Vermont - Northern

Stowe Vermont Activities and Burlington Travel Information at Visit Vermont

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Johnson Knows Wool

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The Johnson Woolen Mills tradition reaches back to 1842 when local farmers brought their wool here to have it woven into cloth. Located on Lower Main Street / Route 15 in the village of Johnson, just north of Stowe, Johnson Woolen Mills still makes the same woolen shirts, jackets, and the famous iceman's pants that have been best sellers for decades. Over the years, the business expanded and the store now includes the original, century-old factory space with a new factory is next door. There's plenty of room to browse and try on woolen clothes of all kinds for men, women, and children. The Sale Room offers real values in factory irregulars, discontinued styles, and one-of-a-kind samples. Factory store hours are Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Phone: 802-635-2271

Kingdom Trails Welcomes Mountain Bikers

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One of the top-rated regions in the country for mountain biking can be found at and around Burke Mountain and Darling Hill near East Burke. Kingdom Trails is 110 miles of recreational, non-motorized trails through farmland and forest for bicycling and cross-country skiing, designed for people of all levels of ability. Open year-round. Phone: 802-626-0737.

Lake Champlain Provides the Vistas
for This Lovely Byway

Located in northwest Vermont, the Lake Champlain Byway runs along the northern length of Lake Champlain from U.S. Route 2 through Grand Isle County in the north; joining U.S. 7 through the communities of Vergennes and Middlebury. Along the way you will find quiet farming communities, bustling small cities, and quaint villages. Explore small family-owned shops and dine at restaurants featuring fresh foods from Vermont farms. Travelers can visit a coral reef, a log cabin built in 1783, hike or bike several trails, and swim or boat in Lake Champlain. See map.

Corn and Views for Miles

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The Great Great Vermont Corn Maze on Wheelock Road in Danville covers seven acres with approximately two miles of trails lined with 10-to-12-foot walls of corn. The maze is also situated on a hill, which allows for fantastic views and keeps the trail from getting too wet after the rain. Most visitors spend two to five hours on the property enjoying the different attractions. The maze is open July 31 through October 24, 2010. Phone: 802-748-1399.

Ribbet

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Wonderful artwork with a very Vermont-y sensibility can be enjoyed at the Frog Hollow craft gallery on Church Street in Burlington, located in charming, all-pedestrain shopping district in the center of the city. The gallery features art from artists throughout the state, from pewter and glassware to high-end oil paintings and furniture. Open year-round, every day except Mondays. Phone: 802-863-6458

Sip a Little; Stomp a Little

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Sample some Vermont wine at local winery. In Cambridge, look for Boyden Valley Winery , which is part of a fourth-generation farm in the pastoral Lamoille River Valley. The winery turns Vermont apples and grapes into wines and hard ciders. Plan a visit for the annual harvest festival and stomp a grape for fun the fun of it. Phone: 802-644-8151

Up and Away

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If you’ve never lifted off in a hot air balloon and floated freely above a beautiful landscape of fields, farms, and villages, you are missing an unforgettable experience that can be rectified with help from Above Reality Hot Air Balloon rides in Jericho. The company takes guests aloft in appropriate weather conditions year-round for one-hour flights that literally go where ever the wind is going. Flights depart from the Inn at Essex in Essex and travel above the foothills of Mount Mansfield. Balloons operated by the company can take from two to eight passengers. It is a trip to remember. Phone: 1-877- 386-7473.

Urban Chic, Outdoors

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Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, an outdoor pedestrian mall covering four historic blocks in downtown Burlington, offers casual strolling to serious shopping, dining of every description, street vendors, and lots of public events. The shopping and dining are great; strolling and people-watching are entertainment all by themselves. Phone: 802-863-1648

Valley of Mystery, Treasure, and Natural Wonders

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Lake Champlain is an ecological treasure trove. The ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center on College Street in Burlington offers 100 hands-on interactive exhibits and 70 species of live fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and reptiles. At the center, guests may go on camera with real weather maps starring as a guest meteorologist on local TV; unearth recreated whale bones in the new dig site; travel back in time to explore the ancient world of the Champlain Valley; meet live frogs from six continents; journey through time and witness the lives of people in the Champlain Valley for the last 11,000 years. Open year-round. Phone: 802-864-9804.

Wine, with Canoes on the Side

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Boyden Valley Winery AT 70 Route 104 in Cambridge is part of a fourth-generation farm producing Big Barn Red, a bold red wine, Vermont white wines and ice wines. Whether you are looking for a red wine for a casual dinner or an ice wine for a special occasion, you will find something pleasing here. Tours and tastings are conducted daily. Also, the business offers “Water and Wine: and “River and Spirits” canoe trips that include a guided canoe tour of the Lamoille River followed by a tour and tasting. Open year-round. Daily, May 1 to December 31; weekends, January 1 to April 30. Phone: 802-644-8151.

Farm Life on Display
on the Edge of Lake Champlain

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Shelburne Farms on Harbor Road in Shelburne is an environmental education center on the shores of Lake Champlain where children, adults, and families come to enjoy the walking trails, children’s farmyard, inn, restaurant, property tours, and special events. Highlights of a visit to Shelburne Farms are the Children’s Farmyard and cheese making in the historic Farm Barn, guided tours of the property, strolling on the walking trails, and hospitality at the Inn at Shelburne Farms. These offerings are open from May to October; the Welcome Center and walking trails are open year-round. Phone: 802-985-8686

Great Waterfalls: Bingham Falls

The sequence of cascades that is Bingham Falls in Stowe, Vermont is special not just for its otherwordly quality, but because the public almost lost access to it a few years back when a land developer had plans to build a resort on the property. Luckily, that plan was thwarted; adventurers can still enjoy the pristine beauty of the falls, and those brave enough can take a dip in the natural rock pool below Bingham's 25 foot cascade. To Find It: The falls are located a short hike off Route 108 in Stowe, about 1.5 miles southeast of Smugglers Notch. There is a path leading downhill from a fairly large turnout. The sound of roaring water assures you that you are in the right place.

Heroic Vineyard

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Snow Farm Vineyard on West Shore Road in South Hero was founded in 1995 as the state’s fist commercial grape vineyard and winery. The vineyard and winery is open May 1 to December 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with extended hours on Fridays in July and August and during the Thursday night summer concert series that the vineyard hosts. Visitors are welcome to enjoy tastings and self-guided vineyard tours at all times during business hours, at no charge. Snow Farm hosts a Music in the Vineyard Concert Series on Thursday evenings in July and August. Mix a couple of days of tasting, beachcombing, driving and sightseeing and you will never want to leave. Phone: 802-372-WINE.

High Tea in High Style

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The Governor’s House at 100 Main Street in Hyde Park is an elegant bed-and-breakfast inn that serves tea in all appropriate high style on Thursday and Sunday afternoons. The cream tea menu consists of warm freshly-made scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. With the full English afternoon tea, there are scones, cream and jam as well as several varieties of tea sandwiches and fancy pastries, often including millionaire's shortbread. Each choice comes with endless pots of freshly-made imported house blend tea and guests are, of course, welcome to spend as long as they wish, enjoying it. Phone: 802-888-6888.