Stowe, Burlington & other northern VT towns filled with fun things to do

Ever wonder how Vermont Teddy Bears are made? Come visit us at our factory and Bear Store and see how our Bears come to life! Watch as our Bears take shape with sewing, stitching and stuffing. All tours are led by our knowledgeable Bear Ambassadors, and kids get to decode a secret Bear message along the way. End your tour with a visit to our Bear Shop where you can choose a new favorite Bear or make one of your own. All tour and store information is available on our website.

The only question here is not what to do but how to fit it all in one vacation. All inclusive means endless activity for every age. With a recreation center, 6 playgrounds, a soccer field, boating, fishing, basketball, volleyball and 6 tennis courts, an archery range, driving range and miniature golf, mountain and road biking, indoor and outdoor heated pools, field house gym and exercise and fitness center, arts and crafts studio, climbing walls and rope courses – well, you get the picture. 70 family cottages and suites, and a rambling, country Inn with a separate sleeping wing Three healthy meals daily, the Fireplace Lounge and Bar for Mom and Dad, and the age staggered children’s programs and you have one great resort to do great things. Lots of them!

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum at 1171 Main Street in the northern Vermont town of St. Johnsbury has many great daily activities for adults and kids who want to explore the life of the mind. One example is the Frist Wednesdays series, where experts ramble about interesting topics. Recent topics were Vincent Van Gogh and the Books He Read and Bierstadt’s “Domes of Yosemite,” and the Creation of an American Icon. You can ekep uo with many other topical or quirky subjects by watching the Athenaeum’s Events page. 802-748-829.

A farm-based beer brewer that is quickly developing a national reputation for unique beers is found waaay up in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, near the town of Greensboro. Beers by Hill Farmstead Brewery , at 403 Hill Road, are hand-crafted and the outcome of years of experience and education. The brewery is based on farmland in use by a family for 220 years. The retail shop, open Wednesdays to Saturdays, noon-5 p.m., is the only place the beer is regularly available. Twelve beers on draft are available at any given time, in 2-liter and 750-ml, bottles. These folks are serious about hand-crafted beers; they even host a Festival of Farmhouse Ales in August.

Tea is served in high style and sold in glorious variety at two unique locations in northern Vermont. 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 (other times by pre-arrangement). The cream tea menu consists of warm freshly-made scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Relax and indulge! (802-888-6888)
Dobra Tea , in Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace, welcomes you for quiet refreshment and hard-to-find teas from remote places like India, China, and Japan. This Bohemian tea room also serves light foods and desserts. Taste and decide what to take home, The tea room also sells artisan tea serving ware. Wonderful for gifts. (802-951-2424)

Champ Lane, a new and brilliant play space for kids age 6 and younger, opened in February 2016 at ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center on Lake Champlain in Burlington. In addition to a fabulous indoor tree house (move over, Tarzan), Champ Lane has a deluxe water table, puppet theater, multilevel boat, play café, and mini French market named after Marché Atwater in Montréal. A book nook offers space for quiet reading, nursing and relaxing. There's also a classroom and lab that will be used to teach about animals and scientific inquiry. Fun for every style of kid. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 802-864-1848.

Since its beginnings in 2010, The Farm House in Burlington has prided itself on its humble farm-to-table cuisine, including its award-winning burgers and local craft beers. It has three sister restaurants, with one hosting a Taco Tuesday event every week in a beer garden. This lovely spot is constantly spicing things up by holding food-related events all summer long, including a brewer’s fest, a gin-themed evening and a celebration of summer tomatoes. If you find yourself in Vermont this summer, don’t forget to head to this unique establishment. 802-859-0888

Yeah, Vermont does comedy, above and beyond cow-tipping and cracker barrel humor. Vermonters can crack wise on themselves, and you, too. A husband-and-wife pair of comedians has opened Vermont Comedy Club at 101 Main Street in Burlington. The comedy space, built inside the old Armory, consists of a 150-seat showroom, a bar/lounge with craft cocktails and snacks, and a classroom for anyone who wants to do it himself. The weekly calendar is packed, including open mic nights and comedy jams. Drop in!

With the motto “Helping Vermonters Survive in Style Since 1895,” Shaw’s General Store on Main Street in Stowe covers most of the essentials, in products with quality and deep Vermont flavor. The Heritage Collection of rugged clothing brands includes Vermont’s Darn Tough socks. (802-253-4040). The Country Store opened in the historic Lackey Building on Maine Street in 2016 after a careful restoration of the old general store. More arty than Shaw’s, this is a great resource for artisan-made gifts. Stowe Mercantile, in the old Depot Building on Main Street, could be some version of a 1900 department store. For your needs to all kinds on a Stowe vacation or back at home, the wonderfully named Mercantile has you covered (802-253-7653).