Easy little hike to the tower and the payoff is nice and peaceful. Great for kids and dogs.read more

Cool little park with an easy walk/hike up to the historic Ethan Allen Tower. It's pretty easy to…read moreget up to the top of the tower and has a great view once you're there!

The Old Round Church is worth a side trip if you happen to be in the area. Richmond is a very nice…read moreold New England town. It is pretty lively for how small it is. We went in winter and it was beautiful with snow and ice everywhere, but I believe it would be equally pretty when it's warmer and one could wander about a bit more. There is a pretty library nearby as well and a nice truss bridge. It is closed in winter (after October?) so we'll have to back for a better look.

The Old Round Church in Richmond is a scenic spot for a wedding-- and everyone seems to know it…read more In the summer, if you drive through Richmond between 10am and 4pm you will nearly always see vestiges of wedding. Because the Church is not a practicing church (there are no weekly services) they do as many as three weddings there a day on Saturdays and Sundays May-October. The up side of this is that your date is unlikely to be fully blocked out. The down side to this is that you have little buffer on either side of the ceremony to decorate and un-decorate the building. The inside of the church is well-restored and if you're into a super-new-england-yankee aesthetic, you're in for a treat. It's unique inside and out and the views of the surrounding mountains outside add to the ambiance. Another tiny set-back (but not enough to knock a star off in my opinion, there are too many great things about the space) is that those Yankee Protestants of the early 1800s were by an large a lot smaller than we are today, so the pews can be a little tight for larger (or pregnant) guests. Also, it's BYO - officiant-- so you can have the scenic, yankee, vermonty setting in a church and you can have your ceremony be any denomination you want...or none. Fab.

It is rare to see a two-lane covered bridge but this one between Middlebury and Weybridge spans…read moreOtter Creek. It is a Burr arch design that is of an indeterminate age. The sign on the bridge states it was built between 1808 and 1820 though contemporary research suggests it was built in approximately 1850. There is a pedestrian walkway on the outside which is useful as the lanes inside are narrow and there is no room for pedestrians. The bridge has 8' clearance and capacity of 8000 pounds. That's pretty close to my van's height and weight, so I opted not to drive the bridge. [Review 18491 overall - 90 in Vermont - 2013 of 2022.]

The Little Red Schoolhouse, built in 1817, was the boyhood school of Paul Harris, founder of…read moreRotary International. A small edifice made of red brick with a skyscraper of importance. It is a genesis and source of the 1.2 million organization of 35,000 clubs throughout 200 countries around the world. Paul Harris lived two doors down in a beautiful colonial home. But this was one of his homes, the other one being in Racine WI. The schoolhouse became the site of the Wallingford Rotary Club. Decades later, the building was transferred to the Rotary District. While the inside is a historical treasure, the memorial gardens outside are amazing. It is a beautiful historical site.

I mean, there's not a whole lot unique to check out in Burlington, and since it's right downtown…read moreand it takes only 5 minutes to look at, snap a pic with, and leave, there's no harm in stopping by. It seems that at some point it was moved here to the parking lot of a business from a shorter concrete slab in the woods. It's not really the tallest filing cabinet. It's a stack of regular-height filing cabinets attached to one another into a column, so it's less impressive or creative. Structurally, it is a vertical stack of separate cabinets turned into a sculpture, not a purpose-built giant cabinet with 38 drawers. It's covered by vandals' stickers and markings. It hasn't been treated and since they aren't meant to be outdoors, rust and weather damage has taken severe effect. Each drawer represents a year of bureaucratic delays related to a proposed highway project in Burlington called the Southern Connector, first proposed in 1965. Some of the drawers contain catalogued fragments of a shredded red Volkswagen Beetle. Of course, you can't see it though.

Like the biggest ball of twine,this is one of those things that you cant miss while in Vermont…read more It is a tower of welder together filing cabinet and totally visit worthy.

Went here with my parents as part of our Vermont Vacation on August 27th 2023. We walked in and…read morechecked out the exhibits at the front near where we parked. Then we went in and just missed the tour of the homestead. However, Tom, who was really nice, and knew alot about history, took us to the current tour of the house. There is an admission fee for the tour, and i was lucky enough that i was given a student discount because i look young for my age. I appreciate that. Also the staff was very nice, all of them. Tom took us through to the house and told us about Ethan Allen, even told us about those beautiful flowers that one can freshly cut from the garden. Tom took us to our tour in the house, where a woman took over. Very interesting and very educational. i also enjoy history, so that is a plus. After the tour, we cut fresh flowers that were beautiful and lasted our whole vermont trip! Then we went inside and watched the movie about Ethan Allen. in the movie area, there is also dress up, and one can try to weave like in the days of when Ethan Allen was living. didn't try it, but it is so cool. highly recommend for any history buff, and my favorite tour guide was Tom. He seems to know his stuff, which is great, plus admire his energy! Oh and restrooms were very clean. Was a bit confusing at first because there is 2 gender neutral bathrooms, and i did a double take to make sure that i wasn't in the wrong place. all good though, just a little confusing, as other places don't have gender neutral bathrooms.

