Frederick, MD to Burlington, VT

[merg]

We are planning a week's stay near Burlington, VT June 3-10 but I'd like to daddle my way up and back. It's our first trip farther north than Philadelphia. Any sites or favorite road food meals we shouldn't miss enroute? Plan to leave no earlier than Tuesday, May 31 (to avoid Memorial Day traffic) but can take a few days returning home.

[Quebec Gen]

If you enjoy hiking, go to Mt Lafayette in the White Mountains (NH) or Mt Mansfield in the Green Mountains (VT) or Mt White Face and Catamount in the Adirondacks (NY). In Burlington, take the ferry across Lake Champlain or better : route 2 (Champlain Islands) and have a pic-nic at the beach at Pointe au Roche State Park (NY) near Plattsburg. Don't forget your rollerblades and bikes, there's a very nice path in the park along the lake in Burlington. If you have kids, go to Lake George (NY) for entertainment.

Mandatory : go to Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlor on the Church Street Marketplace (try Cherry Garcia, Phish food or NY Super Fudge Chunk, all flavors are great and unique) and visit the factory in Middlebury as well. Also, check out the State House in Montpelier and art galleries in Stowe. In Burlington, the place to be and shop is of course the Church Street Marketplace! For fun stuff, go to the Discovery Channel boutique, for souvenirs Apple Mountain and for sweets Lake Champlain Chocolates. In the summer, there is free entertainment : clows, singers, magicians sometimes concerts in a park. For italian food try 3 Tomatoes Trattoria (terrace), for pizza by the slice, try Mike's (it's not on Church St though), Daily Planet or the Institute for contemporary and for coffee go straight to Borders (or Starbucks). For special events and concerts check out Flynn Theatre's website : www.flynntheatre.org.

Also, Canada will only be half an hour away, why don't you come this side of the border to discover Quebec and its European ambiance!:-)


Gen

D'accord - I agree with everything Gen has suggested. I'd also add our favorite place to visit in Burlington, which is Shelburne Farm (not to be confused with Shelburne Museum). It was a 19th century model farm and still is to some extent although these days it makes its way as a resort and demonstration farm. Their cheese is some of the best we found in Vermont, and by tagging along with a school tour we got to milk a cow.

If you're going to dawdle on the way up or back, think about seeing the string of 18th century forts along lakes Champlain and George - Crown Point, Ft. Ticonderoga, Ft. William Henry - a little history in some beautiful settings. Also consider the Delaware Water Gap for a scenic alternative route.

AZBuck

[Quebec Gen]

Azbuck, I'm "d'accord" with you as well about Shelburne Farms, their cheese is good! But you may also try our Quebec cheeses, in Noyan for instance just across the border from Alburg, there is a cheese factory and they make a very tasty cheese called "Le douanier" (transl. : the custom agent)... For those of you who ever crossed the border, the name might not sound very inviting:-), but it's delicious trust me. Also, make a stop at the grocery store and pick any cheese made by "Les dépendances du Manoir" from Brigham (QC), they're all good, espcially "Feuille d'automne". Oh great, now I'm hungry!:-)

Gen who's going for the rest of her fresh maple taffy:o)