Issues → September/October 2009 → Travel →
What is There to See In New England?
Start your trip here
From Vermont's Green Mountains to Rhode Island's vast coast line, there's a reason to visit every New England state in every season. If you're planning a visit soon, start here for the sights to see in each state:
Vermont: The Green Mountain State
By David Lyon and Patricia Harris
Vermont is New England's vertical state, where things are always looking up -- unless you're staring down a black diamond ski run at Killington or Stowe. Lacking the saltwater coast of the rest of the region, Vermont compensates with its knobby spine of the Green Mountains and the nation's first -- and some would argue best -- long-distance hiking path, the Long Trail.
The moment you drive across the border you'll notice that Vermonters cruise around in four-wheel-drive vehicles with ski racks in winter and bike racks in summer. They just toss the snowboards (Vermont more or less invented the sport) into the hatchback. From Mount Snow in the south to outrageous Jay Peak in the Northeast Kingdom, there's a ski, board, or bike trail with your name on it.
Two artists have captured the enduring rustic soul of Vermont. The "primitive" paintings of Grandma Moses recount a farm-life idyll of the state's southwest corner. See many of them at the Bennington Museum.
A little farther north in the artistic and intellectual capital of Middlebury, artist Woody Jackson has established the black and white Holstein cow as the icon of the state. Jackson's bovines emblazon the pints of premium ice cream produced by the Green Mountain moguls of mix-ins, Ben & Jerry, at their Waterbury factory. Also thank the cows for some of America's best cheeses, which you can taste at the factories in Cabot or Healdville or Grafton -- or in any of the state's equally iconic country stores. (Catch the "original" in Weston.)
The signature taste of Vermont, though, is sweet. Even if you miss the spring maple syrup festivals, be sure to order a tall stack of pancakes at any of the state's great diners and breakfast cafes. Your syrup should come in a generous pitcher.
Few states feed you as well as Vermont, thanks partly to the training programs of the New England Culinary Institute. Visit NECI's restaurants in Montpelier and Essex Junction. When the aroma of pot-au-feu lures you into a village bistro, remember that the chef probably trained in Montpelier. And he or she likely uses locally grown produce, meat and dairy products -- look for the Vermont Fresh logo.
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