Four Days In Northern Vermont
 

Our son has a meeting in Vermont and we will meet him afterward for four days over the Fourth of July, flying into and from Burlington. We have been to Burlington in the past and visited the Shelburne Museum. My wife is a shopper; my son and I are birders.

I would appreciate any suggestions for things to do/see in the general vicinity of Burlington (and places to stay).

If you don't have a car, your options are limited more or less to things in town.

If you do have a car, Montpelier, the mountains, and even the Connecticut River Valley are not far away. Middlebury is a charming town, and of course, Montreal is an easy drive.

Whether you have a car or not, you can take the ferry across Lake Champlain for outstanding views in both directions.

Here's a list with some possibilities for Burlington and the immediate area:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...1_indattr.html

Hopefully you will have a car. I love Montpelier, although I'm not sure you could spend more than a few hours there (unless you are into active pursuits). Still, it's worth a visit if you are heading south.

Also, not too, too far from Burlington, and a beautiful drive away, are Stowe, which has a big spa resort and terrific day hikes, and Woodstock, Vermont, an adorable, postcard-perfect little Vermont town.

If your wife (or you!) likes to bake, right outside of Woodstock is the twon of Norwich wherein is located the headquarters of King Arthur Flour Company, with a great store full of all things baking and baked.

Also near Woodstock there is a famous working farm you can visit (I forget the name).

There is also the town of Quechee, next to Woodstock, where there is good antiquing, a wonderful little toy museum (filled with toys and object that older adults will appreciate), and a great gorge for looking or crossing over.

I love that are of Vermont. Can you tell? Enjoy!

I definitely recommend a ferry trip across Lake Champlain or one of the lake cruises. We like the Charlotte to Essex ferry --Essex is a nice little town to explore on the NY side

Woodstock is about 90 miles from Burlington so not a short drive.

If you have passports and can go to Canada easily, there are interesting places to visit in Quebec. Montreal is a great city but there are other options including vineyards and forts in the Eastern Townships.

I am not a birder so don't have much insight about good places to go in the summer. I know the Mississquoi refuge is a good place to see migrating birds.

Burlington 4th of july celebrations/fireworks are usually July 3rd

It's the Billings Farm Museum in Woodstock.
If you take the ferry across Lake Champlain, you can also visit Ausable Chasm.
If you like to garden, Gardener's Supply is just north of Burlington and includes demonstration gardens. It is located in the Intervale which is popular with bicyclists, canoers, etc. Might be a good place for birding.
http://www.intervale.org/
Perhaps visit Boyden Valley winery if you drive east.
For a very quiet drive that might provide some birding opportunities. Head north and then drive south over the Champlain Islands. It's a very rural drive. You can end up back in Burlington by lunch time if you don't spend too much time on the drive so your wife could enjoy a half day of shopping. Right now VT Audubon does not have summer activities listed so you might check later.

A few historic sites near Burlington:
Ethan Allen homestead in Winooski. This is along the Winooski River and has some short hiking trails and might have good birding possibilities
http://www.ethanallenhomestead.org/

Rokeby is a national historic landmark in Ferrisburgh, south on Rte 7 with very interesting information about the abolitionist movement, the Underground Railroad, raising sheep in Vt and more
http://www.rokeby.org/home.html

Shelburne Farms (different from but close to Shelburne Museum) is another interesting place and a beautiful spot
http://www.shelburnefarms.org/

If you visit the Champlaim Islands as suggested by dfrostnh in the last post, you can go through the Mississquoi refuge on the way--take I-89 to Rte 78 west. You would then turn south on Rte 2 through the islands. The Sand Bar State park is back on the main shore north of Burlington and has something called the Sand Bar Waterfowl area which sounds promising for birding.
http://www.vtstateparks.com/pdfs/sandbar.pdf

Thanks for the suggestions. I should have said originally that we will have a car, so the non-Burlington ideas are appreciated.

If you are birders you might enjoy a stop at the Vt Institute of Natural Science http://www.vinsweb.org/index.php/home that has around 40 injured raptors that cannot be released into the wild. It's right near the Quechee Gorge (http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/quechee.htm ) on Rt 4, a little east of Woodstock towards White River Junction. They also do avian rehab there.

Woodstock is a beautiful town with some shopping your wife might enjoy including Simon Pearce glass (which is right near the gorge)

Visit a maple syrup operation. We visited Bragg Farm near Montpelier. They are the last one to use wood to boil down the sap. Their grade B (the last part of the syrup) syrup is wonderful. I still get a gallon every year or so shipped to me.

In nearby Barre, visit the Rock of Ages granite quarry and drive thru the cemetery - no kidding, it is amazing!

Ben & Jerry' tour is good. There is a cider mill nearby with great apple cider.

We were in central Vermont last summer - Woodstock, Queechee etc. We loved Woodstock (do not miss the general store, and walk around the part of town that isn't commercial -- old home, historic things like Paul Revere-forged bells, covered bridge), and the Queechee Gorge is spectacular.

Definitely take time for a tour of the Lake Champlain Chocolate factory. It's really just a window into the operations, but interesting and great chocolate sampling!

Lots of good ideas. Thanks.

I can't recommend the Champlain Islands enough. The scenery is beautiful. The area is incredibly quiet and peaceful.
http://www.champlainislands.com/