4 Best Sights in Stowe, Northern Vermont

The brewery that launched a beer revolution in Vermont with its "Heady Topper" now welcomes guests to its shop and tasting room (known here as the Beer Cafe). Intense demand still keeps stocks of beer for sale limited. Tours ($25) of the brewery last about 30 minutes and include a commemorative tasting glass and a can of beer; it's best to reserve in advance. 

You can watch apples pressed into possibly the world's best cider at this working mill and sample it right from the tank. Its store sells all the apple butter, jams and jellies, and Vermont-made handicrafts you could want, plus the legendary 75¢ cider doughnuts. Kids love watching the "doughnut robot" in action. The tasting room is open daily with numerous ciders on tap. 

The state's skiing and snowboarding history is documented here. Exhibits cover subjects such as the 10th Mountain Division of World War II, the national ski patrol, Winter Olympians, and the evolution of equipment. An early World Cup trophy is on loan, and one of the most memorable mobiles you'll ever see, made from a gondola and ski-lift chairs, hangs from the ceiling. One recent exhibit, Slope Style, focused on ski fashion from 1930 to 2014.