that has some interesting art pieces, but it is quite small and won’t keep you busy for too long.  I recommend checking the website to see what exhibit is currently running

4.      That’s about it for stuff to do – Middlebury is a pretty small town :)

Middlebury Restaurants

1.      Fire and Ice – a little bit pricey but this was my favorite restaurant in Middlebury. Try to make a reservation if you’re going on a weekend when school is in session because it can get busy

2.      American Flatbread – very good brick oven pizza.  Try to make a reservation if you’re going on a weekend when school is in session because it can get busy

3.      Mister Ups – more casual restaurant but has a good salad bar and pretty solid American food

4. Steve's Park Diner - good breakfast, very cheap as well

Burlington Attractions

1. Church Street: a cool, cobblestone street that has some shops and food places, and sometimes street performers.  It's very similar to Pearl St. in Boulder, CO
2. Biking through Lake Champlain: if you go right down Main Street toward Lake Champlain, you can rent bikes and then ride north on a great bike path.  At one point you actually ride through Lake Champlain on a path that used to be a railroad track, Rachel and I had fun doing this when we went a couple of years ago
3. Concerts: you might want to check to see who's playing at Higher Ground, Nectar's, and the Flynn while you're there - these are all good music venues that attract some pretty good bands (a lot of hippie type stuff but also some other genres)
4. Hiking:  Mt. Mansfield is well known for having good hiking.  I have never been, but I think that's the place to go if you want to hike
5. Magic Hat brewery is pretty cool - you can get a tour and also taste some of the different beers at the end of the tour for free, which is fun

I actually can't remember which restaurants we went to in Burlington, but here's a great link from the NYTimes series called "36 hours in..."  with some additional suggestions: http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/travel/02hours.html