The Gratts in New England: Vermont

Today the family had breakfast at the hotel, dropped Jason off at the train station, and Ben, Harvey and Fran hit the road for the long drive to Woodstock, Vermont, taking the scenic route along Route 7.

Armed with my itinerary, they headed out of Connecticut, through Massachusetts, making it to their first stop, the Blue Benn diner in Bennington, VT around noon, just in time for lunch.

I was thrilled when Ben texted me this picture that they made it!

Hungry travelers!

In Bennington, they saw the Bennington Battle Monument which commemorates the Battle of Bennington during the American Revolutionary War.

They toured the First Congregational Church of Bennington, also known as the Old First Church, a historic church  built in 1805.  The church still holds services every week.

Leaving Bennington, Ben mapped to a store called the Chocolate Barn where they could stop for maple ice cream.  This meant they would follow Route 7A, a very scenic drive from Bennington, VT to Manchester, VT.

Ben said the ice cream was delicious!

Everyone was ready to get to the hotel in Woodstock so Ben drove straight to the Sleep Woodstock Motel, taking scenic Route 100.

We originally booked a historic inn in Woodstock which got sold and we had to scramble a few months before the trip to find another hotel.  While we were thankful to find it, Ben said it was pretty disappointing. Ben's room came complete with a broken toilet he fixed himself!

Zero historic charm

I had a dinner reservation for them at the Red Rooster at the Woodstock Inn.  

This is where Ben and I will stay when we visit Woodstock this fall.

Ben had prime rib and maple cake for dessert, yum!  

After dinner, everyone called it a night, their long travel day over.  The next day was spent sightseeing in Woodstock. They started with breakfast at the famous Mon Vert Cafe.

Real maple syrup for Fran's oatmeal!

They walked around the square seeing the historic sites in Woodstock.

They visited the Woodstock Historical Museum where they saw a video on the history of the town.  I had it on the list because it also has a lovely view.

They stopped at Woodstock Scoops for maple ice cream.

When in New England, you simply must visit as many covered bridges as possible!  The Lincoln Covered Bridge was built in 1877.

The Taftsville Covered Bridge built in 1836.

Middle Bridge built in 1889.

They took a tour of Sugarbush Farm where they tasted real maple syrup!

After sightseeing, everyone went back to the hotel to change for dinner. I made a reservation for Ben at the Whistle Pig tasting room in Quechee, VT.  This gave Ben a chance to taste rare whiskey from one of his favorite whiskey producers.

Which one did Ben get?

By Vermont law, Ben was only allowed 1 oz total.

Not much of a tasting

Then they went next door to Simon Pearce, which is a glass blowing shop and restaurant considered a must-do in Woodstock.  It is located near a waterfall but it wasn't flowing as much as I pictured!

This is not what the picture on the website looks like

The building is part glassblowing and store, part restaurant.

View from their table.

Fran with her Vermont cheddar soup

Ben got steak and maple creme brulee for dessert.  Ben said it wasn't worth the hype but they still enjoyed it.

The next morning, the Gratts made the drive to their next stop, Stowe, VT, where I had some fun stops planned for them. They started with breakfast next door to the hotel.  The portions were huge and kept them full until dinner.

That is one big omelet

The first stop on the drive was Thundering Brook Falls.  I knew this waterfall would be worth the small detour it took to get there.  The waterfall is at the end of a boardwalk through the woods.

 A little color already!

Made it!

The next stop was lunch at Cold Hollow Cider Mill which is famous for its apple donuts and real apple cider.  They were still full from breakfast so they just had donuts and cider.

Then it was just a short drive to Stowe and the Stowe Village Inn where they were staying.

They checked into the hotel and then took a walk around town.  My itinerary led them on a little scavenger hunt to find all the photo ops!

There was a specific picture I wanted of the Stowe Community Church with all the trees in the background.  I told Ben how to find it and he took a beautiful picture for me!

Harvey's cousins, Lenny and Harriet, drove in from Burlington, VT to meet them for dinner. I made a dinner reservation for them at a popular Stowe restaurant, Harrison's.  

All the food looked delicious!

Ben got a beer from the famous Alchemist Brewery.  He would visit the brewery the next day but said he couldn't wait to try the beer!

They all had a wonderful visit and a great meal.  I was so happy they had such a nice time!

The next day was their one full day in Stowe and I had a full day of sightseeing planned so they could make the most of it.  Their first stop on the tour was the Brookdale covered bridge built in 1964.

Next they made their way to the Stowe Gondola which would take them almost to the top of Mt. Mansfield, the highest mountain in Vermont at over 4,300 feet.

The colors were beautiful from the bottom of the mountain.

They had some time before the gondola ride, so they went across the street to the Barnes Camp Visitor Center to walk some of the boardwalk where they would have a view of Smuggler's Notch, a narrow pass between the Green Mountain Range.

After the walk, it was time to take the gondola up the mountain and have lunch at the Cliff House restaurant.

Ready to go!

Fran realizing it's hard to take a selfie on a moving gondola

At the top!

They enjoyed lunch at the Cliff House Restaurant.

Then it was back down the gondola to sea level.

The Gratts then drove through the famous mountain pass, Smuggler's Notch.  I was a little worried about the drive but they made it through easily and Fran sent some great video!

On the way back to Stowe, they stopped at a couple of covered bridges on my list.  No one was impressed with these though. I think they were tired of covered bridges by now!  #overit

Fran hoping this is the last one

Then it was over to the famous Alchemist Brewery.  This was a must-do for Ben since Alchemist has some very famous world class beers that he would never get to try anywhere else.  The place looked really cool and I was happy Ben got to see it.

 

Ben with his Heady Topper

Then it was over to Piecasso, a popular pizza place in Stowe.

And just like that, their time in Vermont was over.  Tomorrow they would be on their way to the White Mountains of New Hampshire!