Vermont - Fall Foliage Tour

Let me tell you about Vermont - for all of those who have never seen it.

It is SPECTACULAR.

The fall foliage is true artwork from God.  The scenery - with the mountains, the colours, the wood sided houses and hand-carved signs - speaks to history and a defiance of commerciality.

You get the impression that the state is poor - houses could use a paint job, farms in disrepair - but it's not poverty like you'd see in Michigan or New York, or even London (ON).  It is green and lush and welcoming.

Women don't dye their hair (or none that I noticed), nor do they wear makeup (or very little).  Beards were predominant on men and plaid is the uniform of choice.

Pretentiousness is absent - and what a welcome absence!

Every town has it's own white church with a steeple that peeks through the foliage.

Large plastic or metal signs were only found on gas stations - beyond that, every business had wooden signs like the ones below.  They were beautifully carved and the lack of commercialism-as-I-know-it was refreshing.

Can you imagine walking to work each day looking at this?
I'd never make it into the office.

Two-lane highways everywhere and not one of them had even a small section less spectacular than this;

We travelled from October 14th to the 17th and we were perhaps a week in to the fall colours.  I'd suggest travelling anytime after the first week of October, but before today (October 24th) to see the best of the season.

Burlington, VT - the state's largest city at ~43,000 people and home to the University of Vermont.

"The University of Vermont is labeled one of the original "Public Ivies," a publicly funded university considered as providing a quality of education comparable to those of the Ivy League"    ~Wikipedia

Below is Church Street - a pedestrian only street with numerous shops and cafes - and home to the only Starbucks we could find in our travels.

Cold Hollow Cider Mill is a not-to-be-missed stop.  The best apple cider, and the only apple cider donut I've ever tasted.  (See what I mean about eating our way through Vermont?)

True to expectations, Vermont also has numerous covered bridges throughout the state.  If you're looking for the romance of 'Bridges of Madison County' in the backdrop of 'Baby Boom' or 'Dead Poet's Society' - this is the state you want to visit.

If road trips aren't your thing, don't worry - Vermont has it's share of outlet malls - both factory outlets (Essex), and designer outlets (Manchester) including Michael Kors, Coach, Armani and Kate Spade

I'm not going to lie - Coach is nice, but it was the row of knobs at Hobby Lobby that really had me drooling. lol

The best place to stay in Vermont?

I have to say The Essex - Culinary Resort and Spa.

It's location is perfect for day trips to Stowe, Waterbury, Burlington etc, and it's just a couple of blocks from the Vermont Factory Outlet stores.
To top it off, it's a culinary academy & resort - meaning the food is out of this world.  I actually had to forego my treat (bacon) because they have their own livestock at the facility and I was worried one of the little critters I'd seen out back was going to be my breakfast.  (I prefer face-less meat).  Hubby said his post-dinner snack of chicken wings were the best he's ever tasted.
This hotel we will definitely be returning to.

Hubby created a fall foliage tour - the one we actually did - so that if the opportunity arises for you to visit, you'll be able to see all of the same stunning scenery we did.

Thank you baby, for driving endless hours to make our 10th Anniversary the trip of a lifetime.  xox

Printable version here

 Have a great one!
  
 





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