This marked our fifth year visiting the fabulous Vermont Cheese Festival. This year it returned to…read moreShelburne Farms south of Burlington for the first time since 2019; the most recent festival was held in Greensboro in 2023, and there was no festival in 2024. So it was a big welcome back in 2025, and the event -- held inside the newly reconstructed, enormous breeding barn at Shelburne (please see the photos) -- was quite a big deal. There were perhaps 50 or so vendors, and the general public was limited to just 1,000 tickets, which made it, unexpectedly, something of an elite event. (Tickets were sold out months in advance.) The festival offers a wonderful opportunity to meet the these dedicated craft cheesemakers and, best of all, sample their work. And wow, did we ever sample their work!!! We won't go detailing each of those cheeses, but please know there were many and not a one disappointed us. Other vendors offered everything from ciders to jams, sauces, charcuterie and -- believe it or not -- peanut butter. At a cheese festival? The atmosphere is inviting and rewarding for the makers and the public, and assembling such a large and skilled group of crafters in one place makes for an extraordinary moment. We congratulate the executive director of the cheese council, Hale, who did a splendid job. A couple of small issues for us: while there were a few chairs outside the barn there was almost no seating at all inside, and there was space which could have been worked fine, we think. And after a hour of walking around, a sitting break could have felt good. Also, there were food trucks selling ice cream, Indian food, cookies from King Arthurs, but they were placed placed pretty far from the barn, requiring a bit of walking. We also enjoyed the band playing outside, but they too were a bit moved from everything else. And then, it was hot -- near 90, but that's just the way it was. And for attendees, it was clearly not the temps defined this dazzling event. We're ready for 2026!

My wife and I recently had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival as…read morevolunteers a couple of weekends ago. We had signed up to help and it turned out to be so much more than just service. Right off the bat, the food was extraordinary, what a spectacular showcase of Vermont's artisanal cheese scene! Samples ranged from classic cheddars to Gouda to pepper jack, all crafted by passionate local cheesemakers. We also discovered delightful pairings, cheese and jam was a Hit; I wasn't expecting it, but "jam is my jam," as one participant aptly put it. lol As for service, the volunteer coordination was seamless. Helping vendors set up before the crowds arrived gave us a chance to chat with cheesemakers, learn about each cheese's story, and feel truly connected to their craft. The staff were friendly, organized, and the energy was warm and welcoming. The ambiance was downright charming. Set at historic Shelburne Farms' Breeding Barn, the festival unfolded on a perfect summer day - sunny, scenic, and relaxed. It felt like celebrating cheese right in the heart of verdant Vermont, complete with the buzz of fellow cheese lovers, artisan vendors, and farm surroundings. A bit of history: This year marked the 13th Annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, hosted by the Vermont Cheese Council at Shelburne Farms. The festival is rooted in Vermont's rich artisanal cheese tradition, highlighting how the state leads the nation in cheesemakers per capita. It originally began as a celebration of the state's cheesemaking success a sort of "cheese carnival" introducing the public to local producers and their craft. Notably, this year's event was completely sold out tickets were snapped up well in advance, and none were available at the door. Even the general admission waitlist was full, and volunteer slots had closed early too. This level of demand speaks volumes about how beloved and highly anticipated, the festival has become. Volunteering at the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival was a fantastic decision. The combination of exceptional cheese, purposeful and friendly service, and a picturesque setting made for a memorable afternoon. It's clear why this sold-out event has become a beloved summer tradition. We'll definitely be back, with or without volunteer duties to savor more of what Vermont's incredible cheesemakers have to offer!

I decided to visit Vermont with my girlfriend and it just happened to be the weekend that this Beer…read moreFestival was taking place. Naturally, since I love beer festivals, I had to buy tickets and attend this. We drove 5+ hours from Hudson County NJ, to see many places Vermont has to offer, which included all of there awesome beers and breweries, so this was perfect this festival was happening. We went to the Friday night session. We took and uber from our place to the event, so we can both drink the whole time. Tickets were $44, and included 15 tasting tickets as well as souvenir glass. Beers over 8% required 2 tickets. And you can purchase an additional 5 tickets inside the event for $10. Although it might not seem like alot, the 15 tickets last awhile, and you will be feeling nice from all the awesome beers you will have tried. So many good breweries were at the July 2019 event. I enjoyed getting to taste all of the best beers Vermont has to offer in one central location. This was such a fun event to attend. There are also plenty of food vendors, we bought some loaded tater tots and popcorn end of the night, as well as free water refills if you need it between beer sampling. I would recommend everyone attend this beer festival if your in the area. I would come back in 2020.

