Middlebury, Vermont
 

Here's another annoying real-time trip report wherein readers direct me to do stuff and I report back on if the stuff was fun or not. We are in Middlebury Vt to see DS#2 who is in a school play. As You Like It. Shakespeare had a rather strange way of talking. I know that because we saw the second half of the play last night. But more about that later.

We flew from DC to Burlington yesterday afternoon and drove to Middlebury (about 45 minutes), checked in to our B&B, which is very nice, and followed the innkeepers suggestion to have dinner at the Bobcat Cafe in Bristol, about a 20 minute drive. That was very nice too. I had venison chorizo meatloaf. Absolutely delicious. And a pretty place too. Filled with interesting people in flannel.

You're probably wondering how they get their venison. One pictures weekend deer hunters bringing their game to the restaurant but this isn't the way it works. There are deer farms. I don't know if they are free range deer farms. I would think so. But herding deer couldn't be easy. One pictures only with difficulty the possibility back in the day of huge deer drives from, say, Middlebury to Montreal, the constant danger of stampedes or Indian Attacks. Life in the old East. But I digress.

So we came in to the play right before intermission last night and DW explained DS was in the play so we got in for free. I don't think this would work on Broadway. We have tickets for the show tonight so it's not like we're total freeloaders. Partial freeloaders. Anyway, As You Like It is a little confusing but it ends happily.

This morning after DW wakes up we'll have breakfast and explore some. Last year at Parent's Weekend we went on the Robert Frost walk and saw a waterfall.

Please let me know if you have thoughts about stuff to do in Middlebury.

Here are links to the B&B and the Bobcat Cafe.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...y_Vermont.html

http://www.bobcatcafe.com/

I was going to give you the link to Starry Night Cafe in nearby Ferrisburg, but I see it is on vacation until after Thanksgiving. Do go when your DS performs again.
Alls Well that Ends Well.

We walked on a small boardwalk trail near the B&B. We're going to The French Laundry in Vergennes for lunch. We found out at breakfast that Jubilada means retired but perhaps some of you already knew that.

Did the interesting flannel people put their elbows on the table or hold their forks funny? Just wondering. If it were summer I would recommend picnicking by the river just outside Bristol. I think it's the Lincoln Gap road over to Rt 100. There's granite ledges, a deep pool, and a small waterfall. Fun to watch the older kids jump from the ledges.
Brandon is nice to explore. Very artsy.

santamonica, may I ask how you like the B&B? I was thinking of Middlebury as a stopping off point on the way back from Craftsbury in January. The website doesn't provide many photos, so I was just wondering. It is significantly less expensive than the other B&B's in town.
I'd Ppreciate hearing your thoughts.

The Shelburne Museum is about 40 minutes north of Middlebury, near Burlington. Also, Fort Ticonderoga is about the same distance to the west. Hope that helps.

appreciate

We were just in the area last month. I do not know if The Notch on VT-100 is closed yet but it is a beautiful drive up from Stowe.

Panecott, we like the B&B. But we like almost everything. It's a small old red brick house, renovated by the owner, a woodworker skilled in making small boats. Two simple rooms upstairs for guests, share a bathroom. The bed was comfortable. It's about 1/2 mile to campus, close to a pretty walking trail and a covered bridge. Very good breakfast this morning (spinach omelet). Owners are very nice.

Dfrost, the flannel people seemed nice enough. Lots of white hair and caps too. Half the people you see look like retired investment bankers.

We had lunch at 3 Squares and dessert at the Laundry (drop the french) in Vergennes. Now DS and I are at the library in Vergennes, waiting for DW who is talking on the phone to a client. Libraries are always very welcoming places.

I wonder if people think I look like a retired investment banker. I don't think so. It's my shoes. I would have to have nicer shoes I think.

Many attractions in New England -- Vermont, definitely -- are open seasonally, which usually means at best from early May to late October.

The Shelburne Museum is indeed an absolute must in season, but it closed following the last weekend in October this year. It normally opens again sometime in mid-May.

In Middlebury are:

--the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. It's an old historic house with period furnishings and such. Enjoyed this.

--Vermont Folklife Center. Unless it has an interesting temporary exhibit up, the best thing here is the gift shop.

--Middlebury College is attractive enough to wander around in and see the architecture. There's also a small art museum on campus, which I didn't find to be all that interesting.

--the Otter Creek Brewing Company, located about a mile outside of town, offers tours during the week.

Again, no idea if any of these are open this time of year.

Burlington has a few attractions:

--Ethan Allen Homestead Museum. Historic house with period artifacts, extensive grounds to wander, and a visitor center with historic information on Allen. Not bad, but again, likely closed for the season.

--there's an okay small art museum at the University of Vermont. It's probably open off-season.

-the Church Street Market area is a fun place to wander, shop, and eat.

When we Middlebury, we have eaten at the
Storm Cafe down on the Otter Creek, off of Main St.
Mister Ups downtown has always been popular with the college students,get a table overlooking the creek,
Fire and Ice( haven't eaten there in a while,used to be good enough).
The Historic Waybury Inn in E. Middlebury.
Visit The Vermont Bookshop on Main Street, Middlebury, one of the last of the independents. Robert Frost to go there to autograph his books.I have one of them!

