VERMONT

H.N. Williams General Store on Route 30 in Dorset has been owned and operated by the same family since 1840. Shopping at Williams is a bit like stepping into pre-Civil War Vermont. The building retains the feel and smell of another century and ancient advertisements adorn the walls. A wood-burning stove retains its prominent position, though its service has ended. Packed into a succession of small rooms is everything from garden tools to winter boots to groceries to reams of heavy-duty clothing. Phone: 802-867-5353

Located on top of Rupert Mountain, off Route 315 in Rupert, Merck Forest and Farmland Center is thousands of acres of open land available for hikes and other activities. Parts of the property are actively farmed, with concentration on organic, sustainable agriculture. Make no mistake about it: this place jumps in the winter. For snow-bound romance, couples can rent a cabin for a romantic weekend getaway or just spend a day or afternoon doing hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing on the many well-managed trails. There will be plenty of hardy people out, doing the same. Wonderful views -- and spectacular sunsets – are in store.

Where can you see panoramic views of the Green, White, Adirondack, Berkshire and Taconic mountain ranges in one trip? Easy. Take a drive up Skyline Drive to the top of Equinox Mountain near Sunderland for a spectacular sunset over the Adirondack Mountains to the west. The route starts at historic Route 7A.

Located on top of Rupert Mountain, off Route 315 on Rupert, Merck Forest and Farmland Center is thousands of acres of open land available for hikes and other activities. Parts of the property are actively farmed, with concentration on organic, sustainable agriculture. Wonderful views -- and spectacular sunsets -- for winter hikes and cross-country skiing.

Taylor Farm, at 825 Route 11 in Londonderry, operated by the Wright family, welcomes visitors who are curious to see a dairy farm at work. Come see the cows being milked or watch as the farm workers make a batch of award-winning Gouda cheese. Feed the chickens and scratch the pigs behind their ears. Wagon rides in the summer or sleigh rides in the winter are by appointment and require a reservation. At the end of your visit, stop by the Pantry, a retail shop stocked with a selection of Vermont-made products and Vermont artisanal cheeses. Phone: 802-824-5690

Vermont is heavily blessed with everything and anything to do with snow sports, and that includes snow tubing, the fast-growing snow sport, with the virtue of being do-able and enjoy-able by almost anyone. Magic Mountain, at 495 Magic Mountain Access Road in Londonderry and Mount Snow, at Pisgah Road in West Dover, both in the southern region of the state, offer plenty of snow tubing. Magic has its Alakazam Tubing Park, open weekends and school vacation periods. (Guests must be at least 44 inches tall to ride the tubes.) At Mount Snow, tubing is done in the wonderfully named Mixing Bowl. Open daily except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and on holidays. Enjoy a thrilling ride down and then relax as the Magic Carpet whisks you back to the top.

For a visit to authentic local visual and performance art, visit the Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery at 139 Main Street in Brattleboro. Located one floor below street level in a former shoe warehouse, the Hooker-Dunham Theater is one of the Brattleboro area's most dynamic centers for arts and culture. An eclectic variety of music, spoken word, and live theater performances are featured year-round. The theater hosts a regularly scheduled comedy series; in late 2007 Twilight Music began to present monthly stand-up comedy acts that continue to grow in popularity. Check out the website for exhibits and performances at this grassroots arts center.

Bennington Potters on County Street in Bennington has been making beautiful, durable, and functional handmade stoneware pottery since 1948. A special highlight this year is the stoneware dinnerware collection and the stoneware pottery bakeware, mixing bowls, and batterbowl. Come visit and shop at Potters Yard in Bennington and take a tour of the factory. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Phone: 800-205-8033.

The independent, family-owned Northshire Bookstore at 4869 Main Street in Manchester Center, in business since 1976, is a paradise for browsers and literature fiends of every variety. All kinds of books for all kinds of readers, along with DVDs, gifts, music, readings by authors, and book discussions. Lots of Vermont authors and Vermont-oriented reading matter. And if you don’t know quite what you want, the well-read staff is on guard to offer big ideas. The neighboring Spiral Press Café offers sustenance to keep you going. Hours: Sunday-Monday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Phone: 802-362-2200.

Few structures in America combine architectural ingenuity, economic necessity, and romantic idealism better than the covered bridge. Covered bridges flourished in the United States in the 19th century. Pennsylvania has the greatest number of covered bridges, and Vermont, with about 104 covered bridges, has the highest number relative to the state’s size. In Southern Vermont, some highlights of the many covered bridges include the Bridge at the Green (Arlington Bridge) in Arlington and the Henry / Burt Bridge in Bennington, which is a short distance from the rebuilt Paper Mill Bridge and the Silk Bridge. Covered bridges offer a wonderful opportunity to stop, take pictures, dip your feet in the river, and even to picnic.

The Vermont Country Store, on Main Street in Weston, is the first restored rural store in the nation, stocked to the rafters with thousands of practical and intriguing necessities for daily living. Amid countless antiques and oddities from floor to rafters, you'll discover long-forgotten essentials and toys and household products that you remember from childhood. It's all here, from apothecary goods and granny forks to socks guaranteed to fend off temperatures of 30 degrees below zero. Open daily, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Phone: 802-824-3184

The Benedictine Monks of the Weston Priory at 58 Priory Hill Road in Weston is a Benedictine community founded in 1953 and inspired by a monastic tradition reaching back to the earliest centuries of the church, and shaped by the Rule of Saint Benedict. All people are welcome to visit the priory and to join in our celebrations of common prayer each day. The chapel, visitors' center, and grounds afford an atmosphere in which quiet reflection and prayer are accessible to all. The monastery is situated four miles north of the village of Weston at the edge of the Green Mountain National Forest. Phone: 802-824-5409.

You may not have to cook while you’re on vacation, but that doesn’t mean you cannot think about it. J.K. Adams Kitchen Store on Route 30 in Dorset is a three-level cornucopia of tools and resources for the home chef. The staff of 12 people can tell you anything you want to know about cheeses from the neighboring farms to the intricacies of the newest coffee brewer. Throughout the year, J.K. Adams offers tastings of products and demonstrations of the latest gadgets. From time to time, the store sponsors themed cooking workshops offering techniques for home cooks. During the cold months, the Dorset Farmers Market operates an indoor market in this store’s facilities. Phone: 866-362-4422.

The Dover Town Forest Trail, located near Dover and on the eastern edge of the Green Mountain National Forest, offers an east, three-mile walk along a well-maintained trail that follows an old roadbed along a ridge to the Rock River. The trail offers views of Mount Snow and Haystack Mountain to the west and East Dover and South Newfane to the east. From the center of West Dover, take Valley View Road to Cooper Hill Road. Just before the Cooper Hill Inn turn onto Rice Hill Road. At the end of the road on the left is a small parking lot on Dover Town Forest land. This is a beautiful and not difficult walk through the best views of southern Vermont.

Brattleboro is a lovely and artistically hip small town with a classic Victorian Main Street. On the first Friday of each month Main Street turns into a moving party and celebration of the arts during the monthly Gallery Walk. From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. the town's many art galleries are open, street musicians make outdoor music, stores stay open late, and cafes and restaurants fill with art lovers. Come join the fun!