We just returned from a most lovely place. So much green, dotted with red barns. Quiet, peaceful, and lovely. Let me tell you about our trip to Vermont (and, kindly allow me to photo dump upon you).
First, we were thrilled to discover that there are multiple direct flights from Denver to Burlington. Score! Our flight was easy, and the Burlington Airport is lovely and small. Before we knew it, we had our rental car and were off to explore.
We stayed in Essex, a small town outside of Burlington, which turned out to be a great location. Plus, it was beautiful and quiet.
We chose the Essex Resort as our home base, and it was lovely. Its northeastern decor was charming, as were its grounds, which were lush with gardens, sweet little corners to stop and have a drink, and yard games for guests to enjoy. We had a spacious suite and got dreamy sleep … Thank you, cloudy, rainy east coast mornings!
After brunch on our first full day, we took off to spend time in Burlington. We drove by the University of Vermont and then parked to shop around Church Street, the city’s hub for pedestrian gathering. The weather was perfect, partly cloudy and upper seventies. I am a fan of any state that rarely or never sees ninety degrees. We enjoyed mingling and watching the street performers.
Then, we headed down to the docks to get our first view of Lake Champlain. We were ready for a pick-me-up, too, so we licked maple cremees (Vermont’s version of a soft serve ice cream cone … delish) as we watched the ferries and boats go by. I love lakes. The sound of the water, the treed and rugged shores, the sometimes ominous clouds. Cozy.
Our cremees boosted our energy, and we set off south toward Shelburne, another sweet burb of Burlington. We had an important destination to get to: The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. To be fair, this visit was not entirely for the kids. Rewind for a moment and meet the eight year old me. I collected teddy bears. I loved love teddy bears. Their bellies are perfect for laying on, their paws wrap around you in just the right way, and you can rest on them to read contentedly for hours. This was me, reading my Babysitters Club books on repeat. At the factory, we got our own personal tour, and we chose a couple of new family members. It was sweet. Oh, and we bought Bernie mittens, because duh.
Vermont is known for its country stores. These are old general stores that carry the widest variety of things, but not just run of the mill things. Shelburne has its own, and we snuck in there next to explore. We found all kinds of maple goodies and Grandma’s favorite caramel creams.
Had we a few more hours, we would have checked out Shelburne Farms and Museum. We have added it to our “next time” list. But if you’re going, we heard its name over and over again. People seem to love it. We spent the evening enjoying the live music at the resort, playing Bocce, and making s’mores. Day one, done and dusted.
Day two was my favorite, though. After a morning swim, we leisurely drove an hour and a half down through the country to explore Woodstock, Vermont. The drive was scenic and restful. As Jason put it, Vermont is like one long Enya song. We found a lunch spot when we arrived in this, the sweetest town ever. Its main street was littered with cute shops and flower baskets, and it followed a little creek alongside. We hid out in its bookstore for a long while and then strolled until we came upon an old covered bridge. We ducked inside the historic Woodstock Inn, and I imagined, just for a moment, that I might be back someday.
Next, we drove to Billing’s Farm, a working dairy farm in town. This meant more ice cream, but it also was an entirely idyllic place to breathe deeply and stroll (and play Enya in your head).
The only place you did not want to breathe deeply was …
But, you know. The ice cream needs to come from something.
Our last stop in Woodstock was deep into the hills to a little family maple syrup farm called Sugarbush. We sampled and peeked inside their sugar house. It was, literally, a sweet visit. By then, late afternoon was upon us, and we begrudgingly hopped back into the car to head north again. It was a great day.
We awoke the next morning to a steady rain, and it was meant to be. This family never, literally never, sleeps in. But, we all must have been lulled, because all of a sudden it was 8:00. I felt like a real human being. It was the perfect excuse to have breakfast in the room, to snuggle our Vermont teddy bears, and to lazily pack up for our last morning. When we were ready, we traveled a short distance to the town of Jericho. For many, the town likely does not mean much. But, our kids happen to read this book in school each year:
It so happens that the man known as Snowflake Bentley lived in Jericho all his life. He was the first photographer to capture individual snowflakes, so we were excited to learn that this town has a sweet little exhibit about him. We went to explore.
On our way out of town, we came upon this very Hallmark-like Christmas tree farm. A perfect way to say goodbye to Vermont.
And then, we were on our way to the Lake Champlain car ferry to take us across to New York.
Stay tuned for our Adirondack adventures next, and thanks for traveling along with us today, too.
