Hey Guys!

This post will conclude our time in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Our travel dates were Oct 5 – 12.

However, we were supposed to be flying home today but due to Hurricane Milton, we had to change our flight home from Oct 12th to Sunday, Oct. 13th.

As crazy as it may seem, our layover from Manchester, NH to Nashville was in Tampa, FL and Tampa was expected to take a direct hit so, Southwest let us change our flight to a different airport. Since there was limited availability, we had to book our returning flight home for Sunday.

Since Woodstock was 1.5 hrs from the airport in Manchester, we decided to book a hotel closer to the airport instead of staying in Woodstock. 

After getting up and packed, we headed out for the day.

A shot of our hotel in Woodstock

Across from our hotel, was the Village Inn that is housed in a beautiful, historic home!

The inn also has a restaurant located in the house called the Vic Tavern.

We decided to leave our rental car at the hotel while we walked through Woodstock and checked out some of the historic homes and buildings.

The homes in Woodstock are incredible!

Conde Nast Traveler has consistently named Woodstock as the Most Beautiful Town in America.

The great thing about Woodstock is that it is a small, walkable town with a compact center, making it perfect for browsing local small businesses.

We decided to find a t-shirt and a coffee cup before leaving the charming little town.

I had read that the F.H Gillingham & Sons General Store was a good place for souvenirs so that’s where we headed.

The front window of the store was full of pictures and articles about the owners and history of the store.

Frank Henry Gillingham opened this store in 1886 and today, the current owners are descendants of F.H. Gillingham. It is one of the oldest family ran general stores in the US.

The store was full of all kinds of goods!

These bins were built in the store in 1886!

This old scale was brought into the store back in the 1940’s …the scale was patented in 1895.

We walked around the store checking out all of the antiques…it was really interesting!

They had this old elevator in the store…it was built and installed in the store in the 1930’s and it’s still used today! It has a 1000 lb capacity and was built with an emergency brake.

We never found any t-shirts or coffee cups so we headed back outside and continued our walk through town.

Tip: There was hardly any stores that carried souvenirs. We ended up finding a t-shirt at a store that carried ski and hiking clothing. I think it was called Elevation clothing. 

We spotted a store called The Mountain Trading Company that was housed in an old historic building. The store is now permanently closed. The building dates back to the 1800’s.

As we continued our walk, we spotted this memorial statue that was erected in 1909 in memory of those who had fought in the civil war.

We then spotted the street where you will find the pumpkin lined fences. This area is very popular with instagrammers.

There were several people here taking pictures.

The houses in this area are really pretty.

We then spotted the beautiful First Congregational church.

And the historic home that used to house the Ardmore Bed & Breakfast. 

We then headed back to our hotel and drove to a popular covered bridge called Middle Bridge.

The bridge was the first public covered bridge built by the State of Vermont since 1889. This bridge replaced the original bridge that was built in 1877 after it was condemned in 1966.

The bridge spans 136 ft and was partially burned in 1974 and had to be restored.

We then spotted the beautiful Woodstock Inn.

The historic hotel was built in 1892 by Laurance and Mary Rockefeller for a cost of $120,000.00.

The hotel was celebrated for its grand architecture, 400 ft verandah and more than 100 guest rooms.

The hotel attracted many affluent visitors and became known as Vermont’s first winter-sports center for tourists.

Laurance and Mary Rockefeller purchased the Inn back in 1967 with plans to renovate it but it was in such bad shape, he ended up tearing the inn down and rebuilt a new inn in 1970.

Tip: Click here to book a room & click here to read reviews

They had beautiful flowers planted all around the hotel!

We continued our walk past the hotel and found lots of fall decorations!

We then spotted this incredible old church!

This church was called Our Lady of the Snows and was built in 1856.

After taking pictures of this church, we headed back to our car.

We then headed to a coffee shop about 10 mins from downtown Woodstock called Abracadabra Coffee. 

The coffee shop serves their single origin coffee out of a 1964 Shasta Trailer.

We both ordered the maple latte and it was delicious!

