Vacation in Vermont
♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA
General
Vermont is famous for its landscapes and especially for its stunning autumn foliage. Additionally, Vermont is an attractive and popular destination for ski vacations.
Autumn in Vermont
However, it is worth knowing that this state is also a paradise for a peaceful and calm family trip.
To illustrate the feeling of security and the pleasant atmosphere, I will give a small example: scattered throughout the state are stalls selling vegetables and fruits. Near the stalls, you usually won't find any salesperson. When you approach, you will see a sign indicating the price of each product and asking you to put the money in the box on the counter. Often, the box isn't even attached to the counter...
Vermont does not have massive amusement parks or national parks with amazing natural phenomena, but it has plenty of small and lovely sites, many of which offer free admission or a symbolic fee.
One of the favorite activities for children of all ages is visiting factories, especially food factories where you can taste delicacies and factories that produce toys and special accessories.
♥ Accommodation Recommendations in Vermont
For those interested in staying in a central and convenient location in a large city full of attractions and restaurants, it is recommended to stay in Burlington.
Hilton Garden Inn Burlington Downtown - A 3-star hotel with 139 rooms in the city center. The hotel features an indoor pool, gym, and restaurant. Free internet. Parking is available for an additional fee.
Homewood Suites by Hilton Burlington - A quality suite hotel by Hilton with 139 suites. The hotel has an indoor pool and gym. Located near the airport. Free parking.
Days Inn Shelburne - A motel with 58 rooms located in a southern suburb of Burlington. Attractive price. The hotel features an outdoor pool. Free internet. Free continental breakfast.
For those interested in living in a more pastoral location, in the mountains in a charming town, it is recommended to stay in Stowe:
Stowe Mountain Lodge - The most luxurious hotel in town with a 5-star rating, featuring golf, a spa, a pool, and two restaurants. The hotel has 312 rooms and suites, ranging from double rooms to suites with 2 bedrooms and a living room intended for 5 people.
Trapp Family Lodge - A 4-star hotel with 96 rooms. Owned by the von Trapp family from "The Sound of Music".
The resort, which spreads over extensive green areas, features Austrian-style buildings with flowers in the windows, a vegetable garden, flowers, and vast lawns, all located at the top of a mountain from which a beautiful view of the nearby surroundings is reflected. The hotel offers a variety of activities for all ages. There are 3 pools, three restaurants, and hiking trails starting from the site.
Green Mountain Inn - A 3-star hotel with 107 rooms. Located in the historical center of Stowe. The hotel has a bar-restaurant, gym, and pool. Free internet and parking.
Innsbruck Inn at Stowe - A hotel with 20 rooms and suites in various sizes suitable for 2-10 people. Attractive price. The hotel features a spa, pool, and cafe. Free parking and internet.
Vermont has an impressive selection of factories where you can tour:
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory
The most recommended and famous of all is the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, located near the town of Waterbury, next to Route 100. The factory conducts a guided tour of about half an hour that begins with a short film and continues with an observation of all the stages of ice cream preparation from start to finish. At the end of the tour, you receive ice cream samples. The tour costs about 2 dollars for adults, while children enter for free. Opening hours and tour frequency vary depending on the months of the year. Ben & Jerry's Official Website.
Near the ice cream factory are plenty of other factories and factory stores where you can tour and especially taste... the recommended ones are:
CABOT ANNEX Cheese Factory Store
A diverse factory store is CABOT ANNEX where you can taste dozens of types of Vermont's famous cheddar cheeses for free, considered the best in the world, and taste wines and chocolate.
Those interested in the cheese-making process can tour the CABOT factory located further east, in the town of Cabot, phone: 1-800-837-4261. Cabot Cheese Official Website.
Glass Blowing
Nearby, there is also a glass shop where fascinating glass-blowing demonstrations take place.
Maple
Vermont is also famous for its maple syrup. Anyone who has tasted real Vermont maple syrup will find it hard to settle for the synthetic syrups sold in supermarkets in the future. There are several small maple production factories throughout the state where you can tour and, of course, taste. It is recommended at the end of the tour to buy several small syrup bottles to take home. Visiting one of these factories is enough to understand the principle.
The most recommended factory is: MORSE FARM SUGAR WORKS, located near Vermont's capital, Montpelier. Phone: 802-223-2740.
You should take the opportunity to peek at the impressive government building with its large golden dome. The tour and tastings are free. Those interested can also visit the New England Maple Museum located in the city of RUTLAND. The museum is open daily from mid-March to December.
VERMONT TEDDY BEAR Factory
A factory particularly popular with children is the VERMONT TEDDY BEAR factory, which produces soft and pleasant toy bears. In the tour, which is guided in an amusing and friendly way, you will discover how each bear is "born" and what treatment it receives. The price of the guided tour is 2 dollars for adults and free for children up to age 12, but you likely won't get out of the place that cheaply because anyone can make their own bear on-site, choose its shape, the amount of stuffing, clothes and accessories, give it a name, a birth certificate, and even make a wish that will remain hidden inside the heart of the bear. All of this, of course, for an additional payment that is not negligible at all. The factory is located in Shelburne, on Route 7. Vermont Teddy Bear Official Website.
