Small town Vermont; beer, wine and bakeries
Mar 24th, 2014, 11:35 AM
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Small town Vermont; beer, wine and bakeries
Hello - planning our fist trip to Vermont in August or September to celebrate my husband's 70th birthday. After spending about a week in Vermont, we'll head to Montreal and Quebec City before returning to Franklin, N.C.
We love quaint towns, beautiful scenery, beer, wine and bakeries. What are your favorite "must sees", either a bed and breakfast we shouldn't miss - or a bakery goodie we'll never forget? We also want to tour some breweries and taste some wine. We're totally open as far as what areas in Vermont we'll be staying.
Thanks for your help.
We love quaint towns, beautiful scenery, beer, wine and bakeries. What are your favorite "must sees", either a bed and breakfast we shouldn't miss - or a bakery goodie we'll never forget? We also want to tour some breweries and taste some wine. We're totally open as far as what areas in Vermont we'll be staying.
Thanks for your help.
Mar 24th, 2014, 12:36 PM
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Mar 24th, 2014, 04:11 PM
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http://www.burlingtonbrewtours.com/t...sic-brew-tour/ It is 70.00 but well worth it since you don't have to drive and includes lunch.
Mar 25th, 2014, 02:13 AM
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You should plan a stop in Norwich VT to visit King Arthur Flour to buy hard to find ingredients. They also have classes.
If you like pizza, the smallest oddest but great find was Pizza on Earth. You need really good directions because it's on a farm in the middle of nowhere. I don't remember the breads but check out their website. We were able to eat our pizza at a small picnic table in their yard. Tiny place. Fun to visit because it's so different.
http://www.pizzaonearth.com/
Farmers markets are great fun to visit. You can get a list from the VT Dept of Agriculture. The larger markets have a website with a vendor list you can check out ahead of time. I really liked the one in Brattleboro and the one in Montpelier. Of course, the free samples that some vendors give make it fun. Both of these markets are large enough to have ethnic food vendors, too so you can get some lunch. We usually find a place to sit but you might want to bring picnic supplies with you and take lunch to a quiet park.
Probably my most favorite picnic spot ever was a swimming hole east of Bristol VT. We saw some cars and wondered why. There's a wonderful mountain river that cascades over a small waterfall with a deep hole so kids can jump off ledges into the pool but downstream it was so shallow you could walk across IF you had water shoes because the bottom is so rocky. We went back with a picnic lunch and enjoyed watching the swimmers and families. It's practically next to the road but unless you stop you wouldn't see it.
We don't have a GPS and I don't think I would trust one in VT. We use a Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer and have one for ME and NH, too. Shows the location of covered bridges, seasonal roads, waterfalls, etc. It's an oversize softcover book available in grocery stores, gas stations, book stores, etc.
If you like pizza, the smallest oddest but great find was Pizza on Earth. You need really good directions because it's on a farm in the middle of nowhere. I don't remember the breads but check out their website. We were able to eat our pizza at a small picnic table in their yard. Tiny place. Fun to visit because it's so different.
http://www.pizzaonearth.com/
Farmers markets are great fun to visit. You can get a list from the VT Dept of Agriculture. The larger markets have a website with a vendor list you can check out ahead of time. I really liked the one in Brattleboro and the one in Montpelier. Of course, the free samples that some vendors give make it fun. Both of these markets are large enough to have ethnic food vendors, too so you can get some lunch. We usually find a place to sit but you might want to bring picnic supplies with you and take lunch to a quiet park.
Probably my most favorite picnic spot ever was a swimming hole east of Bristol VT. We saw some cars and wondered why. There's a wonderful mountain river that cascades over a small waterfall with a deep hole so kids can jump off ledges into the pool but downstream it was so shallow you could walk across IF you had water shoes because the bottom is so rocky. We went back with a picnic lunch and enjoyed watching the swimmers and families. It's practically next to the road but unless you stop you wouldn't see it.
We don't have a GPS and I don't think I would trust one in VT. We use a Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer and have one for ME and NH, too. Shows the location of covered bridges, seasonal roads, waterfalls, etc. It's an oversize softcover book available in grocery stores, gas stations, book stores, etc.
Mar 25th, 2014, 06:42 AM
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There is lots to see and do in Vermont. Here are a few off the top of my head:
Billings Farm & Museum, Mt Ascutney auto road, Ben and Jerrys, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Farm, Champlain Ferry. There are scores of quaint towns throughout the state - Woodstock, Manchester and Stowe are perhaps the most 'touristy cute'. As for beer, there are more breweries per capita than any other state, like Harpoon, Long Trail, Jasper Murdoch's, Hill Farmstead, etc. Believe it or not, Vermont does have a handful of wineries, mainly clustered around Lake Champlain (some are fruit wine). As for bakeries, Vermont is not known for bakeries (most folks do their own), but King Arther and Red Hen come to mind.
As for places to stay, Vermont is loaded with nice b&b's and inns. Check out the Round Barn Inn in Waitsfield, Marshland Farm at Quechee.
Combining this with a trip to Quebec is a very good idea - Montreal and Quebec City are fabulous, and there are lots of wineries centered around Dunham Quebec.
Billings Farm & Museum, Mt Ascutney auto road, Ben and Jerrys, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Farm, Champlain Ferry. There are scores of quaint towns throughout the state - Woodstock, Manchester and Stowe are perhaps the most 'touristy cute'. As for beer, there are more breweries per capita than any other state, like Harpoon, Long Trail, Jasper Murdoch's, Hill Farmstead, etc. Believe it or not, Vermont does have a handful of wineries, mainly clustered around Lake Champlain (some are fruit wine). As for bakeries, Vermont is not known for bakeries (most folks do their own), but King Arther and Red Hen come to mind.
As for places to stay, Vermont is loaded with nice b&b's and inns. Check out the Round Barn Inn in Waitsfield, Marshland Farm at Quechee.
Combining this with a trip to Quebec is a very good idea - Montreal and Quebec City are fabulous, and there are lots of wineries centered around Dunham Quebec.
