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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.
The state is more than mountain trails, covered bridges, and rolling cow pastures. Two of its lakes -- Champlain and Memphremagog -- are so big they each have a legendary sea serpent, and the long, deep finger of Lake Willoughby resembles nothing so much as a landlocked fjord.
Reader Comments
Comment from Jonathan Spiller on October 13, 2008
I love Vermont. The Mountains, animals,scenic views, covered bridges. A good Bed and Breakfast ids the Carriage House of Woodstock, Vermont. I went there for a few days in October 2007.
Comment from Gerry Kimmitt on January 6, 2009
My husband and I visited Vermont in 2005. We were looking for a special place to picnic and found Jamaica State Park, I believe it was a little bit north of Brattleboro. October is the best time, before they open the dam, as the small river that runs along the park is spectacular. We went back two years later in May, but the river was high and you couldn't walk down to the banks. I love New England in general, but that was a very special memory for both of us.
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