We really enjoyed our visit today to the Ethan Allen Homestead. Was amazed with the garden that was…read moremaintained by the director Dan and his passion for nature and Fanny and Ethan Allen and crew. Noah was a great guide full of interesting facts. The tour was of the homestead and history of the Ethan Allen family and their home and Vermont history. We spent about 11/2 hours here. Only about 2 miles from the Echo Museum.

I'm a lover of the hard to find on my trips across the states, and this was something I'd read…read moreabout in my art history classes but never dreamed I'm stumble across on my journey up to Canada. It's quite a sight to see - two giant whale's tails emerging from the ground next to the interstate! I didn't get a chance to stop over and explore it up close unfortunately due to time, but there's directions on the artist's website if you want to get a closer look (and it's encouraged!). A real roadside treat for any driver. Plus I find it funny that it's now the cover of the book I used in art history class... full circle, full circle.

If you are already in Stowe, you might as well make your way over to this bridge and take a photo…read more Luckily it wasn't raining when we went.

This small and very unassuming bridge located in Stowe is actually said to be haunted !! The name…read moreof this covered bridge, the Gold Brook, is also known as Emily's Bridge. It was built in 1844, and the most famous of the (many) stories about this bridge is that back in the 1800's, a farmer's daughter, Emily, fell in love with a young man from a rich family, but his parents refused to allow their wedding to occur. The young man told Emily to wait on the bridge at midnight, but he didn't show, and she was so distraught, she is said to have taken her own life. Allegedly, her ghost appears during the nighttime around Halloween, haunting those who come to the bridge. We drove over the quiet bridge during a summer day, but we saw no sightings of Emily !!

The historical marker stands on the same median grass as the Middlebury Civil War memorial and…read morepoints out an interesting history of Vermont and the north. The marker reads on both sides, "From 1796 to 1814 Court Square was the site of the first Addison County Courthouse, which also served as the seat of the Vermont Legislature (1800, 1806), and home of Middlebury's first female academy (1800). Here in June 1804 a New York slaveholder brought suit before a session of the Supreme Court to reclaim an escaped slave apprehended in Vermont. When his proffered bill of sale was deemed insufficient proof of ownership, his attorney demanded what the court would accept. Justice Theophilus Harrington of Clarendon responded with some of the most famous words from a Vermont courtroom, "Nothing short of a bill of sale signed by God Almighty Himself." The former slave went free." The marker was erected in 2019 by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. [Review 18490 overall - 89 in Vermont - 2012 of 2022.]

It was definitely a learning experience, with a petting zoo full of different farm animals you can…read morepet. You can grab a ride on their trolley or you can hike it up to the farm on your own. We hiked our way up to the farm to catch the milking demonstration, very educational for youngsters. Staff at the farm were easy to talk to and kind to answering questions about the process of taking care of the animals on the farm. It was later in the day so we were catching mostly all the last parts of their demonstrations. If you don't mind a bit of a hike and the smell of the farm it's for you. I think it's worth an experience for younger generations for sure. Speaking of that, they also had an area in the chicken coop with toys to play with and books to read for young children. Growing up on a chicken farm helped me learn a lot about work ethic and how much we need farmers in our country the further we get into the future and have many rights of self-sustaining capabilities taken away from us through the government and big business push. I hoping for nothing but the best for their future and farm.

Had a super time walking around Shelburne Farms' beautiful immense grounds and also perusing their…read moremarket store with its assortment of products straight from their working farm - from fresh cheese, meats and baked goods to furniture, wool yarns and sheep skins. The grounds go down to Lake Champlain, including where the adjacent Inn and Flower Garden are. Some of the walking paths criss-cross the maple syrup tapping lines. Fun to see and pet their cows plus the big Farm Barn, where the independent organic O Bread Bakery* and Beeken/Parsons furniture maker both operate. (* See separate review.) Although our visit was on an early December Sunday, there's apparently more going on from Spring on and over Summer. Would recommend stopping by Shelburne Farms any time, especially great for kids!