Killington, Woodstock, Ludlow & other central VT towns filled with fun spots

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Artwork With Soul in the Vermont Heartland

Studio Place Art is a vibrant community center for the visual arts, offering workshops, classes, and a gallery of changing exhibits that is open to the public. The gallery is housed in a restored historic building on North Main Street in Barre. The geography and culture of central Vermont are integral to the art shown here. To see art that expresses the heart of central Vermont, visit here. Hours: Year-round, Tuesday-Saturday. Phone: 802-479-7069.

Blades in Motion at Lake Morey

Managers of Lake Morey Resort, on Clubhouse Road in Fairlee, realized about a decade ago that climate shifts were bringing less snow, even as the ice on the lake stayed strong and long. So the resort shifted into a major hub for ice skating and speed skating, open to anyone from newbies to champion speed skaters. The resort created a four-and-a-half-mile plowed skating trail on the lake and opened a center where the public can rent skates. The Skate Shack is open to the public on weekends from 10 a.m.- 4pm. Rental costs are $30 for Nordic skates and $5 for hockey and figure skates. Phone: 802-333-4311.

Bookstore Staff is Eager to Share Love of Reading

The Norwich Bookstore at 291 Main Street in Norwich is a special place for people and ideas to meet up. The booksellers who work here come from all over the region, and from many different walks of life, to offer you the knowledgeable customer service you have come to expect. Whether you request “that book that was on the radio last week” or “something special for my daughter’s best friend’s birthday party,” the people at this store strive to be of help. The bookstore also offers an array of traditional and unique toys and games; greeting cards and gift wrap for all seasons. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Thursdays until 8 p.m. Phone: 802-649-1114.
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Ethan Allen Guards the Door

The gold-domed Greek Revival-style statehouse in Montpelier is a beauty and well worth a visit. Besides the statue of the famous Green Mountain boy, the building contains artifacts, like Spanish naval guns captured during the Spanish-America War under the command of Admiral George Dewey, who grew up across the street from the statehouse. Phone: 802-229-4619.

For the Love of Bread

King Arthur Flour in Norwich is about much more than just producing and selling flour. Its headquarters on Route 5 is the home of the company’s school, bakery, and retail store. The Baker’s Store is packed with everything you need for your very best baking, from hard-to-find ingredients, innovative gadgets, and top-quality pans, to easy mixes and a huge selection of baking basics. Grab a cup of coffee and pastry from the café as you browse the aisles; relax and check your email on free WiFi. Open daily. The company also offers plenty of classes for bakes who want to rise in the craft. Phone: 800-827-6836.

Grand View; Great Taste

Grand View Winery on Route 100 in Waterbury Center is a family-owned farm winery that produces grape wines and wines from fruits that grow easily and naturally in Vermont. While focusing on fruits that grow easily in Vermont, Grand View produces wines that are not overly sweet. The vineyard’s Strawberry Rhubarb Wine was featured on the NBC Today Show. Moreover, the vineyard is set amid 50-mile views, and replete with flower gardens. Take a lunch to enjoy with a selected wine while sitting outside. The retail shop and tasting room, at the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, are open daily, year round. Phone: 802-456-7012

Granite Memorials Create an Outdoor Art Display

Barre is sometimes called the Granite Capital of the World because of its famous quarries. The craftsmanship of its quarrymen and sculptors also is on display at the local cemeteries, where headstones are elaborate works of art, and a beautiful place to visit, stroll, and enjoy the work. Hope Cemetery at 201 Maple Avenue in Barre presents a rich and distinguished history of memorial art in stone.
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Independent Bookseller
Welcomes Book-Loving Public

Bear Pond Books on Main Street in Montpelier presents a slogan “Celebrating 35 years of independent book selling in central Vermont,” and it takes pride in every word. The business opened in 1973 and has endured flooding, a major move to a beautiful historic building, and other ups and down. It offers customers a well-read staff, public readings by authors, a communal gathering place, a resource for children’s literacy, and a useful website. Book lovers who are in or near Montpelier really must visit the store; you will feel right at home. Open daily. Phone: 802-229-0774..

