Vermont vacation - day six

 

After breakfast, we visited Shelburne Farms, an educational nonprofit focused on sustainability.

Eliza Vanderbilt and her husband, William Seward Webb, created the farm in the 19th century using the Vanderbilt fortune. They purchased land from 33 farms, nearly 4,000 acres, from the original settlers' families and hired a landscape architect to lay out the farm, fields, and forests. A New York architect designed the buildings. They planted new trees, consolidated and/or tore down buildings, removed boundary walls, and plowed over roads to make new ones.

In the 20th century, the estate became too expensive to maintain, so Eliza's heirs focused on dairy and sheep farming. They formed a nonprofit in 1972 and bequeathed the property to it in 1986. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Historic Landmark District.

It is a thriving dairy farm committed to sustainable agriculture, healthy local food systems, and education. They also make cheese and sugar and have a large organic garden.

We could have stayed all day. There was so much to do and see. Instead, we followed the guy's recommendation in the welcome booth and hiked half a mile to the farm. Coming out of the woods to the first view of the structure is amazing.

We moved through the buildings, watching them make cheese, bake bread, and feed the animals. We sampled cheeses, bought a dark chocolate cherry loaf, and hiked through the orchard and flower garden. It is definitely a place to return to on our next visit because we didn’t see the house, the inn, or hike the many trails despite spending half the day there. 

We bought some sodas and gifts at the Farm Store and moved on to our next tourist destination, the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. It’s the largest maker of teddy bears sold online. The founder made a teddy bear for his son, and it grew from there.

They had a factory tour, but Tom wasn’t keen on it since a tour bus had dropped off a load of older adults. Plus, honestly, the bears were not all that impressive. And they cost a fortune.

Tom: “Build-a-Bear does it better, in my opinion.”

I had wanted to do the tour, but I had to agree with him. They were subpar bears for a fortune. 

We left, drove to Burlington, and walked around downtown. We had hamburgers and cocktails in a restaurant we picked and then walked along the waterfront.

The trip back to the resort was peaceful, and we loved how much the trees had turned since we'd arrived. 

All in all, a great day.

Vermont vacation - day five

We awoke to sunshine and a temperature increase and spent the day roaming the resort. There are supposedly miles and miles of hiking at this resort, from easy to hard to hike if you dare. Everything I read told me the trails were well-marked. I downloaded the map from my Smuggler's app, and still, we could not find the easy hiking trails to save our lives.

We could've asked, but we kept thinking we'd find them. We ended up on several trails, but they either brought us to buildings or circled us back to where we began. 

The starting point to many of the easy trails was a gazebo by the village center. The directions told us to walk toward different types of trees as if we were arborists. Once, it directed me toward two white blah, blah, blah (I don't remember the species) trees, and since there were two trees that looked the same, that's where I walked. Nothing. No signage. No trails. I kept making Tom return to the gazebo to start over. 

Still, the scenery was GREEN and lush and spectacular. I got in my steps.

That evening, we went to trivia night. I wanted to see if this one was better than the Smoky's mystery murder night, and while we had fun, it was done on our phones, so there was little to no social interaction with the other club owners.

We encountered a couple at the firepit who later appeared at trivia. They won both games and afterward, we continued our chat from the pit, talking about presidential ownership and Wyndham. They were in a presidential unit and said they were very nice. Later, Tom and I drove to those buildings. They definitely had a better view of the mountains.

We had gotten sandwiches from a stop-and-go gas station deli recommended to us by our plane guy for lunch. A step up from fast food, but nothing to write home about. After trivia, we weren't very hungry, so we returned to the resort and had some snacks before calling it a night.

Vermont vacation - days three and four

Monday, it rained. In Florida, we have rain, but it never lasts long. Here, it continues. The temperatures dropped, and although I sat on the back porch covered in my presidential robe, I wore shorts when it came time to dress for the day.

