Peace and Love from Vermont, Man
We headed out early for a long drive from Maine to Vermont, the state best known for their pure maple syrup. We even drove through Mexico to get there—Mexico, New Hampshire that is. Let me just say, Vermont is absolutely beautiful. The highways are surrounded by an abundance of trees, rolling hills, and mountains that make you feel like you’re in a watercolor painting. I felt like screaming “The hills are alive with the sound of musssiicccc” really loudly.
[View from highway]
Our first stop in Vermont was Bragg Farm Sugarhouse. We entered the charming log cabin to a sweet lady who sat us down in the room where they make syrup. We then watched a film on the process of syrup making and taste tested the four different kinds. When I say taste test we literally took shots of each kind of syrup. My teeth are probably slowly rotting away. The syrups range from lightest to darkest with the darkest having the most maple flavor. You can tell how big of a deal syrup is to Vermonters considering they have a Maple Street and Buttermilk Lane.
Our next stop in Vermont was the Original Ben and Jerry’s Ice cream Factory Tour. We parked by the “Flavor Graveyard” where they have headstones of the ice cream flavors that are no longer with us. We then walked down towards the factory to tour inside. We watched a short film in the Moooo-vie Theater to learn about the history of the company and then saw them make peanut butter cup ice cream. I learned that they only make one pint flavor a day, which I thought was interesting. We then taste tested their “Milk and Cookies” flavor in the test kitchen where it all began. It was udder-ly delicious!
We continued on the road to Burlington with only samples of syrup and ice cream in our stomachs so we were looking for something a bit hardier. It was quite a challenge to find something to eat because Vermont is a state that doesn’t allow billboards. There aren’t even signs that tell you what food, lodging, or gas station is off each exit. So we took a guess, got off an exit, and found a Burger King—chicken fries here I come!
We headed into the city center of Burlington to wander about Church Street, which is a pedestrian street with plenty of local and chain stores. They had street musicians and dogs hanging around. We then followed the sidewalk to Lake Champlain. It was quite beautiful. We took a stroll along the wooden deck and sat on a swinging bench to take in the views.
xoxo,
Em