It was time to get out of Dodge again (aka Manhattan); this time, it was for a Weekend in Vermont. It took more than 6 hours to get there from Manhattan, but I was so glad to be leaving the city that I happily dealt with the trip’s duration.
Yankee Candle
Our first stop on the way was Yankee Candle located in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. The Yankee Candle Company is an American manufacturer and retailer of scented candles, candleholders, accessories, and dinnerware. Here are some photos and yes, I enjoyed the shopping.
Yankee Candle, South Deerfield MA. Photo credit: Sora Vernikoff
Yankee Candle interior, South Deerfield MA. Photo credit: Sora Vernikoff
Quechee Gorge Village
Our next stop was The Quechee Gorge Village and the Vermont Antique Mall. We could hike through the Quechee Gorge, but I chose the low-impact aerial view. We then visited the Vermont Toy Museum, Whisper Hill Bath and Body Shop, Sweet Spot Candy Store, and The Antique Mall, which displays antiques for sale in a cooperative of 135 vendors.
A unique part of the mall was the Vermont Alpaca Store, where I fed and petted the alpacas outside the store. These alpacas provide the wool to create the products for sale inside the store. Fun indeed!
The Quechee Gorge
Quechee Gorge Trail Entrance. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
Quechee Gorge aerial view. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
Cuddly Vermont Alpacas. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
Cabot Farmer’s Village Store Market
We traveled to the Cabot Farmer’s Village Store Market in Waterbury, Vermont, specializing in Vermont products. You may have noticed by now that this was a fun shopping trip enveloped in the captivating nature of Vermont, and it’s quiet and lovely.
I thought these items were clever enough to share.
‘Smores at the Cabot Village Store. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
Let’s Get Toasted at the Cabot Village Store. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
Vermont T-Shirts at the Cabot Village Store. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
Morse Farm and Maple Sugar Works
The next day, we had a fantastic experience at the Morse Farm and Maple Sugar Works in Montpelier, Vermont. There were free sugar house tours and tastings, multimedia displays in a genuine woodshed theatre, a nature trail, a Vermont farm life museum, and spectacular bucolic scenery!
Morse Farm and Maple Sugar Works. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
A scene from the Morse Farm and Maple Sugar Works. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
The Swinger
I couldn’t resist posting myself on a swing. While you may chuckle, I’d ask when you were last on a swing.
Sora Vernikoff swinging at the Morse Farm Maple Sugar Works. Photo Credit: Anon.
We enjoyed a fabulous sugar sap tasting, where we made sugar candy and sampled it with donuts and pickles. That combination of flavors made for an exciting tasting experience. Below is a photo of the sap on ice after we finished making the candy.
Maple Sugar
Sugar on Snow at the Morse Farm Maple Sugar Works. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
Montpelier
Our next stop in our Weekend in Vermont was the capital city, Montpelier, which was more like a quaint town, quiet and restful on a Sunday.
A Quiet Scent in Montpelier, Vermont. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Our next stop was the Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury Center, Vermont. The Mill processes 140,000 thousand apples daily to produce the most amazing apple cider I’ve ever tasted!
Welcome to the Cold Hollow Cider Mill Montpelier, VT,. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
Cold Hollow Cider Mill Montpelier, VT,. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
Ben & Jerry’s
Before returning to New York City, we visited the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream plant on Route 100 in Waterbury Village. While I’m not a Ben & Jerry’s aficionado and am partial to Edy’s Low Fat ice cream, I thought Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard was a curious tourist attraction, and it’s where flavors like Rainforest Crunch that fared poorly in the market end up.
Ben and Jerry’s Flavor Graveyard in Waterbury Village. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
In Memory of Rainforest Crunch at Ben & Jerry’s. Photo Credit: Sora Vernikoff
I’ll Be Back
With this trip, my affection for Vermont is revitalized. I look forward to another Weekend in Vermont of peaceful bliss in this place of heavenly tastes, fuzzy animals, scenery, and shopping.
Readers may also enjoy our reviews of Williamsport and Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon, From Louisville to Paris, Kentucky: Four Days on the Bourbon Trail, In Search of Brad Pitt, and Morroco and the Sahara.