Indoor Golf Is the Solution to Winter Handicap

Did you think you couldn't play golf in New England when there's a foot of snow on the ground? Au contraire. At the Okemo Valley Indoor Golf Training Center at Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, your clubs won't get rusty, and neither will your golf skills. In fact, you may just be able to knock a few strokes off your handicap with the instructional programs and clinics offered at Okemo. Hourly rates are available for the Academy's Swing Stations, Computerized Golf Simulator and 700-square-foot Practice Putting Green, or ask about packages. Phone: 800-78-OKEMO.

Just Stroll and Enjoy

Drive to the town of Weston, park near the town green and simply walk. Tucked away in a valley deep in the spine of Vermont's Green Mountains is a charming village that still takes pride in the time-honored old ways. From the sparkling white churches to the Village Green, the warm inns and the charming shops, Weston is a jewel to be found and enjoyed. This lovely village seems to be virtually untouched by time; in fact, the entire village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Local Store Brims With Vermont Tradition

Deli, wine shop, bakery, general store, overall friendly place. The Warren Store on Main Street in Warren Village has been described as “…not just a store; it's a living, breathing, Vermont spirit." Open 363 and one-half days a year, Warren Store serves food, of course, and tempts shoppers at the upstairs “More Store,” packed with quirky toys for kids of all ages, clothing for men and women, jewelry, cards, gifts, and house wares. Hours: Opens at 8 a.m.; closes at 6 or 7 p.m. Phone: 802-496-3864.
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Smiles Are Abundant on Vermont Sleigh Rides

At Stowehof Inn & Resort in Stowe, romantic rides for two to four people last 30 minutes, and may be combined with a dinner at the Inn, a nearly ideal Valentine’s Day present. At Adams Family Farm in Wilmington, sleighs are pulled by Belgian draft horses through a maple sugar grove, along a mountain ridge, and to an old log cabin, where entertainment is provided by a player piano, with a wood fire and hot chocolate on the side. Adams also offers private sleigh ride gatherings and, on Wednesday, a fondue party at the cabin. Phone: 802-464-3762. The Hawk Inn & Mountain Resort in Plymouth hosts sleigh rides that travel along a Revolutionary War-era British military road through the forest with riders bundled underneath abundant blankets with a Thermos of hot chocolate packed at the farmhouse. Phone: 802-672-3811.

Vermont History From 1600s to the Present

The Vermont History Museum’s award-winning permanent exhibit, “Freedom and Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories,” is a multimedia exhibit that displays Vermont's history from 1600 to the present, fills 5,000 square feet in the Pavilion building at 109 State Street in Montpelier. Visitors see a full-sized Abenaki wigwam, a re-creation of the Catamount Tavern where Ethan Allen's Green Mountain Boys gathered, a railroad station complete with a working telegraph and a WWII living room furnished with period music and magazines. Open year-round, Tuesday-Saturday. Phone: 802-828-2291.

Vermont Marble Is Admired
Throughout the World

The Vermont Marble Trail is a driving tour along the geological marble corridor running the length of western Vermont. Vermont marble has been used in architecture throughout the United States and in far-flung places like London, Taiwan, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. The Marble Trail leads visitors along an historic, artistic, and cultural tour of the towns where marble was quarried, manufactured, and used. Highlights include Robert Frost’s grave site in Bennington, Wilson Castle in Proctor, the Marble Works District in Middlebury, Ethan Allen’s grave in Burlington, and the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier. A highlight of the Trail is the Vermont Marble Museum on Route 3 in Proctor. Phone: 802-770-0159.
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Antiques Collaborative at 6931 Woodstock Road in Quechee is a treasure house for shoppers and browsers who love old, beautiful things. The collaborative is is an upscale multi-dealer antiques and fine art center, just a few minutes’ drive from I-89 and I-91. More than 165 dealer display goods on three floors in a converted farm house, featuring the finest in quality antiques and decorative accessories. New England country furniture is always in stock, along with sterling and coin silver from the 17th century through the Arts and Crafts period. Open year-round, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 802- 296-5858.
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