I love summer brew fest in Burlington! You buy your tickets and then can samples tons of beers from…read moretons of breweries during your session. You don't have to worry about not having enough tickets and you also get to keep your tasting glass! Great location down by Lake Champlain and makes for the perfect summer day. I met lots of people from out of town who come every year and rave about this fest! All the beer festivals (and other festivals in general) in Burlington are awesome. I recommend going, it's more than worth the ticket price!

This Blue Mountain Lake gem is a wonder to explore rain it shine stuffed to the gills with…read morefascinating educational opportunities & some incredible exhibits that make each visit memorable. HUGE PLUS: The caffe is EXCELLENT with an incrediblely STUNNING view of the lake.

It was a beautiful day- sunny, clear, and warm. The trails were beautiful, hiking and listening to…read morethe birds was serene. At each stop, each guide provided vital information and a rich history of the area. Well worth the trip. Love the gift shop too. LOL. Oh....almost forgot- lunch the grilled cheese sandwich was HUGE and oh so cheesy - yum yum.....

What a wonderful event hosted by Vermont Wine merchants and sponsored by so many Vermont (and some…read moreQuebec) businesses. Some of these places I have yet to try, so this was an excellent introduction. (I also had six-course dinner event to attend later in the evening, so I didn't overdo it in order to save real room for dinner). So many amazing food options from as far as Quebec City (#LaPlanque), #NewEnglandFudge, #Fortuna'sSausage to local fare (#TheBeardedFrog, #LaPanciata, #MorseBlockDeli, #SimplePebble, #Butch&Babes, #HaymakerBunCompany, #Henofthewood, #HoneyRoad, #BleuNortheastSeafood, #Junction/TheTavernatEssex,#OurHouseBistro, #PascoloRistorante, #PizzeriaVerita, #Lu.luIceCream, #LuluPoufs, #SistersofAnarchyIceCream, #SweetBabu, #E.B.Strong, #VermontCheeseCouncil, #Hatchet, #StewartsBakery). There was also amazing cheeses from #Cabot, #VermontCheeseCouncil, #SpringbrookFarm and #BridportCreamery as well as breads from #LaPanciata, #Klinger'sBreadCompany and #Stewart'sBakery. I did not try one item that I disliked. That said, these were some of the ones that really stood out for me. I loved the vegan BLT sliders with house smoked eggplant bacon, microgreens, heirloom tomato and basil aioli on a locally baked bun from The Bearded Frog. It was the best local vegan eggplant "bacon" I have tasted (not too tough and the right flavor). Pascolo's Ristorante homemade gnocchi was amazing. Light, airy pillow of decadent potato pasta with Italian Sausage, smoked mushrooms, and a delightful sauce of tomato and basil sauce with parmigiano cheese. Drool-worthy. The cheesecake dipped strawberries from Morse Block Deli and Taps was innovative and delicious. Their other offerings, such as Schwarma bites, rare beef and smoke turkey deli meat were tasty, too. E.B. Strong's medium rare tenderloin bites with crostini were equally delicious. Pizzeria Veritá's traditional brick oven Margherita Pizza was spot on, oozing with fresh mozzarella and a perfect tomato sauce. Blue North Seafood's Starbird Salmon Tartare on an Everything Bagel Crostini with Cured Egg Yolk and Mottra Caviar was phenomenal. I loved the myriad of savory flavors on the palate. Hatchet's Twelve-Hour Smoked Boyden Farm Brisket with Pickleback Slaw was also very good. Our House's Famous Award-winning Clam Chowder topped with deep fried clam belly was delicious. Honey Road's Sweet Harissa Chicken Wings were to die for. La Planque had an inventive Gravlox with caviar, seaweed yogurt. It's a place I'd definitely eat at in QC. Sisters of Anarchy's ice creams were inventive flavors. I tried the Dirty Anne (yellow Anne raspberries with a light chocolate base) and Chocolate Anarchy (dark chocolate). Both were pretty good, but not as rich as I would have expected in terms of flavors. It may have been because the portion was just a taster spoon size, so I would like to give them a try at their actual establishment. In terms of ice cream richness, I really enjoyed the scoops from Lulu's: Dark Horse (chocolate ice cream spiked with Chambord liqueur and cake chunks) and Midsummer Night's Dream (vanilla bean ice cream with bourbon soaked cherries and chocolate chunks). The wine and spirit offerings were varied as well. #VermontDistillers, #Foliofinewine, #ChristoperImports, #Onwardwines, #SILODistillery, #RunamokMaple, #DedalusWine, #AstralTequila, #EcoValleyImports, #CellarsatJasperHill, #Brick&MortarWines, #CarloHubertSelections, #BonhomiewineImports, #KyselaPèreetFils, #MontinoreEstate, #LoosenBros, #Bow&Arrow, #Birichino, #Alphabox&Dice, FolktaleWineGroup, #CaledoniaSpirits, #M.S.Walker, #MassnoisImports, #JustinVineyardsandWinery, #KivelstadtCellars, #OpiciWines, #OakRidgeWinery, #AppalachianGapDistillery, #SobonWine, #ThreeWineCompany, #SmugglersNotchDistillery, #TerroirWineGroup, and #Vine Connections I did not drink much, but I really enjoyed Ethica's Italian wines and Metcalfe's liqueurs were amazing. Raspberry tasted like the best berries off the bush, the blueberry was velvety rich. There was also a silent auction to raise money for #ChittendenEmergencyFoodShelf, cooking and wine demo sessions, wares from #kissthecook and knives from #HammerStahl. #SommerChiropratic was there to talk about their services, too. Live music all day and evening kept the place hopping. All of this took place right on Lake Champlain with a spectacular view of the water, including a special VIP lounge with white leather sofas and chairs. I highly recommend this annual event to anyone who enjoys good food and spirits. The price of admission is well worth the experience. I intend to partake in the future as well.