Read reviews here

We ended up eating our leftover cider donuts for breakfast….nothing like good coffee and donuts!

After our donuts, we headed to Sugarbrush Farm.

The drive there was really pretty.

We passed the very popular Billings Farm & Museum.

We had wanted to do both Billings and Sugarbrush but we didn’t have time to do both so I settled on Sugarbrush because it’s free to visit and Billings charges $19 for adults to visit.

However, Billings is a historic farm & museum that was established in 1871 and has much more to see than Sugarbrush.

About 15 mins after leaving the coffee shop, we arrived to Sugarbrush Farms.

Sugarbush Farm is a 550 acre farm that was founded in 1945 by Jack & Marion Ayres and were the first folks in Vermont to start packaging cheese in waxed bars to they would travel well without refrigeration.

The Luce family are the second, third and fourth generations to live on this farm.

After getting parked, we headed to the building where they make their maple syrup.

It was so interesting learning about the process of making maple syrup and just how much it takes to make one gallon of syrup!

They had store bought syrups sitting on a table showing all of the ingredients in each of them….it was shocking!

After reading about the process of making the syrup, we headed inside the store to check it out.

They were handing out samples of their cheese so, of course, we had to try all of them!

They were all so good!

In 1995 the American Cheese Society awarded Sugarbush Farm a Blue ribbon for the best smoked cheese in the country!

After trying the cheese, we walked around the store checking out their Vermont made goodies.

We ended up purchasing a coffee cup and some of these maple syrup packs.

After our purchase, we headed outside to walk around where we spotted this hilarious cut out and my hubby couldn’t resist having his picture taken with it! 😉

We then spotted the farm chapel.

Tip: There’s also a maple walk that you can do here…it’s a loop trail that takes about 15 mins to walk.

The chapel was built in 2012 and can be rented for weddings.

Near the chapel, you could see trees that were tapped for sap.

Read reviews for the farm here

After spending about 30 mins here, we continued our drive to our next stop.

About 15 mins after leaving the farm, we came up on the beautiful Quechee church that was located in Quechee. The church was completed in 1873 and has a 1274 lb bell in the bell tower.

A few minutes past the church was the Quechee Covered Bridge.

The bridge was constructed in 1970 and spans the Ottauquechee River.

We decided to park and walk across the bridge.

From the bridge you will see an old mill and a cool waterfall!

Next to the old mill is the very popular Simon Pearce restaurant.

I had actually made reservations to eat here but it didn’t work out.

Tip: If you eat at the restaurant don’t miss the glass blowing demonstrations in the bottom floor.

Tip: Also located here is the very popular Quechee Gorge. We decided not to stop because it was so busy.

After leaving here, we continued our drive.

A few minutes later, we arrived to our next stop, the Taftsville Covered Bridge.

The bridge was built in 1836 and is one of the oldest covered bridges in Vermont.

The bridge spans 189 ft and is the second-longest bridge in the state.The first bridge that was built here washed away during a flood in 1807. And, unfortunately, its next two replacements also fell into floodwaters in 1811 and 1828.

We parked and walked down to the water to get a better shot of the bridge.

We had a couple offer to take our picture near the bridge…we thought about turning them down but it was short lived! 😉

Read reviews of the bridge here

After leaving here, we continued our drive ….we were now in Hartford.

We were driving one of the many backroads and it was really beautiful.

Vermont has many scenic drives that you can do…one of the most popular is the Route 100.

We pulled over when we spotted these cute little cows!

After continuing our drive, we came up on the 4th covered bridge that can be found in Woodstock called the Lincoln Covered Bridge.

This 126 ft long bridge was built in 1865 or 1877….there have been two different dates mentioned during my research of this bridge.

Shortly after crossing the bridge, we found a picnic area to have lunch.

We were trying to eat as much of the food we had bought since we would be flying back home tomorrow and since we only travel with a carry on and a backpack, there was no way we could take anything back with us!

We had some of that delicious Vermont cheese, crackers, pastrami, etc.

But my favorite part of lunch, was dessert!

We still had our chocolates from L.A. Burdick and it was so yummy!