DAKIN FARM
Not far from there is the factory store of DAKIN FARM, where you can see how meats are smoked, how maple is packed, how cheddar cheese blocks are wrapped in wax, and especially you can taste various interesting delicacies for free (and of course, be tempted and buy gift boxes for home).
Giant maple bottle at Dakin Farm
Shelburne Museum
The main attraction in Shelburne is the SHELBURNE MUSEUM, which is a large and recommended open-air museum considered one of the main attractions in the state. Over a vast area, 37 historical buildings are scattered, including a lighthouse, a steamboat, a circus, a school, and more, all furnished with authentic furniture and full of artworks. You can walk leisurely between the buildings or take a bus that stops at several points between the structures. Every day, experiential activities for children take place. The museum is open from mid-April to the end of October. Admission is for a fee. Shelburne Museum Official Website.
The circus building in the museum
Shelburne Farms
North of the museum is SHELBURNE FARMS, where guided tours are held, cows can be milked at the children's farm, cheese making can be observed, the visitor center can be visited, and food products can be purchased at the farm shop. Admission to the farm is for a separate fee.
Billings Farm
Another recommended farm open for visits that also includes a museum is BILLINGS FARM & MUSEUM. This is a working farm with cows, sheep, horses, a children's activity center, and interesting displays. This farm is located in the Woodstock area near the border with New Hampshire, in the southern part of Vermont. Admission is for a fee.
Spider Web Farm
A different kind of experience awaits you at KNIGHT'S SPIDER WEB FARM, located in the town of Williamstown. This is one man's obsession, creating pictures and artworks from spider webs. There they will explain to you how he "raised" the spider webs, the method of coloring them, sticking them on wooden surfaces, and his additional work methods. He is the only man in the world who prepared pictures from spider webs. Admission is free. Open daily from June 15 to October 15 and on weekends only during the rest of the year.
In October 2016, the building was destroyed in a fire, and a new building was erected in its place. The owner of the building passed away in 2017, but the place is open to visitors.
Spider webs at Knight's farm
Granite Quarries - ROCK OF AGES
Not far from there, you can visit the ROCK OF AGES granite quarries located in the town of BARRE. From the visitor center, a guided tour departs to the old quarries and, of course, to the active quarries as well. On the tour, you will hear explanations about the types of granite, the method of quarrying, and the work methods in the mine. The sight of the massive pit with sculpted granite walls and dozens of tiny people inside it is astonishing. In the visitor center, there are interesting displays and nearby is a granite processing plant. The visitor center is open from May to the end of October. Admission to it is free, but the guided tour costs a symbolic amount.
Granite Quarries
The City of Burlington
The largest city in Vermont is Burlington, which has a colorful and pleasant pedestrian mall in its center called CHURCH STREET MARKETPLACE, full of shops and restaurants. Burlington is located on the shores of the large Lake Champlain, which forms the border between the state of Vermont and the state of New York. In the lake, there are several islands connected to Vermont and New York by bridges and ferries. There are also many farms on the islands. In some, you can do self-picking of apples and other fruits (depending on the season). A recommended farm to visit in the area is ADAMS APPLE ORCHARD & FARM MARKET, in the town of WILLISTON, which also has a lovely petting zoo.
On the island named NORTH HERO, you can visit the stables of the white Lipizzaner horses and watch (in the summer months only) a show of dancing horses.
From the islands, it is recommended to jump for a visit to New York State (a short and pleasant ferry ride) and hike in a lovely and deep canyon called: AUSABLE CHASM where you can take a tour that combines a walk on a beautiful trail along the canyon rim with stunning viewpoints and (quiet and calm) rafting in a rubber boat in the river flowing in the canyon. During the sail, the guide explains the geological phenomena in the area and tells stories about the many movies filmed over the years at the site.
Sailing in the Deep Canyon
Even in summer, when there is no snow, it is worth visiting one of the ski towns in the mountains of Vermont, especially Stowe in the north of the state and Killington in the south. In summer, you can ascend from them by cable car to the mountain tops for viewpoints and also participate in sports and active recreation activities, such as: alpine slides, water slides, a skate park, golf, cycling, and wall climbing.
Remember the famous von Trapp family from the movie "The Sound of Music"? They fled from Austria to Switzerland and from there immigrated to Vermont, which reminded them more than anything of the landscapes familiar to them from Austria. They built a hotel on a peaceful and lovely mountain peak. To this day, family members manage the resort, which spreads over extensive green areas and features Austrian-style buildings with flowers in the windows, a vegetable garden, flowers, and vast lawns, all located at the top of a mountain from which a beautiful view of the nearby surroundings is reflected. A small cemetery is located there with the graves of Maria, her husband, and other family members.
In short, a family looking for peace, nature, and active recreation can spend a whole week in the state of Vermont and not be bored for a moment. Especially recommended as a conclusion to a trip to large and busy cities such as New York or Washington.