We literally traveled from north to south and east to west zig zagging across the entire state. Vermont may be small but there is SO much to see!! Even more so if you are an old soul like me and love looking at things of the past.
No matter which Direction you set your eyes
If there is one thing I can say about Vermont, no matter which way you look you see indescribable beauty. If you like being able to see for miles and miles……mountain after mountain…..you need to drive the state of Vermont. Not just drive through it, drive it….the entire state. Have you ever seen a painting of mountains? You know, the different shades of blue and grey as each rise is seen further and further away. It almost looks fake, but its not. That is Vermont.
the old country stores
Vermont is FULL of old country stores! It seemed there was an old country or general store in every other town! That, of course, is an exaggeration but there are a lot. I, personally, like the ones that look like you go back in time as soon as you step through the door. You know, with the penny (or 25 cents now a days) candy jars, homemade lye soap and spinning tops for kids…..the old creaky wide board wood floors with long wooden and glass counters. (*has dreamy look on face and sighs) The only one we found was a replica with antique items that could not be purchased (at Shelbourne Museum – more on that later – Woo Wee! That place is right up my alley of things I like!!).
Covered bridges
Some might say, if you’ve seen one you’ve seen ’em all, but I don’t believe that. I didn’t take many pictures inside the covered bridges, but that is where you see the biggest difference. Most of them were closed to vehicles but we did get to cross one! It was cool! (WEIRDO alert!) It would have been even more fun in a horse and buggy, Amen? 😁
Here are a few pictures of the many covered bridges we went to see. I know y’all would never do such a thing so tell others you know that may not be as respectful as you, don’t be like Lil S or Marcia (see pic). Don’t carve or write your name or initials or anything else on these old bridges. How sad is it people have so little respect for such things?
Dreamy Barns and more
And then….you guessed it! BARNS!! And, OH, the scenery!!! Just look and OOOO and AAHHHH for a bit. *Dreamy face 😍
Points of interest
There is SO much to do and see! We watched cheese waxing and did a self tour of the maple syrup making process. OOOOO! And taste testing! If you visit Vermont you MUST taste test and purchase real maple syrup and the cheese. You MUST.
We also visited a farm where I ended up taking a wool carding, combing and spinning class. This was a dream come true for me! I was so excited I forgot to have anyone (including myself) take pictures. Ooops! Sorry! I do have a picture of the wool and a drop spinner that I bought to practice.
Let me just tell you. God is so good to me! (I know, He is good to you too, but I like to personalize it. 🤗) We are driving along, looking for a place to buy corn on the cob and guess what? The place we stopped just happened to have an alpaca store!!! I’ve never seen an alpaca store!!! THEN…I look beside the alpaca store…and there is a pen of alpacas!!! Are you kidding me? (I’m about to jump out of the moving truck!) Freakin’ highlight of my trip! Aren’t alpacas just the cutest things you ever did see?
We found the Frank Adams Grist Mill in Bellow Falls. You need to be an explorer a bit to find this one as there are no signs for it anywhere that we saw. We walked down a road that looked a bit like an alley with graffiti on the walls and we found it. (Not gonna lie. I was a bit afraid. It was deserted.) Shame it wasn’t open (I read it was closed for repairs) but I did peek in the windows. It looked like they locked up for the day in 1961 and that’s it. I read many of the grinders and things are still operational. Because I geek out on historical buildings and items, if it’s open the next time we go through Vermont, this will be a “must stop” place.
Here are a few more “must see” places.
Quechee Gorge, otherwise known as the little grand canyon, is pretty impressive. Besides a view from a bridge, you can also walk along beside it on a trail that leads to an area you can get in to cool off. If you walk the opposite direction, you can view a dam.
Rock of Ages quarry was VERY impressive and the guide we had worked there for many years and was very knowledgeable. I learned a good bit about granite that day. We passed by the Vermont state house (regal looking to me), Bennington Battle Monument and the Trapp Family Lodge. I will admit, I was very disappointed in the Trapp Family Lodge. In case you don’t know, it’s where the real Von Trapp family escaped Austria during World War II, you know, the Sound of Music family. There are pictures in the new lodge showing the original house which looked NOTHING like the new lodge. I did, however, like looking at the original pictures of the Von Trapp family.
We like doing the free things. Sometimes they are much more scenic and enjoyable than the attractions you pay for but the Shelbourne Museum……..Oh my!…..just do it. You will see things at this location that you have never seen anywhere else. Like a 10 person sled. How fun would that be?! There are not only period buildings but there are also collections being displayed IN the buildings. One of my favorites was the wooden bird collection.
Ya gotta eat
If you know my handsome driver, also known as hungry driver, you know he likes a good meal. We mostly cook at home but we do like to try new to us places to eat. That’s as much fun as sightseeing! Here’s a few we tried and enjoyed! The Dairy Bar in Arlington, Dot’s Restaurant in Wilmington and Ramunto’s Pizza in Brattleboro. All of these places were super busy which always screams “GOOD FOOD HERE!!”.
That about sums it up! If I tried posting all my Vermont pictures this post would take 6 months to load. 😂🤣 I hope you enjoyed my take on Vermont. Leave a comment and let me know what you like!
I appreciate all of you for reading about our adventures! Off to Maine we go!!
Until next time, Love and blessings,
Kim
Tammy Tagg says
I love seeing your all of your beautiful blessings my friend. I am not seeing all of the pictures, I will try again. I have always wanted a pair of Alpaca socks. Please let me know what you think??
Keep posting your beautiful photos and keep enjoying your beautiful scenery!!! Safe travels and lots of love!! XOXO
Kimberly Baker says
Thank you, my friend! And I think alpaca socks would be the best socks you’ve ever had!!!Loving you back!! Kim
Tom says
Very nice travel blog. I’m following!
Kimberly Baker says
I appreciate you Tom!! Thanks! We are having a splendid time!
Kim
Helen hunter says
Thank you for your blogging it brightens my some what mundane day 🙂 and im seriously jello but enjoying your delightful travels you said earlier you liked covered bridges i love the ones you posted ..not to menvtion the old timers general store i would find it hard to leave till the next chapter stay safe
Kimberly Baker says
I gotta tell you, Helen, it would have been hard to leave Vermont if there weren’t so many other states to explore! Including my home state!! It seems there is so much there that I have missed. Walking through general stores that still look really “homesteader-ish” make me feel like I’m walking in a time warp. Sounds like we like some of the same things!! I am so glad you are following our journey.
Kim
Michele G says
Loved reading the blog, such beautiful areas, loved the pics especially the rock quarry..wow
Those country stores…amazing..
Keep sending the blog & pics..love reading them..
Safe travels…
Kimberly Baker says
Thank you, Michele!
It’s been such fun and every day it seems I am amazed by the incredible things I see. The blue water in the quarry is algae! The stone is all granite. Isn’t that amazing?! You can tell its size by the equipment at the top. Just incredible.
Thanks for following!
Kim