Vermont Vacations
By Golda Turner
Are you looking for a family vacation at a very relaxed pace? The rolling hills of Vermont may be just the thing for you.
The Green Mountains of Vermont are full of picturesque farms, many of which welcome guests or have farm stands selling freshly picked produce. Our children fondly remember following the roadside sign up a dirt road to one farm which had a stand full of fresh corn and other vegetables. The salesman was none other than the farmer’s dog! A handmade sign on the table read “The dog can count”! Somehow, that corn tasted better than any other we ever ate!
We have also enjoyed many county Fairs, with their carnivals and activities, animal and handicraft shows, tractor pulling, demolition derbies, and other entertainment.
Another of our favorite Vermont pastimes is searching for the many Covered Bridges. These antique wooden bridges built in the 1800s once carried horses and buggies across the many Vermont rivers and streams. Many are still in use today. We enjoy walking across their shady wooden spans admiring their architecture and pretending that we lived in those simpler days, years ago…
Traveling Jewish
Vermont is not what you would call a typical “haimishe area”. However, there are two religious groups that rent resorts in the Killington area for a few weeks during the summer season, Vermont Getaway (
Other than that, there are CHABAD shluchim in Brattleboro (802-933-13140) and Burlington (802-658-57700). Kosher food is limited to supermarket fare, so pack accordingly.
Vermont Welcome Center
A Vermont Welcome Center is an experience in a class of its own. On each trip up Route 91, we stop at the first exit in Vermont, the Guilford Welcome Center, to be eased into the relaxed, rural life that Vermont offers. This barn shaped welcome center not only has friendly staffers who are intimately familiar with the area, but exhibits of products, as well as of recreational, cultural, agricultural, and natural attractions that make up the Vermont that we love to visit. It is a place to relax from our travels, sit in a wooden rocking chair, enjoy well tended flower gardens, take pictures with a large carved bear or in a cable car, and eat at an outdoor picnic table.
Lake Champlain Ferries
Are you looking for a different experience? Cruise to Vermont by ferry! Ferries cross Lake Champlain in three locations between upper New York State and Vermont, connecting Interstates 87 & 89. Most ferries take cars as well as passengers. Contact 802-864-9804, www.ferries.com for more information.
There are also cruises on Lake Champlain such as The Spirit of Ethan Allen (802-862-8300, www.soea.com) and Northern Lights (802-864-9699, www.lakechamplaincruises.com).
Working Farms
Have you ever dreamed of being a farmer? Let your kids experience a real working farm. Vermont has many farms that are open to the public year-round. Depending on the time of year, you can milk a cow, sheer a sheep, enjoy corn mazes, berry or apple picking, hay rides, cider pressing, maple sugaring, grape harvests, sleigh rides, barnyard animals, llamas and alpacas, baby animals, and so much more. Some farms even rent rooms to overnight guests! Contact the Vermont Farms Association at 866-348-FARM, www.vtfarms.org , to find a working farm that will welcome you with real country hospitality. Wheelchair accessibility varies—call in advance to check on general accessibility and current dryness of the ground.
Maple Syrup Factories
Vermont is known as Maple Capital of the world. Maple Grove Farms in St. Johnsbury (802-748-5141, www.maplegrove.com), produces delicious maple syrup, maple candy, maple lollypops, and other maple based products, many of which have OU certification. Though the factory no longer offers their popular tours, their gift shop is still a favorite stop on our route.
There are numerous other Vermont farms and factories producing maple products. For a complete listing, contact the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association & Vermont Maple Foundation (802-763-7435 or www.vermontmaple.org).
Cabot Creamery (Cheese Factory)
Where does cheese come from? The grocery? Come to the Cabot Creamery (Main Street, Cabot VT, 800-837-4261) to see how cheese is made. Though this is not a “kosher cheese”, the factory tour is quite fascinating. Wind your way through the factory to see the actual process for making various kinds of cheese. Make sure to bring along a sweater, as the factory is refrigerated. Wheelchair accessible.
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
This is a real ice cream factory, the perfect place to visit on a hot summer’s day. Tour the factory and learn how ice cream is produced. Wheelchair accessible. (Route 100, Waterbury, 866-BJ-TOURS)
Vermont Teddy Bear Company
Watch hand crafted teddy bears come to life, and create your own to take home and love. 30-minute tours depart every half hour. Wheelchair accessible. (6655 Shelburne Rd., Shelburne, 800-829-BEAR)
Adapted Sports
Would you like your child with special needs to enjoy the great outdoors as much as you do? Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports (802-786-4991, www.vermontadaptive.org,
During the winter season, they offer adapted skiing and snowboarding at Pico Mountain, Sugarbush Resort and Bolton Valley. They offer lessons to individuals of all ages with any disability during the ski season, which generally runs from Dec. 26 through the first week in April. Winter activities include skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and others.
Balloon Festivals
The Vermont mountains offer great thermals for both balloonists and soaring enthusiasts. There are three yearly Balloon Festivals where balloonists gather from all over to blow up their giant balloons and soar away. The variety of huge colorful and interestingly shaped balloons floating in the sky is something that should not be missed! Contact the VT Chamber of Commerce at 802-223-3443 www.visitvt.com for an updated schedule.
For more information on planning that perfect vacation in Vermont, contact 800-VERMONT www.vermontvacation.com.