One of the first things you notice in Vermont is the lack of billboards along the highways; they're against the law in the Green Mountain State. The clean landscape reminds us that Vermont has always had a special place in popular American culture. It's the place we think of when we think of taciturn Yankee farmers, rugged individualists who exemplified the Old Farmer's Almanac-style of making do with little. Vermont can also boast of Ben & Jerry's, the only Independent US senator, a firm commitment to sound ecology, a fierce resistance to the Walmart-ization of small towns and a healthy desire to save the planet! This free spiritedness is done with a great love of the outdoors, of every kind of sport you can practice in the open air, and an appreciation of good food.
There are only 608,000 people in Vermont, making it 49th in terms of population, and there are less than 40,000 in Burlington, its largest city. The per capita income is just under $30,000 per year, making it about four percent below that of the national average, and the unemployment rate is only 3.7%, far below the national level. Burlington's temperatures are five to ten degrees cooler in summer than the rest of the state, by the same factor warmer in winter, but the state is best in every season except the spring "mud season." Snow-lovers can expect the white stuff from late November through mid-April, averaging 78 inches, frequently falling in amounts of two to five inches at a time.
Burlington Attractions
The magnificent Shelburne Museum is probably Vermont's best of any kind, and is definitely the top museum in the entire nation in terms of folk art. I especially liked the General Store (look for the spools of thread and the Sweeny Todd-like collection of razors in the Pharmacy); the "100 Best Quilts" on display (check out the two "crazy" quilts and the Centennial Album Quilt; from 2005, there will be a separate Quilt Museum for the 420 they own); and children's pedal cars. Their annual Art & Craft festival with 200 juried artisans, takes place on July 30 and August 1, 2004.
Created in 1947 by a sugar heiress, Electra Havemeyer Webb (1888-1960), the Shelburne's structures include 25 historic houses, several styles of barns, an 1870 lighthouse, a covered bridge and the 220-foot steamboat Ticonderoga, resting on dry land a far piece from the lake which it once plied. In Mrs. Webb's home are rooms from her Park Avenue apartment in New York, containing works by Monet, Manet, Degas, Cassatt, Corot, Homer, Wyeth and Grandma Moses, among others. The museum is open from May 1 through October 31, 2004, closed in winter as seeing the place requires visiting several of the 39 buildings scattered around the place's many acres. Admission $18 adults, $9 children (6-18), under 6 free (Vermont residents half price). Contact them at 802/985-3346 or at www.shelburnemuseum.org.
At the new (May, 2003) ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, you can explore the Ecology, Culture, History and Opportunities for stewardship of the area (hence, the acronym ECHO). Families shouldn't be alarmed by the academic sounding name, it's primarily a lake aquarium and science center, aimed mostly at children. The center contains twenty aquatic habitats, with more than 2,000 live animals. Open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day. ECHO holds a Green Building Certification, making the center the only building of its kind in Vermont and the only lake aquarium in the US to merit the designation of maintaining proper ecological conditions for high-performance, sustainable structures. One small example-in the bathrooms, you choose when flushing the toilet between the "half" button, which uses less gallons than the "whole" button, a feature which has been present on thousands of toilets in Japan for at least 40 years. Admission $9 adults, $8 seniors (62+) and students with ID, $6 children (3-17). Contact: 802/864-1848 or www.echovermont.org.
A Model Farm
If you want to visit a farm that looks like a French chateau, visit the Shelburne Farms, originally designed as a model agricultural estate in 1886 by a doctor and his Vanderbilt wife. Today it's a 1400-acre working farm, National Historic Landmark and nonprofit environmental education organization. Open from May 17 through October 19, 2004, it offers walking trails, a children's farmyard, and guided tours, as well as the chance to watch cheese making. They host a Mozart Festival and an appearance by the Vermont Symphony in July this year. Dates and times of the many and varied programs are subject to change, so contact them at 802/985-8686 or visit www.shelburnefarms.org. There is also an Inn there, where you can stay and have breakfasts and dinners 802/985-8498.
Shopping
The Church Street Marketplace, four blocks of a pedestrians-only promenade with over 100 shops and restaurants, is anchored by a Filene's Department Store, but should be seen even you're not interested in buying things, as it is the central spot in Burlington for young people to hang out. The marketplace also provides a neat picture of Vermont attitudes, with its trees and benches, and the names of some of its attractions. My favorites include The Peace & Justice Store ("good things for good causes"), which says it is a not-for-profit retail business selling crafts, books, stationery, books and magazines, and Equal Exchange coffee, among other items; ECCO Clothes for Women; Middle Earth; The Piercing Pagoda; and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.
Quilters should love the Quilter's Courtyard, which says it is "New England's only full-service quilting resource center." You can even come here to finish your quilt tops in their machine-quilting studio. Located at 4 Market Street in South Burlington, it's open daily. Phone 802/863-4656.