After lunch, we continued our drive to our next stop.

We passed this cool looking barn that had been converted to a house!

As we were driving down a backroad, we decided to turn around and head the other direction only to discover that a tree had literally just fallen across the road that we had just driven down maybe 2 minutes earlier!

My husband had to get out and move the tree out of the road…..thankfully, someone else stopped and helped him!

After getting the tree cleared out of the way, we continued our drive where we crossed over this cool looking bridge in West Woodstock. 

The leaves were really pretty along this drive!

We passed this beautiful farm along the way.

A few minutes later, we arrived to our next stop, Jenne Farm. 

Jenne Farm is located in the town of Reading, near Woodstock. The farm is an iconic and picturesque destination that has gained fame as one of the most photographed farms in the world!

The farm, tucked away in the rural countryside of Vermont, offers stunning natural landscapes and a glimpse into the state’s rural charm. With its idyllic barns, rolling hills, and maple syrup operations, Jenne Farm has become synonymous with the beauty of Vermont.

Several factors contribute to Jenne Farm’s reputation as one of the most photographed farms. Firstly, numerous magazines and films have featured the farm, captivating audiences worldwide.

Its photogenic landscapes have graced the covers of magazines like Yankee and Vermont Life, while also making appearances in movies such as Forrest Gump and Funny Farm. It has also appeared in Budweiser beer commercials.

So, of course, we couldn’t miss this iconic farm!

We had to park on the side of the road because the road that led to the farm had been closed to traffic because so many tourists were visiting and being disrespectful to the residents!

After getting parked, we had to walk about 1/4 mile in order to get views of the picturesque farm.

The farm was truly incredible with its rolling hills and barns!

Jenne Farm holds historical significance as one of the oldest continuously operated farms in Vermont, with a history dating back to 1790.

We couldn’t leave without taking pictures in front of the barn!

After taking our pictures, we headed back to our car. This cute little yellow house sat near the road where we had to park…the tree in the front yard was so pretty!

As we continued our drive, we found ourselves in Perkinsville. 

A few minutes later, we arrived to Chester.

Chester is famous for its Stone Village Historic District and Chester Village Historic District. Both districts are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Stone Village section is located along Vermont Route 103 and is known for the many houses made of local granite. The Chester Factory Village has homes that were built between 1750 and 1924, and includes Victorian, Colonial Revival and Federal style architecture.

We passed the historic Yosemite Engine Fire Station. Built in 1879, it is architecturally distinctive in the state as the only period fire station with two towers. Now owned by the town, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

The station’s name, “Yosemite” is a Miwak Indian tribe name meaning Grizzly Bear. “Yosemite” was also the name on the engine purchased for Chester’s Fire House.

We then spotted the Green Mountain Railroad station. The train station has been family-owned and operated by the Wulfson family for more than 50 years.

They offer scenic train rides and other excursions. You can book a train ride here.

As we drove through the charming town of Chester, we passed lots of gorgeous old historic homes and buildings. 

We decided to park at the Chester Baptist church and take a few pictures of the church.

The brick Baptist Church was built in 1832.

The cemetery that sits next to the church dates back to when Chester was chartered in 1766.

 

This church that was built in 1875.

And this church that was built in 1867.

And the historic Hotel Brooks that was built in 1871. The building now houses office space.

We also passed several incredible historic homes!

We then spotted the Creamery Covered Bridge so decided to park and take a few pictures.

Built in 1879, the Creamery Covered Bridge cost $1,037.80 to build and replaced a bridge destroyed by a flood the previous November.

In 1920, the town added a covered sidewalk to the bridge and replaced the wood shingle roof with slate. The bridge was closed to traffic in 2010.

The name “creamery” in the title derives from the old Brattleboro Creamery. The bridge served as an essential transportation route back in the day, allowing farmers to process their milk into butter or cheese at the creamery.

The bridge is Brattleboro’s last surviving 19th-century covered bridge.

Read reviews for the bridge here

After leaving the bridge, we continued our drive.

