©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Ve r m o n t % 802 / POP 620,000 Why Go? Southern Vermont . 335 With miles and miles of serene farmland yielding maple Wilmington . .341 syrups, cheeses and fresh produce, Vermont is a gourmet Bennington . 342 meal of enchanting thrills. Microbrews dominate and loca- vore restaurants outnumber those that serve air-freighted Manchester . .347 produce. The celebrated slopes of Killington, Mt Snow and Central Vermont . 352 Stowe entice with the fi nest skiing and snowboarding on Northern Vermont . 363 the East Coast. In summer a capillary network of hiking Burlington . 363 trails beckons and in autumn a blaze of spectacular foli- Stowe . .375 age erupts along scenic roads and banks of squiggling riv- ers. Surprises lurk – wineries are sprouting up across the Montpelier & Barre . 382 state, a puppet museum inhabits a massive barn, and lla- mas graze in the backyard of rural B&Bs. Burlington spews hip but relaxed urban diversions and rocking nightlife. It’s all governed by a laid-back culture, endlessly lovable for its Best Places to Eat eccentricities. That’s Vermont’s allure – it slows you down » Blue Bird Tavern (p 370 ) while you inhale its crisp, organic air, preferably with a » Main Street Bar & Grill bottle of local beer in hand. (p 383 ) » Mint (p 362 ) W h e n t o G o » White Cottage Snack Bar (p 356 ) Burlington °C/°F Te m p Rainfall Inches/mm » Pangea (p 346 ) 30/86 12/300 Best Places to 15/59 9/225 Stay 0/32 6/150 » Equinox (p 349 ) -15/5 3/75 » Old Red Mill Inn & -30/-22 0 Restaurant (p 341 ) J FDNOSAJJMAM » Inn at Round Barn Farm (p 362 ) Winter Pummel Summer Catch a Fall Gaze at the down snow- performance at swath of rust, » Sunset House B&B covered pistes the Discover Jazz yellow and amber (p 369 ) at New England’s Festival or the colors during paramount ski Vermont Mozart leaf-peeping resorts. Festival. season. 73º30'W To 73º00'W 72º30'W 72º00'W Montreal 0 50 km Vermont To 0 30 miles 334 Montreal C A N A D A 15 Lake QUEBEC Highlights 133 Memphremagog 55 45º00'N Alburg North Troy 45º00'N 1 Sip ice wine at Newport Jay Peak 101 Snowfarm Winery, 87 2 89 Enosburg (3861ft) 114 Vermont’s oldest Falls Coventry 91 North 105 Island Pond winery (p 367 ) St Albans 5A Hero Trail 2 Take a hay- or 108 Barton Lake 105 Grand Glover Willoughby sleigh ride and watch Isle Long Craftsbury 5 3 15 West Burke how maple syrup is Common made at Robb Family South 15 Greensboro Burke Mtn Lake Caspian East Burke Farm (p 336 ) Hero Mt Mansfield Lake VERMONT VERMONT 44º30'N Champlain (4393ft) Lyndonville 44º30'N Ride on the 3 Burlington Mt Pisgah Stowe (1443ft) 2 nation’s sole 89 Little River surviving single 9N State Park Waterbury NortheastSt Johnsbury Kingdom Shelburne Center 14 93 chairlift, an antique Stillwater ὈὈMoore Waterbury Charlotte State Park 302 relic from skiing in a 2 116 7 bygone era, at Mad MONTPELIER 3 Groton River Glen (p 361 ) Mad River Waitsfield Barre Vergennes Glen 302 Bristol Sugarbush 4 Watch how White Green Warren 89 5 hickory and smoked AddisonMountain Mountain 25 Middlebury 91 National cheddar are made, National 12 110 44º00'NὈὈForest ὈὈὈForest 44º00'N and sample your East Ripton Bradford way through to Middlebury Hancock Randolph your favorite at Goshen Branbury State Talcville Shoreham Sugarbush Farm Bethel AppalachianTrail Park 93 Brandon 5 (p 353 ) 107 Sugarbush 12 Norwich NEW 4 Farm 5 Pick your own 100 HAMPSHIRE apples and more at ὈὈ22 Chittenden Hanover ὈὈὈ 3 Woodstock Lebanon Atwood Orchards Rutland Quechee (p 358 ) Whitehall 4 White River Killington Junction 4 3A 43º30'N East Mtn Plymouth 6 Drive through one Poultney Hartland 43º30'N 22A Windsor of Windham County’s 103 3 30 30-plus covered Ludlow Rv 11 Green Claremont bridges (p 382 ) Pawlet Danby Okemo ὈὈMountain 89 Mtn Hop on an inner Bromley Mtn National 7 NEW (3284 ft) Forest tube from Lazy 3 YORK 11 River Tours, drift Dorset Weston CONCORD Mt Equinox 121 downstream and Manchester Grafton Connecticut 22 (3816ft) spend an hour doing Stratton Mtn Bellows Arlington (3875 ft) Falls absolutely nothing 35 114 91 9 43º00'NὈὈ7A Mt Snow Newfane 43º00'N but fl oating and Shaftsbury laughing (p 377 ) 7 Dover Putney Hogback Keene 202 Bennington Wilmington Mountain (2410ft) 101 Marlboro 10 Prospect 12 Mtn Mt 32 2 Molly Stark Brattleboro State Park Olga Readsboro WilliamstownὈὈὈ 91 Northfield North Adams MASSACHUSETTS Colrain Erving 22 Greenfield Gardner Fitchburg 42º30'N Windsor Montague 202 Quabbin Pittsfield Reservoir 20 Goshen Hudson Amherst ὈὈὈLenox Ὀ 190 Northampton Paxton 495 Great Chester Worcester Barrington Otis Auburn 90 Holyoke Brookfield 23 90 140 8 20 395 57 Springfield 20 Fiskdale New 146 Boston 73º00'W 72º30'W 72º00'W 8Information CAR Vermont is not particularly large, but it is Vermont Chamber of Commerce (www.vt mountainous. Although I-89 and I-91 provide 335 chamber.com) Additional information on hotels, speedy