I have nothing to add in the way of tourist stuff, but just want to tag along, as it were, and share in the wonderful warm feelings that come from seeing your kid perform in his college world. So great, isn't it?

My hometown! Grab a sandwich at "Costello's" in Marble Works and eat overlooking the falls if the weather permits. Downtown shopping is pretty great (also recommend VT book shop). I love the pubby 2-Brothers for food and local brews as well. Storm cafe is also very strong. If you are golfers the Midd course is beautiful and there is a hiking trail through the woods behind it if not. I also ALWAYS have breakfast at Steve's Park diner.

jubilada does mean retired; but it is a wish, not a reality for me, santamonica.

I like Happy Trvlr's list, although I haven't gone hiking in that area of Vermont for several years. Storm Cafe, Mister Up's, Fire and Ice, were all favorites of ours.

There's also a fairly decent Indian restaurant out by the creek.

If you want French food, there's Cafe Provence in Brandon.

You sound like wonderful, supportive parents! Enjoy your son's performances!

Thanks for the suggestions. Last year we stayed for a night at Shelburne Farms and visited the museum. Wonderful places. We've driven the notch, but not this year. We went to a photography gallery near the Storm Cafe this morning, but haven't eaten there yet.

After lunch in Vergennes we drove to Button Bay State Park, parked the car at the locked gate, and walked in the long road to the shore of Lake Champlain. There are probably easier ways to get to the lake, but it was a pleasant enough walk and the lake was beautiful. We had dinner at 51 Main in Middlebury, a nice restaurant with mellow entertainment.

Then a second viewing of As You Like It which made slightly more sense seeing it from the start. Tomorrow we'll try and get to the bookstore, the James Bond movie, and several more of your great restaurant suggestions.

http://www.go51main.com/

Stop and do a wine tasting at Lincoln Peak Vineyard. Peruse the winter farmers market. Its at the elementary school and goes until either 1 or 2 (on Saturdays).

Once again all your excellent suggestions have exceeded the time available so we will have to save many of them for our next visit to Middlebury.

Today was a very long day.

Nice breakfast at the B&B with owners and another couple whose son is also in the play. Owners suggested hiking to Silver Lake. We had a pastry at the little bakery at the circle across from the library in Middlebury, then bought DS some stuff at the Ben Franklin (what shopping was like before Walmart and Target), then dropped son off for his afternoon and evening performances in As You Like It, then set out on our hiking adventure.

The trail to silver lake is just past the entrance to Lake Dunmore State Park outside Brandon. The walk up to the lake takes about 45 minutes through forest and the lake at the top is beautiful, but I complained most of the time because I'm not all that outdoor-sy and it was uphill. Also I think DW walks too fast.

It was downhill coming back, but seriously downhill, because we followed our B&B owners suggestion (be careful of taking hiking suggestions from people who are in better shape than you are) of following the water pipeline down from the lake.

Very steep. Like the movie Flight steep. Like slide on your butt steep. Really steep. Crazy steep. So, anyway, we finally got down to the trail and safety and then DW starts looking through her pockets for her iphone. No iphone. Not at all good. Iphone somewhere on damn mountain.

Santamonica starts up the mountain again, pulling himself up nearly vertical cliffs, inch by inch, calling DW's phone every 10 feet. Finally, incredibly, somewhere above the clouds, I heard her phone ring faintly. Miracle! More calls, inching closer and closer, brushing leaves away, and then the iphone appears, is secured, and I begin again the long and perilous descent to safety.

Then we went to Brandon to the Cafe Provence, a wonderful french cafe easytraveler suggested. We arrived too late for lunch and too early for dinner, having been considerably delayed by our near tragedy on the mountain. They didn't care. The french can be snooty.

So we went to the artists guild and walked through a graveyard (people died in Brandon a long time ago) and bought some socks and a toy rubberband gun for DS#2 at a cool store near a chinese restaurant, and then went back to Cafe Provence for a very nice dinner.

Then we saw a notice for the Otter Valley High School production of Legally Blonde. I like going to stuff like that. DW is not all that enthusiastic about seeing random high school plays but she felt guilty about the phone so we went (generally I don't like this use of the word random but here somehow it seems right).

It was bad, but entertaining, and easier to follow than As You Like It. Then back to Middlebury to meet DS after his play and give him the rubberband gun, which I know he will treasure, then back to the B&B and bed.

Long day.

I giggled all through this, santamonica. You have a way with words!

Thanks again for the recommendations. We're home now, safe and sound. And thanks for kind words about sharing lives with our kids. We had a really good time, really liked the B&B, and really like vermont.

Nice trip report, santamonica!

Glad you were able to enjoy Cafe Provence, a gem "way out there".

So, you climbed Silver Lake twice in one day the hard way? What can one say except "BRAVO"!

Next time if you plan to go around hunting season and also go hiking, be sure to wear a red coat and/or an orange cap - anything to distinguish you from the deer population! :)

Thanks for a great TR and good luck to your son at Middlebury!