Vermont is equal parts myth and reality, home to a mystique that other states can only envy. A mere mention of its name, and images appear: sunlit meadows of black-and-white cows, dazzling white ski trails, tidy hillside farms, blazing red maple trees along a stone wall, covered bridges, buckets col Contact online >>
Vermont is equal parts myth and reality, home to a mystique that other states can only envy. A mere mention of its name, and images appear: sunlit meadows of black-and-white cows, dazzling white ski trails, tidy hillside farms, blazing red maple trees along a stone wall, covered bridges, buckets collecting sap for maple syrup.
Certainly these idyllic scenes still exist, although less picturesque plastic tubing has replaced most of the buckets, and many of the farms may now be chic B&Bs where you can stay while sightseeing.
Another Vermont exists alongside this idealized one, represented by bustling Burlington, the outlet malls of Manchester, Killington''s frenetic après-ski scene, and Brattleboro''s unlikely blend of gritty blue-collar and ''70s hippies grown up.
Even the state''s mainstay of agriculture has a new look, as dozens of artisanal cheese makers transform Vermont''s dairy industry, and tourists eagerly follow the Vermont Cheese Trail to sample them.
Other trails lead to traditional tourist attractions: maple farms boiling sap and welcoming visitors each March, and covered bridges – seven of them in the far northern town of Montgomery alone. You''ll enjoy both Vermonts.
I live 20 miles from Brattleboro, Vermont, where I do my shopping at the Farmer''s Market and in the locally owned stores on Main Street. My travels frequently take me back and forth across the Connecticut River, which separates my western New Hampshire town from my favorite skiing and hiking trails in Vermont''s Green Mountains. I consider both states to be our backyard.
With a covered bridge, white-spired church, weathered barns, and ski trails down the mountainside, Stowe is everybody''s image of Vermont. At the foot of Mt. Mansfield and in the heart of the state''s snow belt, it''s also the town that most personifies the glory days of Vermont''s early ski industry, a heritage that''s explored here in the Vermont Ski Museum.
Although avid skiers had climbed the mountain long before that, and a rope tow was installed in 1937, things really took off in 1940, when the first chairlift was opened. Stowe Mountain Resort is still one of New England''s premier ski destinations, and the gondola that carries skiers in the winter takes sightseers to the summit for more views in the summer and fall.
It''s not all about skiing and the mountain; you''ll find shops and boutiques, art galleries, dining, and lodging of all sorts. Exhibits of works by Vermont-based artists are shown in the Helen Day Art Center and you can find quality Vermont- and New England-made jewelry, glass and fiber arts at Remarkable Things at Stowe Craft at the beginning of Mountain Road. When hunger strikes, I like to grab a hand-built sandwich at Back Cap Coffee & Bakery on Main St.
You can rent bicycles to ride, or you can walk or skate along the 5.3-mile Stowe Recreation Path, a paved multi-use route through meadows and woods alongside the river, with beautiful views of Mt. Mansfield. The best views of Mt. Mansfield''s distinctive profile are from the upper part of the path, which you can access from Thompson Park, on Mountain Road.
Author''s Tip: If your canine friend accompanies you to Stowe, look for the 1.8-mile Quiet Path, a low-impact extension of the Recreation Path, where dogs can run free. You can reach it from Cemetery or Mayo Farm Rd.
In the heart of downtown Burlington, Church Street is only four blocks long, but it forms a wide, traffic-free space for public events and a lively street life even in Vermont''s cold winters. Along with the festivals scheduled throughout the year, it''s a place for sidewalk cafes, benches, and public artworks, and the buildings alongside it are filled with shops, restaurants, and boutiques. In the summer, when everyone is outdoors, it has the feel of an Italian piazza.
A mural, Everyone Loves a Parade! by Canadian muralist Pierre Hardy decorates a wall, and other artworks include a life-sized statue of a local jazz artist and a fish fountain crafted of metal. It''s no wonder this has been named one of the Great Public Spaces in America; it''s also listed as a National Register Historic District.
Author''s Tip: For bargains that will astonish you, go downstairs at Outdoor Gear Exchange, part sale and clearance clothing and gear, and part consignment shop. My daughter bought a name-brand jacket there for less than ¼ its original price. So, if you find that your children have outgrown their ski boots or jacket, you could leave them there for sale instead of hauling them home from vacation.
Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the president, visited Manchester with his mother shortly before his father''s assassination. After he had become president of Pullman Company, in the early 20th century, he returned to build the Georgian Revival Hildene as his country estate.
Other highlights are the thousand-pipe 1908 Aeolian organ, in working condition, and the elegant dining room furnished in Queen Anne style. The home remained in the Lincoln family until 1975, thus preserving the original furnishings and memorabilia. The formal gardens on the terrace overlooking the broad valley have been restored from records of original plantings.
If you can, go to Hildene in late May or early June, when the formal garden is filled with more than a thousand bright peonies in full bloom. These blossoms, some the size of dinner plates, fill the air with their heady fragrance. Mesmerized by the peonies and by the view that reaches across the Battenkill Valley to the mountains beyond, I couldn''t stop clicking photos.
You can stay in another of these elegant mansions built in Manchester by wealthy industrialists. The Inn at Ormsby Hill, near Hildene, is now an elegant bed-and-breakfast.
Mountain Road climbs out of Stowe and up the shoulder of Mount Mansfield, past Stowe Mountain Resort, where a gondola carries skiers and sightseers to the summit. Beyond the resort, the road narrows to snake through Smugglers'' Notch, one of Vermont''s most engaging natural attractions.
The road through this pass between Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak is so tight and narrow as it winds upward that at some curves only a single car can pass through the openings between the giant boulders.
Snowplows can''t get through it in the winter, when the road closes just past the ski area. The rest of the year, you can park the car and walk the paths among this massive jumble of glacial rock and discover the caves where 19th-century smugglers once hid.
The caves and gigantic boulders were formed when the glacier stalled here during the last ice age, smashing the mountain ledges and dropping them into the notch, where they were carved and tumbled by more glacial action.
Mansfield is Vermont''s highest mountain, and at its top are sweeping views and more than two miles of ridge-top hiking above tree line. This is one of only two places in Vermont where rare arctic-alpine tundra exists. A number of routes reach its summit. The Long Trail crosses Route 108 at the foot of Smugglers'' Notch, climbing steadily for 2.3 miles to the ridgeline.
Although the Long Trail traversing the ridgetop is one of the top hiking trails in Vermont, there are easier ways to get to the summit of Mt. Mansfield. Built for skiers, in summer and fall the Gondola SkyRide is a sightseeing attraction, revealing summit views to Lake Champlain, New York''s Adirondacks and New Hampshire''s White Mountains. The 10-minute ride on the gondola takes you close to the Long Trail, so you can hike the summit part for the best views.
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