We drove through Antrim, New Hampshire where we passed the Antrim Church of Christ that was built in 1885.

As we continued our drive, we arrived to the town of Bennington, NH.

The town was named to commemorate the 1777 Battle of Bennington, an American Revolutionary War battle fought in New York near Bennington, Vermont.

We passed this church on the way. It was built in 1805.

We then drove through Wilton, NH.

Finally, at around 6:30 pm, we arrived to our hotel in Nashua, NH where we would be spending our last night.

Nashua has a population of around 91,350 and is the second-largest city in northern New England after nearby Manchester.

Unfortunately, I had waited to book a room the same day we needed one and all we could find was a room at the Clarion Inn and it costs us $440 for one night!!

Everything was booked up due to indigenous people weekend and fall foliage season!

Our room had two queen beds and a large bathroom.

I wasn’t expecting much but it was nicer than we thought it would be.

Read reviews here

After getting settled into our room, we headed to Hooked Seafood Restaurant in Manchester which was approximately 20 mins from the hotel.

We had to have one more lobster roll before leaving to go back home!

After getting seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

Tip: You need to make reservations if you don’t want to wait for a table!

We started out with the artichoke, crab and shrimp dip….it was incredible!

For our main meal, we both ordered the lobster roll….so delicious!

Read reviews here 

After dinner, we headed back to our hotel and called it a night.

The next morning, we headed to the airport.

The airport in Manchester is really small and there was hardly anyone there when we arrived!

While we waited to board our plane, we grabbed a coffee and muffin at Starbucks.

A little later, we were on the plane headed home where I spotted this very strange cloud formation!

If you look closely, you can see a rainbow in the clouds!

After arriving back to Nashville, our daughter picked us up at the airport where we headed to one of our favorite places to eat, Mas Tacos! Yum!

This concludes our time in the beautiful states of New Hampshire & Vermont!

A shot of all of our souvenirs!

Thanks for reading!

Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our time in New Hampshire & Vermont.

Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here & Day 6 here & Click here to see links to all my blog posts

Our travel dates were Oct 5 – 12th.

We are now staying n Woodstock for the next two days.

We woke up to clear blue skies after having a day of clouds and drizzling rain the day before.

Our room at the Shire had views of the Ottauquechee River.

Read reviews for this area here

We decided to start our morning with breakfast at a nearby restaurant in Woodstock called, Soulfully Good.

It was one of the restaurants that I had seen mentioned several times in the Vermont Facebook page I follow.

Tip: Click here for the best places to eat breakfast in Woodstock

After getting parked, we headed inside.

We arrived around 8:15 and were some of the first ones at the restaurant.

If you want to eat breakfast, you will have to get there early because the restaurants in these small towns stay very busy during the fall season!

We took a few minutes to look over the menu.

I decided on the pancakes and the hubby ordered the breakfast burrito.

The food was average ….my pancakes were not cooked well enough and my hubby wasn’t impressed with the burrito…..I mean, who serves a salad with a breakfast burrito?! 😉

Read reviews here

After leaving the restaurant, we headed to our first stop of the day.

We passed the Mon Vert Cafe which has some of the best reviews for breakfast in Woodstock….that’s where we should have eaten!

We also passed the picturesque First Congregational church.

The original church was constructed in 1807.  In 1818 a committee of three journeyed from Woodstock to Boston and purchased the church bell at a price of 45¢ a pound from Paul Revere & Sons.

The bell weighed 711 pounds and cost  $319.95. It is interesting to think how long the trip by horse and wagon would have been to Boston and back, and how a 711 pound bell was lifted into the bell tower!

While Paul Revere is best known for his famous Midnight Ride, after the Revolution he set up a foundry in Boston, making iron and later brass items such as stoves, hearths, anvils and cannons.

Woodstock holds the distinction of being the only town with five bells manufactured in the foundry established by Revolutionary War patriot Paul Revere.

The Revere Bell is now displayed on the south porch of the church and is the oldest of Woodstock’s bells and the only one cast in Paul Revere’s lifetime.