We lounged. Read. Tom worked in the little desk space he'd made in his room, hooking his laptop to the TV. I wrote. During a break in the weather, Tom took a little walk, and later, he drove into Jeffersonville to the small grocery.

I wonder why he keeps buying all this food. We can't possibly eat it, but he's so happy when he returns with it, I can't complain. He's having fun exploring the area's groceries, and we are totally sold on Cabot company, the local dairy.

Tuesday was more of the same--cold and wet. We didn't let that stop us. We love the cold. Since the Steelers won last night, I wore my Steelers sweatpants and shirt, and Tom bundled up like it was skiing weather, and off we went. I researched local attractions yesterday and had a list. Tom went with the flow. I like this side of him.

The leaves began turning with the rain and the cooler temperatures, and the drive to Waterbury was incredible despite the rain. Our first stop was the Cold Hollow Apple Cider Mill, recommended to us by our plane guy. We had soup and sandwiches in the restaurant and then toured the shop across the pathway, purchasing gifts and apple cider donuts. It was a cute, touristy place, but the food lacked taste. Several Steelers fans talked to us as Tom wore his Steelers jacket, and I was head to toe in black and gold.

We drove from the mill to tour the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory, arriving between tours. We explored the shop and surrounding area while we waited. There is a cemetery outside the factory for the Ben & Jerry flavors that didn't make it, and we walked through it in the rain, reading all the"headstones."

Inside, I met a woman from Pittsburgh, and we chatted about Monday night's game before her husband pulled her away. Steelers Nation is everywhere, people!

The guided tour was thirty minutes, starting with a movie introducing the two men and how they founded the company. I got choked over their progressive, nonpartisan social mission. The company seeks to meet human needs and eliminate local, national, and international injustices. When Ben & Jerry sold the company, they ensured the new owners would carry that commitment forward.

They really believe ice cream can change the world. Heck, I'll buy them just for that alone.

The factory is a working one. The tour took us through a glassed mezzanine above the production room floor, where we learned how they make the pints. We sampled some of the chunks they put in the ice cream and ended up in the Flavor Room, where we got a sample of ice cream and had a Q&A. We didn't hop over to the Scoop Shop since the sample was so large, and we wanted to give our plane guy another chance.

Our next stop was the Cabot Creamery farmer's store, replacing their old factory tour. The Cabot Company is an American dairy agricultural cooperative started in 1919. They initially produced butter and later expanded to include cheeses in 1930. To combat declining membership, they merged with Agri-Mark and rebranded as Cabot. There are over 400 Cabot farmers in Vermont.

We got to sample various cheeses, and Tom, of course, had to make some purchases. Their whipped butter was my favorite, and if we had Cabot in Florida, I'd buy it exclusively, as I would Ben & Jerry's ice cream. These New Englanders know how to work together to make a better world.

Across the parking lot from Cabot's was the distillery, and having tasted Tennessee moonshine, I decided I might as well taste Vermont bourbon.

But the first offering is a shot of maple syrup.

Me: "Who shoots syrup?"

Owner: "Vermonters."

I couldn't do it. I had to lick it a bit at a time, but OMG! That syrup is incredible. Now, I understand why it is sold by the gallon everywhere in Vermont. I asked the guy why it was so damn good, and we had a nice chat. He escaped Florida, bought property in Vermont, and brought his family, his wife's side included, to live there. He taps his own trees and makes his own syrup.

I tried five bourbon samples and discussed each with the other taster and the employees. Afterward, I walked around the store, still licking my maple syrup.

Owner: "I just watched you do five bourbon shots like a boss, but you can't down the syrup?"

I couldn't. He had me try both the bourbon and rum syrup, and since I couldn't decide which I liked best, Tom bought me one of each.

We ended our night in Stowe at Piecasso for pizza and a salad, and it was the best pizza I've put in my mouth.

The last time I visited Vermont, I swore I would have a summer home here.

Now, I really need one.