Please suggest ideas for ways to spend free time during a one month business trip to Vermont
 

I will be staying in Burlington, VT for the month of June on business. I am expected to work alot of overtime each week while there, so the weekdays will be pretty full. However, I should have at least 1 weekend day free each week, possibly both, and would appreciate any suggestions about what to see and do in Vermont. I am from the West Coast and have spent very little time on the East Coast. Thank you for your help!

Definitely ake a tour of the Ben and Jerrys factory. That's alot of fun.

Not in any particular order:
1] Take an early ferry across Lake Champlain into New York. Drive {short}to and tour Ausable Caverns. Catch return ferry to Burlington in time to enjoy the sunset.

2] Explore the Church St.Marketplace shops/street entertainment/eateries.

3] Spend a day at the nearby Shelburne Museum.

4] Head south to Button Bay State Park and the Maritime Museum for views, nature, history, shipbuilding lore.

Just a few ideas - others will have much more to add, I think!

Ladybrett, are you going to have a car? That would make a difference what to recommend. June is a wonderful time in Vermont and Northeast New York

Vermont is one of my favorite places in this country.

If you like horses at all, check out the Morgan horse farm at the University of Vermont.

Shelburne, as mentioned above, is a fascinating place.

If you're active and into sports, you'll have no problem finding hiking trails, biking trails, rafting places. At the Equinox resort in Manchester, you can enroll in the Land Rover Off-Road driving course or take a lesson in falconry. There are also lots of factory outlet stores in Manchester.
There used to be some good shopping just over the NH border in West Lebanon. Not sure if it's still as high quality as it used to be.

Get up really really early one morning , find a wetland area, and try to spot a moose.

Burlington is a lot of fun, with kind of a college town feel. In the southeastern corner of the state, Brattleboro is a sweet little granola-type town with some nice shops and a definite counterculture vibe.

They make fabulous cheese in Grafton. There's an excellent restaurant and inn in Newfane. There are always lots of interesting yard sales and farmer's markets on weekends.

Take a trip to Bennington and buy some Bennington pottery, and don't forget to check out the Bennington College campus. They call one part of the campus The End of the World for good reason! Amazing views!

earlxx, luckily I will have a car so transportation is no problem.

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions. I will be printing this list to bring with me.

Hello from the Adirondacks. Yes, take Burlington ferry (www.ferries.com) across the lake to Port Kent. You might stop at Au Sable Chasm (www.ausablechasm.com) but please continue to Lake Placid (www.lake-placid.ny.us). Before you find yourself in Lake Placid drive to the top of the Whiteface Mountain (www.whitefaceregion.com)from Wilmington's four cornes or take a gondola to the top. Have a lunch in Lake Placid, take a boat ride on Lake Placid, walk around Mirror Lake, go to SPA at Mirror Lake Inn (www.mirrorlakeinn.com), have a fantastic dinner at the Interlaken Inn [(518) 523-3180)]. Make reservation for dinner. Stay overnight in Lake Placid or Saranac Lake.

The next day after a tasty breakfast at Hotel Saranac (www.hotelsaranac.com) in Saranac lake take route 30 to Blue Mountain Lake Museum (www.adirondackmuseum.org) where you should spend most of the day. The views are fabulous. Take route 30 back to Long Lake, stop at Newcomb (www.newcombny.com) on route 28 N. From Newcomb continue east on route 28N to I-87. Go north on I-87 to exit 32. Go East and follow signs to the ferry in Essex. Essex is a charming little town. Take a walk, check ferry schedule. After a 20-minute of a scenic ride you are going to be in Vermont. Follow signs to route 7 north and you will find yourself in Burlington. You will get the cheapest gas on route 7. If you are on route 7 just before sunset it could magnificent over Lake Champlain with the Adirondack Mountains in the background. On route 7 there is Shelburne Museum already recommended by Molly2. Also Shelburne Farm is worthy to spend some time.

Don't forget Montreal is only a short drive from Burlington. Bring your passport and spend there a whole day or stay overnight. To get to Montreal take I-89 from Burlington. It is a very easy drive. 4 miles over VT's border stop at Boulangerie Owl's Head on route 243 in Masonville, Quebec (www.owlsbread.com). You will feel like you are in Paris. You can spend days in Montreal, there is so much to see and do. If you are interested there is an international Jazz Festival in the end of May-June.

If you have two days off go to Quebec for even more Europe.

Burlington is amazing. We live across the lake but we go there often, maybe too often. I also enjoyed my time at UVM

Everyone's given you some great suggestions. Here_today....there is a Bennington Potters store right in Burlington, so no need to go all the way to Bennington just for that (it is a nice town to visit though)!
I'd also suggest taking a day trip to Montreal. Fantastic city and only about 1.5 hours away-maybe a little longer depending on border wait times.
I would go to Stowe and take the gondola up Mount Mansfield, or if you're a hiker, climb the mountain from the Underhill side. Go to Barre and see the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry and then over to Hope Cemetary to see the amazing memorial stones there (many of Barre's "original" granite cutters are buried there, and have very ornate stones.
Visit Cabot, home to Cabot Creamery where they make the world famous cheese. Visit Montpelier, our state capital.
Rent a bike and bike the Burlington Bike Path. Visit ECHO (a marine musuem) at the Burlington Waterfront.
Probably the best thing to do though, is buy a good road atlas for Vermont and just get in your car and drive to...wherever! Just pick a route and go.
We have a beautiful state up here, and the best scenery is "off the beaten path".
Hope you have fun!

bm, I found your suggestion regarding the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry in Barre very interesting. We drive frequently to New Hampshire on route 302, then we take a shortcut through the back roads and streets passing the entrance to the querry and we never stopped there. Your description helped me realize the next time we drive by we need to stop for a visit. Where is Hope Cemetary? Thanks for reminding me there are more worthy of note places all around us.