access to certain areas, the rest of the restaurants and other tourist services. time you must plan to take it slow and enjoy Vermont Division of Tourism and Marketing the winding roads and mountain scenery. Hav- (www.vermontvacation.com; 1 National Life Dr, ing said that, I-91 north of St Johnsbury off ers Montpelier) Produces a free, detailed road and expansive vistas, as does I-89 from White River attractions map and camping guide. Also main- Junction to Burlington. tains a fabulous Welcome Center on I-91 near TRAIN Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) Relaxing, the Massachusetts (MA) state line, another on albeit inconvenient. The Ethan Allen departs VT 4A near the New York state line and another New York City and stops in Fair Haven and on I-89 near the Canadian border. Rutland. The Vermonter heads from New York Vermont Ski Areas Association (www.skiver City to Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Windsor, VERMONT SOUTHERN VERMONT mont.com) Helpful information for planning ski White River Junction, Randolph, Montpelier, trips. For daily ski condition reports (in winter Waterbury, Burlington-Essex Junction and St only), call %802-229-0531. Albans. If you’re a cyclist, you can buy one ticket on the Vermonter and get on and off as Vermont State Parks (www.vtstateparks.com) many times as you like, as long as you reserve Complete camping and parks information. a space for yourself and your bicycle ahead 8Getting There & Around of time. AIR Vermont’s major airport is in Burlington (www .burlingtonintlairport.com), but there is also a small commercial airport in Rutland (www.fl yrutlandvt. SOUTHERN VERMONT com). Burlington is served by Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Northwest, United and US Airways. White churches and inns surround village greens throughout historic southern Ver- BOAT Lake Champlain Transportation Com- pany (www.ferries.com) Runs ferries between mont, a region that’s home to several towns Plattsburgh, New York and Grand Isle; between that predate the American Revolution. In Port Kent, New York and Burlington; and summer the roads between the three ‘cities’ between Essex, New York and Charlotte. of Brattleboro, Bennington and Manchester Fort Ti Ferry (www.forttiferry.com) Runs from roll over green hills; in winter, they wind Larrabees Point in Shoreham to Ticonderoga their way toward the ski slopes of Mt Snow, Landing, New York, from May through October. southern Vermont’s cold-weather play- BUS Greyhound (www.greyhound.com) Con- ground. For those on foot, the Appalachian nects major Vermont towns, making forays Trail passes through the Green Mountain to Manchester and Keene, New Hampshire; National Forest here, off ering a colorful hik- Boston; and Albany. Also operates between ing experience during the fall foliage season. Burlington and Montreal. VERMONT’S MICROBREWERIES The same easy access to fresh ingredients and commitment to local craftsmanship that enhances the state’s restaurants also fuel its microbreweries – as does a simple, honest love of beer. Boasting more craft breweries per capita than any other state (roughly one beermaker for every 28,000 people), Vermont pours an acclaimed and diverse array of beers. Several microbreweries off er free tours (and samples): » Magic Hat Brewery (p 366 ) » Otter Creek Brewing (p 359 ) » Harpoon Brewery (%802-674-5491; www.harpoonbrewery.com; Windsor) Others operate pubs that are well worth the visit: » Long Trail Brewing Company (p 355 ) » Vermont Pub & Brewery (p 373 ) » Maple Leaf Malt & Brewing (%802-464-9900; Wilmington) » McNeill’s Brewery (p 339 ) ily Farm has been run by the same family 336 B r a t t l e b o r o POP 11,500 for about a century. Maple-sugaring dem- Perched at the confl uence of the Connecti- onstrations take place from late February cut and West Rivers, Brattleboro is a little to early April. There are fun hay- or sleigh gem that reveals its facets to those who rides ($7/5 per adult/child, reservations es- stroll the streets and prowl the dozens of sential), which usually end with a hot choc- independent shops and eateries. An ener- olate and doughnuts. The farm is located getic mix of aging hippies and the latest west of I-91 on VT 9; take a left on Greenleaf crop of pierced and tattooed hipsters fuels St (which becomes Ames Hill Rd), head 3 the town’s sophisticated eclecticism, keep- miles and look to the right. ing the downtown scene percolating and Brattleboro Museum & Art Center MUSEUM VERMONT VERMONT skewing its politics decidedly leftward. (www.brattleboromuseum.org; 10 Vernon St; Whetstone Brook runs through the south adult/under 6yr $6/free; h11am-5pm Thu-Mon) end of town, where a wooden stockade Located in a 1915 railway station, this mu- dubbed Fort Dummer was built to defend seum hosts a wealth of inventive exhibits Vermont’s fi rst colonial settlement (1724) by local artists in a variety of media.