Tip: Read here about a Revere Bell walking tour you can do in Woodstock

If you zoom in on this picture, you can see the bell to the left under the covered roof.

Three of Woodstock’s five Revere Bells still ring from the Masonic Temple (formerly the Christian Church), Saint James Episcopal Church, and the North Universalist Chapel. The fifth Revere Bell rests on a pedestal behind the Woodstock Inn in front of the Inn’s putting green.

The original chapel was moved to the rear of the meeting house and in 1880 the current Billings Chapel was erected.

Read the very interesting history of this church here

As we continued our drive, we passed this cool looking barn.

We were now driving through Bridgewater.

As we were driving through the small town, we passed the United Church of Christ.

The church was built in 1879 by William C. Bugbee, contractor. The dedication of the church occurred in 1880 and later that year, the 650-pound bell was placed in the belfry. The bell is still ringing 145 years later.

Continuing our drive

We passed a sign for the Killington Resort. 

The ski resort is hugely popular during the winter months but they also offer a scenic gondola ride that you can take any time of the year.

Tip: Tickets for the gondola start at $32 and must be purchased online

We then spotted this incredible stone church and decided to check it out!

The church was called, the Mission Farm Chapel and was built in 1895.

In addition to the church, the 170-acre Mission Farm property includes an 1817 farmhouse, a guest and retreat house, a vicarage, a bakery and agricultural buildings.

This property was placed on the National Register Historic places.

After this short stop, we continued our drive.

We then arrived to our first stop of the day, Kent Pond.

During my research, I had read how beautiful this pond was and how you could capture some incredible reflection shots from the pond.

However, when we arrived, it was way too windy for any reflection shots but the pond is definitely worth a visit!

Tip: The Appalachian Trail also goes along the south side of Kent Pond.

After leaving here, we continued our drive.

During our drive, we passed another body of water so we decided to pullover and check out the views.

Our location showed that we were now in Plymouth. 

The lake offered incredible views of the nearby mountains.

After researching, I’m pretty sure this was Emerald Lake. 

The colors in the trees around the lake were really vibrant!

Shortly after leaving the lake, we arrived to our next stop of the day, President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site.

Tip: This site is only open during the months of May-Oct and only on Tues-Sun from 10 am to 5 pm

After getting parked, we headed inside and purchased our tickets. Tickets are $12 for adults, $4 for children ages 6-14 or you can buy a family pass for $30…this ticket includes up to 6 people with 4 adults.

After purchasing our tickets, we walked around the small museum inside the ticket building.

The museum housed exhibits and archives recounting Calvin Coolidge’s private and public lives.

Calvin Coolidge was the 13th president of the US but only became president after the sudden death of President Harding in 1923.

The Coolidges were actually on vacation in Vermont when President Harding died and Calvin’s father, who was a notary public at the time, swore his own son in as President by kerosene light at this homestead!

This was the Bible that Coolidge took the oath of office as President on August 3, 1923.

Calvin Coolidge’s presidential chair….so ornate!

This was Grace Coolidge’s (Calvin’s wife) cosmetic case.

After spending a few minutes walking around the museum, we headed outside to check out the rest of the property.

The historic site encompasses over 200 acres and includes Calvin Coolidge’s birthplace, the family homestead, as well as the homes of relatives and friends.

Its 12 or 13 buildings and their surroundings constitute a historical site in which the story of rural American democracy is told and preserved.

You will also see the Union Christian Church that was built in 1840, the Florence Cilley General Store, a one-room schoolhouse, the Aldrich House, the Wilder Barns, the Wilder House, and the cheese factory.

We headed to the Plymouth cheese factory. 

The factory was established in 1890 by Colonel John Coolidge, the president’s father, along with James S. Brown and three other local farmers. The factory closed in 1934.

In 1960, President Coolidge’s son John revived the cheese factory which had been closed since 1934. The Coolidge family still owns about 500 acres of the surrounding small hill farms.

In 1998, John sold the cheese factory to the state of Vermont with the understanding that cheese would continue to be made there as long as the building was standing.

You could see where they made the cheese at the factory.