Ladybrett, if you are interested in seeing White Mountains of New Hampshire and or shopping in zillions of outlet stores with no sales tax, take route I-89 from Burlington towards Montpelier, then in Barre take route 302 all the way to North Conway, NH. You will have some wonderful views on the way and once you get to North Conway you could shop and shop and shop. It is about 2 and half hours drive from Burlington.

The Burlington Bike Path is a real gem!

Wildflower, I have taken note of your suggestions for Lake Placid, etc., and have added them to our to-do list for this summer!

ladybritt, I should have mentioned that even if you don't have the time/inclination to sightsee in New York, you can still enjoy a 2-hour back and forth ferry trip as a walk-on passanger. Very reasonable, about $6-$7, I think. I like the ferry much better than the sightseeing boat that goes across Lake Champlain - personal preference. There is also a train, but I have not taken it.

bm, that's no fun! That's like buying Ghiradelli Chocolates in L.A. and skipping the trip to SF!

If you go to Bennington you can tour Potter's Yard. And don't forget the outlet shopping in Manchester.

ladybrett, here is one more website www.montrealjazzfest.com
Jazz Festival is in the end of June not May. There are many free concerts all over Montreal and many of them are on weekends.

Molly2, please tell me about a train.

If you ever find yourself on this side of the lake check out charming Westport. All summer long there are excelent theatre productions (www.depottheatre.org) which are hold at the train station. The Westport Hotel, located next to the station, serves great food. Also in Saranac Lake the Pendragon Theatre, year-round professional theatre, is worthy to make a stop for one of their plays. To check schedule go to www.pendragontheatre.com

Wildflower, the train depot is {or was} located at the waterfront. I know that one line went to Middlebury, Vt. It was on our "to do" list, so we'll be sorry if it was discontinued. There always seemed to be a lot of people waiting to board.

Westport sounds very interesting as well - our "to do" list keeps growing!

Thanks to all for your advice. I am so excited and plan to attempt all of your suggestions. If only work didn't get in the way!

Molly2, this train is gone. It used to go through Charlotte. They didn't have enough takers for this line. People prefered to drive their own cars to Burlington or Montpelier. Maybe with today's gas prices it would be a different story. We always wanted to take this train too but it got discountinued before we had a chance. Too bad but I understand it wasn't bringing any profit as there were usually no more than a dozen people on this train. Molly, if you like bluberries, in Charlotte VT is a great bluberry farm where you can go and pick your own bluberries in August.

Ladybrett, I hope you will get enough free time so you could enjoy not only the area around Burlington but also the Adirondacks and Canada. Have fun on your days off

here_today...you're right! ;)
Wildflower, the Rock of Ages Quarries are intersting. I think one of them is the deepest granite quarry in the world. There is a gift shop there as well, and I do believe they give tours. The Hope Cemetery is located on Route 14, a mile or two north of the Route 302 intersedtion (the road to East Montpelier). Barre is a very unique town in Vermont due to it's quarrying history.
Regarding the train, yes they discontinued the train for commuters. BUT, they have been running it in the fall for foliage. I took it this past October.
A couple other suggestions...visit the Middlebury/Vergennes area. Near Vergennes is the Lake Champlain Maritime Musuem and Button Bay State Park. Off Route 17, about a mile west of Addison is the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area. Right now the folks there are trying to re-establish bald eagles in Vermont, and there are quite a few of them down there now. Drive over to Snake Mountain in Addison (stop at the store and ask for directions to the trail head). Hike to the top (it's an easy hike) for a gorgeous view of the Champlain Valley and the Adirondacks. Drive over to Middlebury and peruse the shops. Drive up Route 125 East to the Robert Frost Nature Trail. On the way back, drive to the top of Mount Philo in Charlotte (pronounced shar-LOT) for yet another gorgeous view of the lake and the Adirondacks.
Hope you have a wonderful stay in Burlington!

PS to Wildflower:
http://www.central-vt.com/visit/cemetery/

(Hope Cemetery website)

Yes, the foliage train bm mentioned must be what I was thinking about! Good news for those of us who had it on our lists, but alas, not the right month for ladybrett.

We pass by Charlotte fairly frequently, Wildflower. I remember seeing a sign for pick-your-own-blueberries, but we've never stopped - now we will!

And then there's the Vermont Country Store, an old-timey type of emporium where you can buy all sorts of things you didn't know existed and probably don't need, especially old-fashioned penny candy. I think it's in Weston.