VERMONT: THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE
By Clay Larroy
Traveling can be an important part of your life,
whether for business or for pleasure. Take time each day to alleviate stress
while traveling or vacationing and you will thank
yourself for it when you get back home. With all the chaos, jet-lag, partying
and other excitement of travel comes a whole lot of stress on your mind and
body. By the time most vacations are over, another one is needed to recover so
taking a few minutes each day to rejuvenate will make it easier for you to
resume your normal life when it's all over. When you want
to plan a vacation contact me!
Central
Vermont -Full of Surprises
By
Sherri Telenko
Small towns can be deceptive. Take, for instance the towns of
Mad River Valley, Vermont. This region is a precise blend of what you’d expect:
country stores, covered bridges and local color. According to a Waitsfield,
Vermont resident, few people lock their cars here - except during zucchini
season. If you don’t, you’re likely to end up with a stack of vegetables in your
backseat courtesy of a neighbor anxious to get rid of his bumper crop.
But don’t be fooled. The quirky charm, slow pace and pastoral
beauty of central Vermont hides an attractive secret most residents prefer not
say out loud: beneath the veneer of simple mountainfolk lifestyle lays an
upscale sophistication on par with that of trendy big cities. The entire area
seems to embrace the good life without a hint of pretentiousness. And that’s
exactly what attracts repeat visitors, vacation home buyers and urban
professionals wishing to resettle in more serene environments.
Defined by a mountain landscape that blankets the state, Vermont
is first and foremost a skier’s haven. Many towns such as Stowe (probably the
most familiar) make the winter passion its bread and butter, establishing
resorts, transportation shuttles and skiing conveniences to satisfy the slope
hungry. Stowe Mountain Resort, for example, recently added an automated
snowmaking system on Spruce Mountain, the first of its kind in New England.
Cross-country skiing is equally popular. Stowe has four
inter-connected cross-country ski centers with more than 90 miles of groomed
and 60 miles of back-country trails. The Trapp Family Lodge, made famous by
its Sound of Music connections (the youngest Von Trapp son
still owns the place), offers demos and clinics at its cross-country and
snowshoeing center.
During the summer months, Stowe resorts open their lands to
hikers, bikers and golfers. For those wishing for a break from energetic
pursuits, countless spa facilities dot the landscape, including Stoweflake
Mountain Resort’s 50,000 square-foot operation with 30 treatment rooms,
dramatic waterfalls and a Hungarian mineral soaking pool.
Conveniences abound. But overall, with its rows of historic
storefront facades and movie set atmosphere, Stowe seems a bit contrived.
Those looking for a more authentic experience should travel 35
minutes south to central Vermont where the state’s true small-town mystique
shines through.
Montpelier, the state capital, sets the tone of the central
region. With a population of approximately 8,000 (that swells to twice that
size during the day when government employees’ stream in) it is the smallest
state capital in the U.S. It is also the only one without a McDonalds. Yet
there’s no shortage of coffee houses, bookstores or boutiques. Here’s where the
blend of bourgeois and back roads begins, starting with the New England
Culinary Institute (NECI). At NECI’s two restaurants - the Main Street Grill
and second floor Chef’s Table - up-and-coming chefs get hands-on training in
all aspects of the hospitality industry, from cooking and menu creation to
front-of-house organization and waiting tables. Alton Brown of the Food Network’s Good
Eats fame is a graduate of the 26-year-old school and regularly comes
back for special events.
Stop in Montpelier for lunch. Then move southeast along winding
Highway 100 through Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren, collectively
known as the Mad River Valley - an area free from franchises or traffic lights.
This is where rural rejects rustic and embraces understated savour faire.
On the boundary between Moretown and Waitsfield is the 1824
House Inn & Restaurant - one of the most innovative uses of an old barn in
the state (and there are many). Partners Karl Klein and Chef John Lumbra run
both the Inn and fine dining restaurant; the latter is open five nights a week year-round
for dinner only. Housed in a circa 1870 converted barn original to the
property, the restaurant is listed on the National Historic Registry. The 1,500
square-foot dining room comfortably accommodates nightly dining and many small
weddings throughout the year.
Stop for the night further down Highway 100 at The Featherbed
Inn. This 1806 house was saved from decay by the original innkeepers who loved
the property so much they retired to a home adjacent to it. Now owned by Linda
and Tom Gardner, it’s an elegant 10-room inn complete with feather mattress
topped beds, antiques and an exceptionally lap friendly house cat named
Thomacina. She, along with a marmalade buddy named Sneakers and two fluffy Corgi/sheep
dog crosses, love to welcome visitors in a very down-home but private
environment.
If you’re around on the weekends, don’t miss the strange
dual-identity production facility next door. American Flatbread is a factory by
day, restaurant on weekends and former livestock barn. American Flatbread is a
company that creates gourmet wood-fired oven frozen pizzas using organic and
locally grown produce such as free-range chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and
peppers. These are shipped to stores across the country, but a real treat
happens on Friday and Saturday nights when the production floor is cleared out
and folding tables and chairs propped open. People line up outside for hours
for a chance to eat Flatbread pizzas straight out of a wood-fired earthen oven.
One night of Flatbreads and you’ll never stomach take-out chains again.
Finally, Warren Village is the end of the Mad River Valley line.
This deceptively traditional town is home to The Pitcher Inn and Restaurant, an
eleven-room Relais & Chateaux property that’s been welcoming guests into
its uniquely themed rooms since 1850. Eight rooms and two suites are lavishly
decorated, including the Teacher Room with a chalkboard for a headboard. The
hotel facilities are colonial but contemporary. The wood-lined ski equipment
locker room, for example, is complete with a glove dryer. The dining room adds
a chef’s table to its 6,500-bottle wine cellar for very special occasions or
indulgences. This discerning place is not without its small-town quirks,
however. In the pub downstairs, only three stools line the bar in accordance
with a hotly contested but enforced by law that forbids four or more seats
along a licensed bar.
Across the street is the Warren General Store - designed to look
just like one. A sign on the white framed screen door states, ‘If we are
closed, please slide your money under the door.’ Wooden shelves line the
country-esque outlet, the floor creaks as you walk and you’ll swear the
shopkeeper is named Clem. But again, appearances aren’t everything. This
country store stocks vintage wines, gourmet chutneys, trendy pricy clothing
upstairs and houses a back-room cafe where staff is happy to make you a pesto
tuna with olives sandwich to take on a hike. This store in small town Warren
encapsulates the essence of central Vermont - upscale creature comforts
thankfully embrace a down-home mountain charm that will appeal to the Bob
Newhart in us all.
REFERENCE SITES:
“A year in Vermont,
according to an old saw, is "nine months of winter followed by three
months of very poor sledding.”
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