There were lots of pictures of the Coolidge family hanging on the walls.

They were offering cheese tastings so of course we had to try it out!! It was so good!

There was a small museum located on the second floor of the cheese factory.

The museum displayed a lot of the original equipment they used to make their cheese.

After heading back downstairs, we noticed a sign where they offered lunch bags for sale that included their cheese, pepperoni, crackers and water.

So, we decided to purchase one for later.

After the cheese factory, we checked out the old schoolhouse.

The schoolhouse was built in 1890 and where Calvin Coolidge attended school.

Back when Calvin was a boy, there was no formal US Dept of Education or standardized educational requirements. The average American completed an eighth grade education. which was defined by proficiency in reading, writing, math and basic life skills.

Seems like we need to get back to those basics for today’s education!

We then headed to the barn that still contained the Coolidge’s possessions.

The 1½-story farmhouse with connected barn had been purchased in 1876 by Colonel John Coolidge, who added the front porch and 2-story front bay.

The Coolidge Homestead is furnished exactly as it was when Vice President Calvin Coolidge took the oath of office following the unexpected death of President Warren G. Harding.

The quilt in this room was made by Calvin Coolidge when he was just 10 yrs old.

Calvin’s dad was a deputy sheriff at the time they lived here and would sometimes keep prisoners in this room when he didn’t have time to take them to the jail in Woodstock.

This bedroom belonged to Colonel John Coolidge in 1923. The president and Mrs. Coolidge slept in the middle bedroom upstairs. Because it was not possible to arrange public access to the second floor, the furnishings used by Calvin and his wife have been moved down to this room.

Two pair of Calvin Coolidge’s shoes were sitting on the bedroom floor.

A few more pictures of the inside

And of course, we couldn’t miss having our pictures taken on the front porch of the house!

Next, we walked over to the home that Calvin was born in.

This was the original home of his parents and is attached to the general store.

Calvin Coolidge was born in this bedroom on July 4, 1872. He was the first child of John Calvin and Victoria Josephine Moor Coolidge. Calvin’s sister, Abigail, was born in 1875. The family lived in this modest house until 1876, when they moved across the road to what is now called the Coolidge Homestead.

A few more shots of the inside

Next, we checked out the church where the Coolidge family used to worship.

The church was built in 1840 and dedicated as a Congregational Church in 1842.

We then headed to the general store that was built during the 1850’s.

John Coolidge became storekeeper in 1868. The rent was $40 a year, and by careful management, profits averaged $100 a month.

Coolidge soon purchased the store and entered into a partnership with his wife’s brother in 1875. He sold his share of the business in 1877, but owned the building until 1917.

Florence Cilley, whose name appears above the front door, operated the store between 1917 and 1945. The small post office at the front of the store served the town until 1976.

Today, it is still an operating general store and full of antiques from when the store was originally opened.

After leaving the store, we checked out 3 “tiny homes”.

These were actually called the, The Top of the Notch Cabins. These cabins provided tourists with modest, but comfortable accommodations. They are typical of the late 1920s and were prefabricated. The rates for the cabins were $7 a day!

These cabins, a gift shop and a tea room called “Top of the Notch”  were in operation for many years. The middle cabin had been restored and was open to the public for viewing.

Also located here is the hillside cemetery in which President Coolidge is now buried with the members of his family….sadly, we missed this as we saw nothing about it on the pamphlet we were given!

Read reviews for this historic site here

After spending about an hour here, we headed to our next stop.

About 15 mins after leaving the Coolidge homestead, we arrived to Ludlow. 

Ludlow was founded in 1761 and, like many of the towns in Vermont, was full of historical buildings like this incredible church!

Ludlow Baptist Church was built in 1892 for a cost of $11,079.52. It was designed by George H. Guernsey of Montpelier.

Guernsey worked as a builder but established himself as an architect and became a leading architect in Vermont where he designed many incredible structures throughout the state.

In 1897, he was elected as Montpelier’s third mayor. He died of tuberculosis at his home in 1900 where he was buried at Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier.

After this stop, we continued on our way to our next stop.