If you want to sample and perhaps buy some Vermont cheddar cheese, maple syrup or ham, check out the Dakin Farm, established in 1792, in Ferrisburgh (about ten miles south of the Shelburne Museum) or in South Burlington at their branch store. Phone them at 802/425-3971 or visit www.dakinfarm.com.
Lodging
For nostalgia fans, lovers of Victoriana and those who like just plain comfortable hospitality, check out the Willard Street B&B Inn, at 349 South Willard Street, right next to the University of Vermont. There are 14 beautifully furnished rooms, each with cable TV, phone and private bath. Breakfast in the sunny solarium features homemade goodies (muffins, waffles, omelets, for instance) and the staff is famous for its outstanding service. Rooms from $125 to $225. Rates may go up in the foliage season, September 15 through October 25, they say. Phone 802/651-8710, website www.willardstreetinn.com.
The Wyndham Burlington Hotel's front rooms overlook Lake Champlain, but it's essentially a business hotel, and it's across a busy street from the water in any case. Amenities include heated indoor pool, fitness center, restaurant and room service. Rates from May through October are $159 to $179 per room, rest of the year $109 to $139. 60 Battery Street, phone 800/WYNDHAM or 802/658-6500, website www.wyndhamburlington.com.
Dining Out
For Japanese food, try Sakura, at the Church Street Marketplace. The usual fare, sushi, tempura, donburi (the latter $10). 2 Church Street, phone 802/863-1988.
If a sandwich is enough for you, consider the Top of the Block Sandwich Shoppe, also at 2 Church Street, where most full sandwiches cost $5.25, half ones $3. Even more interesting is the City Market, open every day from 7 AM to 11 PM, the next street over from Church Street Marketplace, where you can get sandwiches, beverages, salads, or hot/cold buffet items in their "grab and go" section. 82 S. Winooski Avenue, phone 802/863-3659.
Two restaurants (one for sit-down and upscale, the other for quick bites and take out) are the draw of the New England Culinary Institute's place in Burlington, at 25 Church Street. Chef-instructors and students prepare the quite tasty meals. Open daily except Sunday evening, phone 802/862-6324.
One of Burlington's finest restaurants, loaded with ambience, is the Trattoria Delia, where a fireplace burns in winter, and where the service is marvelous. Pasta courses range from $11.50 to $16.50, meat or fish dishes from $14.50 to $26. As in the better restaurants throughout the state, they work with the Vermont Fresh Network to provide the best locally-grown foods. Open daily, dinner only. 152 St. Paul Street, phone 802/864-5253.
Stowe
Just a 45-minute drive northeast of Burlington is Stowe, which likes to call itself "The Sun Valley of the East," and is at its best in winter (for skiing) and summer (when everything is in bloom). You'll need a map to navigate here, despite the blizzard of signs which fill every open space in town. But en route from Burlington, be sure to check out Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory, which has tours every half hour (more often in summer). Yes, they have samples on the tour, which costs $3 for adults, $2 for seniors, with kids 12 and younger free. Route 100, Waterbury, phone 866/BJ TOURS, www.benjerry.com.
A highlight for many visitors to Stowe might be the Trapp Family Lodge, which, again, should be seen in winter when snow gives it charm, or summer, when the window boxes full of red flowers complement the otherwise bare-bones look of the farm d?r. If you're not staying here, you might enjoy having lunch at the Austrian Tea Room, a separate building just down the road. Rates run from $198 to $260 for deluxe rooms in the Lodge, higher on holidays and in winter. You can buy a four-week share of a condo villa in a new development here from $86,000 and up. Phone 800/826-7000 or visit www.trappfamily.com.
Stoweflake Mountain Resort (now in its 41st year) is worth a visit, with cozy public rooms and a first-class spa, the latter opened only in August 2003. Among the dozens of treatments on the spa's list are such unique items as a Vermont Maple Sugar Body Polish (maple scrub and body butter) , costing $150 for 80 minutes, or a Green Mountain Herbal Clay Wrap (also $150 and 80 minutes). Standard rooms go for $150 to $180. Contact them at 800/253-2232 or 802/253-7355, website www.stoweflake.com.
Views riding up to the Stowe Mountain Resort on its ropeway are best, again, in full winter or summer, and certainly when the trees are turning in fall, and there's a restaurant at Cliff House on top at this, the eastern United States' most famous and historic ski resort.
For dinner in Stowe, you could not do better than the Blue Moon Café, 35 School Street in the village. The owner, Jim Barton, might recommend you have, as I did, an excellent crab cake appetizer ($12), followed by a main course of Glover rabbit. Entrees run from $16.75 to $26. Phone 802/253-7006, website www.bluemoonstowe.com.
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