Shae and I recently left Vermont after spending 3 weeks during our 50 state road trip.
Despite our last state – Kentucky – being our 12th state, Vermont wasn’t our 13th. That’s because we spent a week in Montpelier last year, so really it was our 5th state. We didn’t have time to see all the state last year, so that’s why we spent another 3 weeks there this year.
Here’s a look back at some of our favorite – and not so favorite – things from our time in Vermont.
Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At
Stephen – We stayed at three Airbnbs and one hotel. My favorite of all of them was the Airbnb we stayed at in Montpelier. It was a 2 bedroom place as we had a friend visiting and was a short walk to downtown Montpelier.
Shae – Tough call we had great places to stay all over Vermont, but my favorite is also the Montpelier Airbnb.
Favorite Meal
Stephen – We didn’t eat out much in Vermont, probably because most of our budget was spent on visiting all the breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries in the area!
I think my favorite meal was the pizza from Jimmz Pizza in Waterbury – a great crust and loads of meat.
Shae – The Blue Suede Moos from Grapevine Grille. So yummy!
Most Disappointing Meal
Stephen – I’m drawing a blank here as I can’t think of any meal that was particularly disappointing.
Shae – I don’t have one either.
Favorite Free Activity
Stephen – As much as I enjoyed all the waterfalls we saw, my favorite was hiking up Mt Pisgah. Shae will roll her eyes at my answer when she sees it as she wasn’t a big fan of all the bugs and the fact that there were no views from the summit itself. However, the views of Lake Willoughby from the overlooks were incredible.
Shae – Yes, I rolled my eyes. I loved the Cabot cheese tasting in Waterbury. 28 types of cheese to sample!
Favorite Paid Activity
Stephen – All the drinking places we visited in central Vermont and along the Middlebury Tasting Trail. Some of them were free, but most of them charged for their tastings.
Shae – Ben and Jerry’s Tour – hands down. Ice cream, great jokes, ice cream… did I mention ice cream!? We also got to be there during their 40th anniversary and my friend, Stef, who was over from England was also celebrating her 40th birthday, so it was doubly fun!
Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity
Stephen – It’s a toss-up between the hike up Mt Pisgah and the Dog Chapel at Dog Mountain.
Shae – Definitely the Dog Chapel – I also loved how many places on the Middlebury Tasting Trail were dog-friendly.
Least Favorite Activity
Stephen – Sitting in traffic in and around Brandon. There was a lot of roadwork going on in that area and several roads were reduced to one lane. That meant you had to wait ages for oncoming traffic to get through before the construction workers let your side through, so we sat in traffic quite a lot when coming and going.
Shae – The drag up Mt. Pisgah that I had to endure.
Favorite Hike
Stephen – Mt Pisgah.
Shae – I loved the hike we did a year ago behind the State Capitol building. There was a great walk up and then a beautiful walk down. You can follow a road back down and get beautiful views of Montpelier’s quaint downtown.
Favorite Quirky Thing We Did
Stephen – There wasn’t really anything we did in Vermont that I’d class as particularly quirky. I guess going on the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory tour is the closest we came to quirkiness.
Shae – Yeah, we didn’t *technically* do anything too quirky… except… visiting the Quirky Pet in Montpelier. I LOVED that quirky thing – it’s home to the Bergamascos of Montpelier!
Although, I think visiting a chapel dedicated to the memory of dogs might count as quirky in most people’s books.
Favorite Memory
Stephen – Looking out over Lake Willoughby from Mt Pisgah.
Shae – Stef’s visit last year when we were in Montpelier is a highlight. Also, getting to enjoy lunch and walk around town with Rachel in Burlington. But, I also really loved doing my cliff jump at Warren Falls.
Funniest Moment
Stephen – Probably me slipping over while at Warren Falls and ending up completely soaked. Truffles wasn’t such a fan of that moment as I was holding her at the time due to the depth of the water and the strength of the current.
Shae – Stephen’s tipsiness after his Further’s Day (Father’s Day for dog dads) Middlebury Tasting Trail adventure. He was so funny, he spent wantonly (my favorite part!), his desperation for McDonald’s, and how he crashed hard on the ride home.
Thing We Most Regretted
Stephen – Hmm….no regrets as such, but it was a shame we didn’t get to go to the Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival as it wasn’t pet-friendly and we were staying too far away to leave Truffles at the Airbnb by herself all day.
Shae – Yeah, I wish we could’ve gone to the Quechee Balloon Festival. I regret the “hike” up Mt. Pisgah.
Something We Missed And Want To See
Stephen – The Quechee Balloon Festival and more covered bridges seeing as we only caught 10 of them.
Shae – I’d really like to see Vermont in winter too so I can go snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Our Biggest Surprise
Stephen – How cute Montpelier was. It’s definitely the nicest state capital we’ve seen so far.
Vermont as a whole is incredibly beautiful as well. I don’t think you can stand anywhere in the state without there being a mountain in view and a waterfall or creek within throwing distance. All the precipitation it receives helps ensure it’s lush and green too.
Shae – How much I loved Vermont in general. When we visited last May, there weren’t any flies so it was even more wonderful. If we were making a list of places I could maybe live one day though, Montpelier would make the top 10.
My Vermont Drinking Game Would Be…
Stephen – To take a drink every time you see a distillery, brewery, winery or cidery. To be honest, we pretty much played this game our last two weeks in Vermont!
Shae – Take a drink whenever you see maple products.
Summary Of Vermont In 10 Words Or Less
Stephen – Drinking and mountains as far as the eye can see.
Shae – Vermont is extraordinarily beautiful and has Ben and Jerry’s – Winner!!!
Vermont Cities We Visited In Order From Favorite To Least Favorite
Stephen – Waterbury, Montpelier, Brandon, Burlington.
Shae – Montpelier, Waterbury, Brandon, Burlington (sorry Rachel).
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