Vermont is an interesting state to drive through as the state only has a population of a little over 600,000. It is mostly rolling green hills and mountains (the mountain range in Vermont is appropriately named the Green Mountains) mixed in with a few quaint towns and farms.
Once we arrived in Burlington, we checked into our hotel which had an amazing view of Lake Champlain. The picture below is Bitey enjoying the view. The lake is in the background.
After settling in, we decided to take a walk to Church Street which is a pedestrian only area with restaurants and shops. We found Leunig’s Bistro which had good food and outdoor seating. It was a fun place to people watch as Church Street is a busy street, and if you’re not aware a college town, the home of the University of Vermont. It made for an eclectic mix of people and outfits as Burlington seems to be a progressive city. Vermont is also home to Bernie Sanders and Ben and Jerry’s which should also give you a feel for the place. It’s like the Berkeley of the East.
Pictures of Church Street…
Pictures from inside the Ben and Jerry’s store on Church Street…
After leaving this area, we walked down to the lakefront. This is also a lively area with a cool mix of people and scenery. There were street performers and a wonderful view of the Adirondack Mountains of New York across the lake.
After exploring for a bit, we ate dinner at The Skinny Pancake, a Vermont chain that serves crepes. It was good food and a nice way to end another awesome day.
The next day involved a visit to the Stowe area. On our way to the town, we stopped by Cold Hollow Cider Mill to grab some apple cider donuts and some breakfast sandwiches. This is a cool place, and Jenny was even able to sample some cider even though it was still morning. Vermont clearly has more progressive alcohol laws than Texas. Overall, this is a cool little stop, but we noticed there are a bunch of roadside farms and shops all over the state, and it would probably take you several days to stop at everyone of them.
Stowe is a small but cute town, and it is a great jumping-off point to explore the Green Mountains and some of the rivers, waterfalls and forests in the area. We spent a little time exploring the town before heading out to nature.
The area surrounding Stowe has some short, not terribly strenuous hikes to some beautiful waterfalls. The forests are lush and green and definitely worth exploring.
After hiking, we took a scenic drive up a pass through the Green Mountains. While we didn’t stop, there’s plenty of hiking trails in this area as well. Before leaving the area, we decided to explore one final destination, the Von Trapp Family Lodge. If you’ve seen The Sound of Music then you’re familiar with the story of the Von Trapp’s escape from Nazi occupied Austria during World War II. What you may not know is that some of the family eventually settled in Vermont and have been operating a beautiful lodge which definitely shows the Austrian influence. We stopped there to explore the grounds and eat at the beer garden which had pretty good food. Overall, the experience did remind us of our own trip to Austria a few years ago. If you’re in the area and a fan of the musical or Austria, the lodge is worth a visit.
This was our last stop for the day, and we headed back to Burlington.
The next day after twenty days of traveling, we decided we could use a relaxing day, so we found North Beach State Park just a few minutes away from our hotel to have a day of lying on the beach and wading into the chilly waters of Lake Champlain to cool off when it got hot. We ate lunch at the beach where they not only have a snack bar but tables and chairs where you can sit and be served. It was nice to have a little down time.
After a relaxing day at the beach park, Jenny had planned a fun outing for the evening, a sunset cruise on Lake Champlain. She also had preordered a yummy picnic basket for us to enjoy while we cruised around the lake taking in the scenery and watching the sunset. It was a wonderful experience, and while it wasn’t our anniversary yet, it definitely felt like a pre-anniversary celebration.
After the cruise, we decided to walk up to Church Street to see the area at night, and it was definitely a festive environment as not only were the usual college and bar crowds out and about, but the city had also planned a Juneteenth celebration. It was a vibrant atmosphere that was cool to see. We also wanted to treat ourselves to Ben and Jerry’s one last time before leaving this remarkable city to head to my brother’s home in West Bloomfield, a suburb of Detroit.
Before I end this post, here’s a few cute pictures of Bitey…
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