Vermont - Central

Killington, Vermont and Vacation in Vermont Information at Visit Vermont

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Independent Bookseller
Welcomes Book-Loving Public

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If there is one quality that is pure Vermont, it is independence of spirit. 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 very useful website. Book lovers who are in or near Montpelier really must visit the store; you will feel right at home. Open daily. Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 802-229-0774..

Mad River; Lovely Byway

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Among the country’s wonderful National Scenic Byways is the Mad River Byway, which travels along two of Vermont's most scenic roads, Routes 100 and 100B. Towns and villages along this byway include Middlesex Village (Route 2); Moretown (Route 100B); Waitsfield, Warren, Granville Gulf Reservation (Route 100); Fayston, and Buels Gore to the top of the Appalachian Gap (Route 17). The byway is heavily salted with classic New England landscape and architecture - mountain ridgelines, a winding river, hillside farms, and steepled villages. See map for overview.

Maple Sugaring Season at Sugarbush Farm

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Visit sugarhouse at Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock to learn how maple trees are tapped in the spring and how maple syrup is made. March and early April are the best time to visit a maple sugar house. Sugarbush Farm and its sugarhouse are open daily during the sugaring season. However, sap flow and boiling schedule is determined by weather (freezing nights and warm days), so before planning a visit it is best to call ahead for boiling schedule and road conditions. Free admission, lots of samples of different grades of syrup and many other maple products. Open March 1 to April 11, daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 802-457-1757

A Stirring Show of Freedom and Unity

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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 in Montpelier. Visitors walk through time and experience 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. The museum is located on the first floor of the Pavilion Building, 109 State Street, next to the Vermont State House in Montpelier. Open year-round, Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Phone: 802- 828-2180.

A Store Brimming with Food, Gifts,
and Vermont Tradition

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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, Warrne 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.

All Thoughts Turn to Maple in March

The Vermont Maple Open House Weekend , taking place throughout the state from March 26 to 28, 2010, is an opportunity for people to visit dozens of sugarhouses throughout the state. Activities during Open House Weekend will include the opportunity to watch maple syrup being made and often to sample maple products. Try the syrup, sugar on snow, pancakes, maple donuts, maple cream, and more. Phone: 800-837-6668.

Apple Cheeks and Smiles Are Abundant on Vermont Sleigh Rides

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The aptly named Applecheek Farm in Hyde Park takes guests on sleigh rides in daylight or in moonlight through a lantern-lit forest. Dress warmly, the farm owners advise, and bring along your voices and instruments. Phone: 802-888-4482. Phone: 802- 446-3131.

Artwork With a Soul in the Vermont Heartland

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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. Among the recent exhibits at the gallery, housed in a restored historic building on North Main Street in Barre, are Rock Solid: Ninth Annual Stone Show (remember that Barre is the center of New England’s marble and granite sources), paintings and drawings by various regional artists, and Leave a Paper Trail (a show that exposes the versatile and beautiful qualities of paper). Clearly, 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- Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, nooon-4 p.m. Phone: 802-479-7069

Snow.down Music and Ski Festival
Killington Resort in Killington and Spartan Arena in Rutland
Killington and Rutland, VT

March 26-28, 2009

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Snoe.down, the all-ages winter music festival hosted by moe., moves to its new home in central Vermont at Killington Resort and the Spartan Arena in Rutland. Moe. will be featured both Friday and Saturday nights at Spartan Arena. In addition to music by Moe., Snoe.down 2010 will feature performances by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Railroad Earth, Assembly of Dust, The Bridge, The Heavy Pets, Hot Day at the Zoo, Leroy Justice Lynch, The McLovins, and Moonalice. Performances by several artists will take place throughout the weekend at Killington Resort’s K1 Lodge, Bear Mountain Lodge and The Wobbly Barn.
Locations: Spartan Arena, Diamond Run Mall Complex, 100 Diamond Run Place, Rutland; Killington Resort, 4763 Killington Road, Killington. Information: http://www.snoedown.com/

Stone Valley Byway Traverses
Mountain Slopes and Rural Landscapes

Vermont Route 30, spanning Manchester to Poultney through the Mettawee Valley, is now the Stone Valley Scenic Byway. Traveling the byway takes you through an area with a rich history in slate and marble production. You'll also be traveling through beautiful scenery with a wealth of recreational, and cultural amenities. A trip on the Stone Valley Byway is highlighted by mountain slopes that provide a dramatic backdrop to the rural landscape and provide access to a host of recreational opportunities. Historic, picturesque towns dot the valley floor, and rich agricultural soils have accumulated alongside the free-flowing Mettawee and Poultney Rivers. Lake St. Catherine, a state park, golf course and many smaller water bodies along the byway corridor are exceptional natural, scenic, and recreational resources. See Map.