As we were driving, we spotted the ski slopes at the Okemo Ski Resort. 

The ski resort offers year round scenic chair lift rides and so much more!

Tip: Don’t miss driving the Mt Equinox Skyline Drive when in this area!

Continuing our drive through Ludlow

As we were driving, we spotted a small pond so we stopped to take a few pictures.

I’m not sure what this pond was called but it offered beautiful views!

Click here to read about a hike you can do in this area called Tiny Pond

A few minutes after leaving the pond, we crossed into the town of Weston where we would find our next stop, the Old Mill Museum.

Unfortunately, the mill was closed when we arrived so we just walked around and checked out what we could.

It’s only open for tours on Wednesdays and weekends during peak season, and opens on select dates the remainder of the year.

The Mill Museum overlooks a picturesque mill pond and waterfall.

Built in 1785 as a sawmill, and later as a grist mill, its collection of early trade tools and products includes equipment used in farming, cheese making, coopering, blacksmithing, woodworking, weaving and spinning, and tinsmithing.

Standing next to the mill is the Craft Building that was built as a firehouse in the late nineteenth century. In the 1920s, Frank Mansur took over the firehouse in the 1920s and used it as a machine shop.

Read reviews here 

Tip: Near the mill is the historic Farrar-Mansur House that was built in 1797…we missed the house.

After leaving here, we stopped off at the Weston Village Store. The general store has been opened since 1891.

We walked around the store and checked it out.

The store had everything from Vermont made goods, to homemade fudge to souvenirs and so much more!

We found a couple of Vermont sweatshirts that we liked so decided to purchase those and a few other goodies!

Read reviews here 

After leaving this general store, we drove across the street to the very popular Vermont Country Store.

In 1946, Vrest and Mildred Ellen Orton opened The Vermont Country Store in Weston. Vrest was inspired by childhood memories of his father’s general store in North Calais, Vermont. The Weston store became the first restored rural general store in the nation.

Today the store is owned by Lyman Orton and his three sons. Together, they are 7th & 8th generation Vermonters, and 4th & 5th generation storekeepers.

The building that houses the Vermont Country Store was built in 1827!

The store was much bigger on the inside than we thought it would be and it had everything you could imagine!

It was like taking a step back in time….my hubby and I loved it!

It felt like part museum and part general store!

I saw two gentlemen in the store playing checkers and it reminded me of the old picture that the store had posted on their site!

There was a glass cabinet that was full of old antique scales.

We picked up some of their hand cut Vermont cheddar to take with us for the picnic we had planned later!

The store was full of old toys from the past and candy that you can no longer find in your local grocery stores!

The store had everything…..clothes, shoes, food, candy, toys, housewares, books and more!

Read reviews. here

As we were checking out, the cashier pointed out these hats that were hanging on the wall that belonged to the original owner, Mrs. Mildred Orton.

Mrs. Orton passed away at the age of 99 in 2010 and Mr. Orton was 89 when he passed in 1986.

Mrs. Orton’s nephew, Howard Wilcox still makes Wilcox Ice Cream, Vermont’s original, which was introduced by Mildred’s father in 1928 as a way to diversify for a growing family.

After making our purchase, we headed outside where we had a gentleman take our picture by the store.

Beside the country store was a small restaurant that was named after Mildred.

Tip: Don’t miss the Weston Village Christmas Shop when in this area

After leaving here, we headed to the small historic area of Weston.

We stopped to take pictures of the Old Parish Church. 

The construction of the church began in 1816 and was completed in 1832.

Since its construction, the only significant change to the church has been the replacement of a simple dome over the doorway with today’s clock tower.

After taking our pictures of the church, we continued our drive and passed this beautiful horse farm along the way.

As we continued our drive, we entered into the town of Londonderry.

We passed the Second Congregational Church that was built in 1840.

Continuing our drive

It was now 1 pm and we were ready for lunch so we decided to find somewhere to eat our “picnic style” lunch.

I actually had a place picked out that was on my itinerary in case we wanted to have a “picnic”  and it just so happened that it worked out perfectly.

