Vermont is known as the Green Mountain State. It is 14th state to enter the United States. The state bird is the hermit thrush, the animal is the Morgan horse. Now I'm partial to workhorses and the Morgan horse is one of the best. Vermont is the leading producer of maple syrup in the United States.
Most of you have seen the movie The Sound of Music. When the singing Von Trapp family left Austria and found a new home, Vermont is where they settled. They built a resort that is still in operation today and still partly owned by the family. There you will find winter sports and in the summer there are hiking trails.
The Green Mountain National Forest has 900 miles of hiking trails that offer hiking all the way from beginners to experts. And in the winter you can use the same trails for snowshoeing or cross country skiing. Vermont recommends hiking as a family experience and has programs geared to children in many of the parks.
Five shipwrecks from the 1700's are located at Underwater Historic Preserves. Coast Guard approved yellow buoys mark the area for scuba divers. The ships are all identified. There is the Horse Ferry, the Phoenix, the Coal Barge, the General Butler, and the Diamond Island Stone Boat.
Many of the maple sugarhouses are open all year around. You can buy maple sugar, maple syrup, and maple candy. But the tapping of the trees is done in the early spring. If you make reservations, you can watch the tapping and collecting of sap and watch it being boiled down. You can tour the sugar houses and sugarbush. You can even have a sugar-on-snow party to try the product.
Bikers will enjoy the Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail. It has 20 miles of gravel, cinder ballast, and some grassy surfaces divided into two 10 mile sections. It is for people powered bikes only. Snowmobiles are allowed in the winter. Dogs and horses are allowed as long as they are under control.
When I think of Vermont, I think of covered bridges. Covered bridges were built to, of course, cross waterways and otherwise uncrossable places. They were covered to protect them from the harsh elements of Vermont weather. Many of them date back to the 1800's. They are very pictureque and a lot of them are still usable. There is a list of them in the Travel Guide.
Stables are available if you want to bring your own ride with you. If not, they have horses for beginners and experienced horsemen. There are ring and trail rides available. Or maybe a wagon ride to look at scenery is more to your taste.
There is so much more to see in Vermont but I've made a long post of this. You can find a lot more to do when you start to plan your adventure. I want you to have a good time and then come back and tell me what you did. I'm off to the Granite Sculptures of Hope Cemetery. Then I'll take a look at the Happy Bee. After that I'm going to the University of Vermont to see the Morgan horses they raise there. Links are below.
Copas
Vermont Official Site
Travel Guide
State Parks
National Parks
Scenic Byways
Vermont Campground Association
The Trapp Family Lodge
Vermont Historical Society
Offbeat Tourist Attractions
I have played a lot in this state. For a tiny state there is a lot to see.
ReplyDeleteIn all the years I lived on the East Coast I never made it to Vermont. Looks like I missed a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteYou're almost to my Evergreen state!