Vermont
This was our first visit to a hotel since COVID-19 happened. Despite feeling nervous, we were ready. Armed with negative tests 72 hours ahead of time and the car packed with wipes, masks and gloves we set off for our road trip. We stayed three nights at the Hotel Vermont and felt totally safe and welcome.
This independent hotel is in a great location in downtown Burlington, just a short walk from Lake Champlain. The front desk and their website provided us with plenty of local information---from places to eat, hikes to take and even a fall foliage drive. After settling in, we took a short walk to watch the sunset,
and try the first of our daily creemees, maple flavoured soft serve ice cream. I have been to Vermont many times but have never heard of or tried a creemee. After three days of taste testing, I am now a fan!
We had the outdoor bar at Juniper to ourselves and since we had filled up on ice cream, we were content to share a cheese board and maple roasted nuts for dinner. I stuck with my tried and true Gin & Tonic and Ron loved the beer from Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro VT. We were prepared to drive to the brewery to bring beer home (an upside of a road trip!) but their limited hours didn't coincide with our visit.
Red Hen Bakery in Middlesex VT was our first stop on our fall foliage drive. We each had a delicious breakfast sandwich and couldn't resist buying a maple-frosted cinnamon bun for later! Next stop was the Waterbury Reservoir where we did a short walk along the water. We were a little early for peak foliage but enjoyed the muted shades of the leaves and the peace and quiet.
Waterbury is home to Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Still full from our breakfast, it was a relief that they weren't open yet because otherwise we would definitely have gone in for a taste. We were able to visit the Flavor Graveyard, a hilarious ode to flavors that have been retired. Each 'gravestone' told a brief story about the flavor and the years that it was available.
Next stop on our northern VT fall foliage tour was the Cold Hollow Cider Mill. After watching the cider being pressed and tasting a sample, we both agreed this cider was something special!
Of course where there is cider, there will also be apple cider donuts!
We made a short detour to find a covered bridge near Stowe VT and after passing about five signs for maple syrup, we finally stopped and bought a quart to take home.
Back at the hotel, we took advantage of the complimentary bikes in the lobby and set off on the Burlington Greenway bike path that runs along the lake, happy to be out of the car and just in time for the sunset (and another creemee!).
I felt totally comfortable in and around Burlington as far as COVID-19 was concerned. Everyone wore masks, every shop and take-out window provided hand sanitizer and people respected social distancing. I just didn't feel ready to eat indoors. Having eaten our way around northern Vermont all day long neither of us missed eating a 'real' dinner. Plus we had packed a bottle of wine in the car, so between that and the last apple cider donut, we were fine eating in our room!
Our second day in Burlington started with breakfast sandwiches at August First Bakery. What a treat! Locally owned and in a big renovated garage the bakery was spacious, clearly a local favourite and delicious! We had barely finished our breakfast when we decided to return the next morning on our way home.
The hotel website had several hikes listed so on our last day, we chose Snake Mountain in Addison VT that was listed as a beginner hike. It seemed a little more challenging than that but maybe we were feeling the climb since our main fuel source for two days revolved around maple flavoured carbs!
Across the road from the trail head was this picture perfect barn...right out of a Vermont postcard!
Three nights away was just right. It felt like a nice change of pace from the months of quarantining, yet we were ready to be back home in our safe space. In recent years, we have prioritized international travel and somehow forgot how easy it can be to take a road trip. Everyone has different levels of comfort and risk with COVID-19 and you need to find your level. For us, this road trip checked all the boxes and provided us with a welcome change of scenery.