Vermont Summer Vacation

We have been going on a lot off little outings with our little family as of late. I've had a bucket list that I made when I found out we were moving.

Anyways, I thought I would share a lot of the things I have loved doing here in Vermont. In my mind these things are what would make up the ultimate Vermont trip. Seriously, Vermont is so much more awesome than I think a lot of people realize - and the things I love about it aren't even the obvious things like hiking and skiing.

1. Downtown Montpelier

• Why? For starters, it has been known by some sources as one of the top 20 must see small towns in America. That's pretty neat! But besides that, it has so much character and a lot of neat little shops. It's a great place to walk around after a nice look at the farmers market. Speaking of the farmers market - in the summer it is a must see. They are open every Saturday and it is one of the most authentic farmers markets you will ever encounter. They have local folk artists playing music, local farms selling flowers, meats, dairy products, produce, ect. It's a really neat experience.

• What are the places that should be seen when downtown? Well, downtown we have the capitol which is a must see. It is so beautiful and pretty old which makes it all the more exciting. While your at it, their is a museum right next to it - it's fun to see the history of a state that was a part of the country early on. There is also an extremely old church, the Christ Episcopal Church, just down the road that is also really cool to look at.

• So what are the cool shops they've got? SO MANY. My favorite is Bear Pond Books. Other great places are: Antique Shop, Capitol Kitchen, Woodbury Mountain Toys, Cocoa Bean, Bailey Road, and Zutano.

• Where are the best places to eat? Let's begin with dessert. Chill is the most amazing gelato place EVER. They have the most original flavors and they are so good. Other great places are Sarducci's and Asiana House

2. Cold Hollow Cider Mill​

• This place is in Waterbury just up the road from Ben & Jerry's. I am not a fan of cider donuts, but let me tell you - this place has THE BEST cider donuts I've ever had in my life! They have free cider samples too inside their cute little shop. You also have to make sure you go to the cute little restaurant they have there. They have sandwiches and paninis. I usually don't like them very much and I'm usually not big for trying odd combinations, but they have one called The Apple Core that is to die for.

3. Cemeteries

• You're on the east coast, of course you need to go check out some cemeteries. It's really neat to see all the history there. It's so peaceful and pleasant too.

• Hope Cemetery is in Barre (Bear-ee), and is one of the most popular ones here. It's really neat.

• Next to Norwich University, the oldest military school in the country there is a cemetery that I really loved. I think it's worth checking out.

4. Sugar Houses

• Goodrich Maple Farm is really neat. It's right next to Peacham, which is a gorgeous town. Goodrich maple farm has AMAZING syrup, sugar, and maple cream. I could eat that stuff all day long.

• Bragg Farm is divine. They have the best maple creamees and maple milkshakes. Warning, they are addicting. They also have a really cute shop.

• Morse Farm also has maple creamees which in my opinion aren't quite as good as Bragg's and they are a bit pricier. Still good though. They have a really cute farm though that is fun to see and they also let you do blueberry picking.

5. Downtown Burlington

• Burlington is like the big city here in Vermont. This is where you would find more of the things you would see in other places like a bigger mall, more chain restaurants, ect. However, there are some other cool things too.

• My family never got to it, but I guess there is a ferry that goes out of Burlington to New York, that seems pretty cool.

• What's really fun is Church Street it has a lot of outdoor shopping on this really cute street. It's all lit up at night too which is a lot of fun.

6. Shelburne Farms

7. Ben & Jerry's Factory

8. Cabot Cheese Factory

9. Vermont Teddy Bear Company

10. Von Trapp Family Lodge

• The restaurant really isn't all that great, but it is a really neat place to check out

• This is where the original Von Trapp family built their lodge after coming to America. This is the same family that was portrayed in "The Sound of Music".

• There is a lot of neat information about the actual family with pictures all over the lodge

• It is beautifully tucked away in the mountains

• The lodge still belongs to a Von Trapp family member to this day

11. Shelburne Museum

• Easily one of the coolest museums I've ever been to. When you buy a ticket it lasts for two consecutive days. This is important because the museum is so big and has so much to see, it almost might be good to plan for two days although it is not necessary.

• This is a very interactive museum. It has many old buildings that were transported to the museum by the Webb family. It feels like you've gone back in time and like you are walking around in an old quaint town which is really fun.

• Plan on a lot of walking and bring water! Where cool clothes too, especially if it is in the middle of the summer.

12. Places to Eat

• Skinny Pancake

• Wayside

• The Common Man

13. Places to stay

• There are a lot of really neat places that you can stay while you are in Vermont. It just depends what you like and what you want to be close to.

• Heart of the Village Inn is a Victorian style bed and breakfast located in Shelburne just down the road from Shelburne Farms, Shelburne Museum, and The Vermont Teddy Bear Comapny. I personally have never been there but it caught my attention right away when we drove past it so I looked it up online. It recieved the 2013 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence award and has a lot of history and really neat rooms.

• The Inn at Montpelier is another older hotel with a lot of history. My mom and sister bother stayed at that hotel when they came to visit me and both loved it.

• The Capitol Inn is across the street from the state capitol building. I've stayed at this hotel and it is really nice. It is a lot more modern than many of the other hotel's around but it still does have some neat history to it. It also has J. Morgans, a really nice restaurant attached to it

14. Out of Town Visits

• Montreal, Canada (~2 Hours)

• Boston, MA (~4 Hours)

• Maine (Never personally been)

• New York (~4 Hours)

• New Hampshire

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Acouple of other things that were on my list that we never got to included, Hildene, Middlebury Sweets, and the Dollhouse Factory Outlet.Maybe one of my readers will get the chance to check some of those places out. But, for anyone planning a trip to Vermont, I hope this helps! Vermont really is an awesome place with so many fun things to do and to see.