This Artwork Will Blow You Away

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Simon Pearce is nearly legendary in the world of fine hand-blown glass; take a tour around the Simon Pearce Historic Mill at 1760 Quechee Main Street in the town of Quechee and you’ll learn why. The glassblowers at the Mill will convince you that the production of these elegant but functional pieces is as much of an art as it is a craft. Visitors watch the production of world-class glass and pottery, and then treat themselves to a gourmet meal overlooking the falls of the Ottauquechee River at the Simon Pearce Restaurant, said to be one of Vermont’s finest. Simon Pearce’s Windsor Factory at 109 Park Road in Windsor also welcomes visitors to watch the glassblowers at work. Phone for the Mill at Quechee is 802-295-2711. Open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Phone at the Windsor Factory is 802-674-6280. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily..

Thrill Ride Awaits at Ballons of Vermont

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The spectacular Quechee Gorge in Central Vermont – sometime called the Grand Canyon of the East – attracts spectators of all kinds. One heart-stopping way to see the gorge and the vast, forested beauty of its surroundings is from a hot air balloon. This is really the adventure of a lifetime. Balloons of Vermont , among other businesses, will take intrepid travelers above the treetops over the Ottauquechee River and the upper valley region for an unforgettable show in the most serene, majestic flying machine knows to man. The Quechee Balloon Festival, with lots of non-ballooning fun, like music, crafts, and children’s activities, takes place in June, and ballooning will be a central theme, but Balloons of Vermont takes people up over the gorge year-round. It is a thrill. Phone: 802-291-4887.

Vermont and New Hampshire Both
Host this Scenic National Byway

The Connecticut River National Byway is a two-state byway spanning the east and west shores of the Connecticut River in both Vermont and New Hampshire. Along this byway, you may drive across a covered bridge built in 1866, visit a museum of machine tools, and wander through two restored historic railroad stations. Comfortably spaced along the byway are Waypoint Centers that provide a wealth of information to travelers. This byway starts at its south end on U.S. 91 at the Massachusetts-Vermont border and follows the river northward for about 120 miles to St. Johnsbury, where U.S. 91 turns northwest, away from the river. To stay along the river course, follow U.S. 5 to U.S. 2 to U.S. 3, and onward to the Canadian border. See map.

Wild and Wacky Sculpture Garden
Makes An Inspirational Impression

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The Path of Life is a public sculpture garden on Route 5 North in Windsor that tells the story of the great circle of life. Eighteen works of art symbolize the human journey from birth to death and beyond. The garden is located on 14 acres of trails, wildflowers and open spaces on the banks of the Connecticut River. The garden is the creation of Terry McDonnell, whose model was Japanese garden in Kildare, Ireland. Among the objects that McDonnell has assembled for the garden are hemlock trees that compose the maze of Adventure, a large granite Buddha for Contemplation, and a five-piece, 25-foot-tall, band representing Creativity. Come wander, rest, and enjoy a truly Vermont experience. Open year round. Phone: 802-345-5616.

Farm Tours Into the Heart of Maple Country

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If a Vermont offers to take you on a tour of the back roads of this spectacularly beautiful state and also throws in a stop at a sugarhouse, you would be wise to climb onboard. The Vermont Back Road Maple Sugar Tours, based in Rutland take place February 15 to April 16. This tour will visit an original on-the-farm maple sugarhouse, where visitors can see the history of sugaring in Vermont and a watch the process of boiling down maple sap into syrup. Tasting is a strong possibility, too. The handicap-accessible bus has large windows for viewing. A second tour package includes stops at covered bridges. Phone: 802-446-3131.