The value for the cost is questionable, plus we felt really sick for the rest of the day. The…read more vendors would touch everyone's glass with the pour bottle making it a big germ fest. While there were a handful of exhibitors with excellent bites, most of the food was of the cheese/sausage sort routinely found. The wine pours were also so skimpy ( well below the typical tasting pour) that it was hard to even taste. You could hit all the wine booths and probably have a half a glass total. Some of the wines can easily be found at Trader Joe's. My wine glass was yucky from finger food and a worker told me I had to clean it in the water fountain rather than give me a new one. Although the venue didn't seem full, lines backed up with people talking to the vendors so there was a lot of waiting. There were a few cocktail tables set up but not much seating. Overall I would say if you're a couple $200 could buy a really lovely dinner out... which is what you'll wish you did instead.

Annual event in Burlington which I've gone to for three years. It's worth the admission price…read more(Free!) and all along Church Street. There are probably at least six shows (street performers-buskers) going on each hour, with different types of acts (magicians, break dancing, circus/jugglers, musicians, etc. All worthy of a $10-$20 tip. The performances last 30-40 minutes each. I think the festival lasts three days, but this year I was there for Sunday. Excellent performers from around the world (one guy I was was from Australia). Between the acts you have all of what Church Street has to offer: all different types of boutique shops and dining. Something for everyone in the family. The shows are also kid friendly. If you're visiting the area during a Festival of Fools weekend, you don't want to miss it. And locals will enjoy it as well, since most of the performers are from out of the area. I will continue to attend as long as Burlington continues to have the festival.

For three days, Church Street and area become animated as street artists, circus performers,…read moremagicians, musicians and comedians take turns in entertaining the public. Now, these are not the usual folks who share their talent in the Marketplace during regular days. These buskers come from all over the world to join in Burlington's Festival of Fools. As far as I know, this is the Festival's second year, held second weekend of August. And it is organized by the Burlington City Arts. Schedule of performances are written on a board outside the Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts, at the end of Church Street. Volunteers, I presume, hand out more info about the festival and encourage everyone to cast in their votes for their favorite performer. The festival culminates with the awarding of the King/Queen of Fools. Our family favorite was Brent McCoy, a local of Vermont. We agreed that he had the most carefully thought-out gig. His ad libs were right on and they didn't sound too desperate. Even when he asked for tips toward the end of his performance, the man had a speech of a confident orator. And yes, he was really, really good with his tricks, too! I think he has a video on youtube.com. Anyway, the other performers were equally entertaining. There's the usual fire-eating trick, women in trapeze, unicycling, music with ordinary things, hula-hooping and the like. Then there's also the unusual scorpion-in-pants while catching a bowling ball with steak knives on fire using the head kind of stunt. Truly lots of clowning around going on here!

Came here for the first time to attend an outside concert (mumford & sons/noah kahan). So I cant…read morespeak for actual inside of the expo or any non-concert events here. It's very clear that this is used as county fair area, as I could smell manure before we had even gotten up close from parking the car. From the entrance we went it, there was no noticeable vendors and we only saw 1 regular beer tent and 1 VIP beer tent. It wasn't until we left to another gate that we saw other options that were not noticed, signed, or advertised from the inside. Thank goodness we didnt get VIP tickets, because they we the FARTHEST away from the stage?? Basically on a small set of metal football bleachers on a patch of grass. Was excited to see water being charged for only $2. Get all the way up to buy one snd it was like warm Dasani. NONE of the staff knew directions in this venue. Asked 3 employees for assistance in pointing me to the direction of the gate I parked at - none of them knew where it was. One employee even grabbed my phone out of my hand when I pulled up the map on the website, then he spent 5 minutes staring at the nap and pointing out all the obviously places around us directly. Had to ask him for my phone back 3 times. Infront of the stage was dirt and tarps and the tarps kept shifting around/wrinkling. There were no parking lot attendants of the way in or out, unless you parked in the upclose parking (extra charge). We all got bottle necked several times trying to leave from the very BACK of the lot. The show itself was good. Great performance. Stage was fine. Cute lights from stage to audience seats up above.

As their slogan goes, these are the best 10 days of summer!…read more I've been coming from Montreal for the past 2 years and absolutely love everything about this fair. It's well organized, there are all kinds of exhibits and activities for everyone. My bf and I are in our mid twenties, with no kids, and we find tons to do. I just wish they published the daily schedule weeks ahead of time instead of just a day before- makes it harder to organize a trip if you're waiting on particular events. The area itself is quite wide, I've been on weekends and never had an issue feeling like it was overcrowded. I think it helps that the cost of rides is also not included in the cost of admission, so you don't have to worry about never ending lineups everywhere. Unlike many other fairs, Champlain Valley has an indoor, air conditionned area with clean bathrooms and seating to take a break if you're just too hot or tired. The traditional giant pumpkin and gardening expo is always fun to watch and truly impressive. There are lots of deformed or giant vegetables and plants, kind of like visiting a museum of oddities. My two favorite things about the fair though are the food and animals! Lots of farm animals and shows, where it be shearing demonstrations on sheep or flying and dancing pigs and dogs, it's always unique and you know you won't see it any other day of the year. There are also some circus acts, hypnosis, and concerts of course. The fair food is also something I would never find back home, my favorite is the one pound burrito and moose nutz (check my pictures to see the cheesy delicious mess!) You also have to try the maple cotton candy and ice cream inside the maple lodge, both are cheaper than the typical stuff you'll find at kiosks. Make sure you bring lots of cash- although you can pay for admission with credit or debit cards, most of the food options are cash only. Last tips may seem obvious but make all the difference: dress appropriately, wear crocs or easily washable shoes because you will be walking in muddy soil or grass at times, bring a hat, sunscreen and take a pamphlet of the schedule to know when the different shows are happening so you won't be roaming around aimlessly. NOTE: there is some free wifi near the South Expo building - elsewhere the signal is too weak or you'll have to pay to connect.

Field Days is such a great fair. The Maple Barn is my favorite - its the reason I go to Field Days…read morereally. The maple cotton candy is SO good.

I went to several galleries during my visit and this is the one I recommend if you're interested in…read morebuying local art. There is a good selection of fine art paintings and photographs with a smidge of pottery and jewelry mixed in.

My husband and I stopped in here while visiting our daughter. Works from local artists adorn the…read morewalls and it's all beautiful. We really loved wandering around and looking at everything. We purchased a poster and a blank-inside note card. Can't wait to get the poster framed and hung in our home.