I had seen pictures of it on the Facebook page that I follow so I made a note of it.

It was called Hapgood Pond Recreation area and was ten minutes from Londonderry.

However, when we arrived, we quickly discovered that all 12 acres of the pond had been drained in order to build a fishing pier!

I was so disappointed!

So, instead of having our picnic lunch by the water, we had lunch by the mud! lol!

Read reviews here

At least our food was delish!

And so were the trees! 😉

After leaving here, we continued our drive through the small town of Peru where we passed the J.J. Hapgood General Store and Eatery.

I had read that the food here was top notch!

Read reviews here

Tip: Scenes from the  movie Baby Boom starring Diane Keaton was filmed at the general store 

We passed the Peru Congregational church Construction on the church began on the Fourth of July in 1845, with contractor and resident J.J. Hapgood utilizing much of the timbers of the former church building in the new church. In 1853, a tornado swept through Peru, damaging the west end of the church and moving it from the foundation, however, it survived.

As we continued our drive we entered into Manchester which would be where our next stop is located.

Manchester was one of the top recommended places to visit on the Vermont Facebook page I follow.

The charming Vermont town was settled in 1764 and the town was laid out in 1784. The arrival of the railroad from industrialized centers like New York City brought tourists, drawn by Manchester’s historic architecture and beautiful setting among mountains. Following the Civil War, the town developed into an affluent resort area, which it remains today.

Manchester is also home to Hildene, Robert Todd Lincoln’s 412-acre summer estate and that’s where we were headed.

A couple of the historic homes we passed in Manchester

One of them was actually a hotel called the Wickham House.

The Wickham House was originally built in 1790 as a tavern and inn by Captain Peter Black. The inn was later purchased in 1837 by Rev. Dr. Joseph Wickham, legendary headmaster of Burr and Burton Academy.

Heading to the Hildene House

After getting parked, we headed inside to purchase our tickets. 

Tip: Ticket for adults are $23 pp and $6 for children ages 6-16. The house is only open Thurs – Mon from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Once we had our tickets, we headed back outside and waked a short distance to the house.

Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert and his wife, Mary built this house in 1905 as a summer home.

Robert was the only child of Mary Todd Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln to survive to maturity.

Peggy Beckwith, Abraham Lincoln’s great-granddaughter and the last Lincoln descendant to live at Hildene, died in 1975, and left Hildene to the Church of Christ, Scientist in accordance with her grandmother’s wishes.

The non-profit Friends of Hildene purchased the estate in 1978 and began the long process of restoring the home and formal garden.

The estate encompasses 412 acres and includes the house and 14 historic buildings, includes the home, formal garden and observatory.

The house has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.

The tour is self guided but they only allow so many people in at a time and a group had just entered into the house when we arrived so we had to wait for the next group to enter the house.

While we waited, we checked out the nearby observatory.

Robert Lincoln had gotten his initial interest in astronomy from his father, Abraham Lincoln so when he built this house, he also built his own observatory.

Robert became a voracious reader of books on astronomy, about thirty of which still remain in his library at the Hildene house.

The views near the observatory were incredible!

After checking out the observatory, we headed back to the house to get in line for the next tour group.

There was a small square outlined in the grass near the front door of the house that showed the size of Abraham Lincoln’s first home compared to his son’s home!

After a few minutes of waiting, we were allowed into the house.

There are several rooms that can be explored so we took a few minutes and checked out the downstairs as well as the upstairs.

Here are a few pictures I took of the inside.

President Lincoln’s top hat

After checking out the inside, we headed outside to check out the gardens.

The gardens are beautiful!

There are more than 1,000 peony blossoms throughout the gardens!

The garden was designed by President Lincoln’s granddaughter, Jessie Lincoln, for her mother, Mary Harlan Lincoln in 1908.

The prestigious American Peony Society designated two of Hildene’s peonies, “Hildene” and “Jessie Lincoln,” as previously unidentified cultivars. The research that led to this honor took place in the Observation Garden located behind the the Welcome Center.

The mountains surrounding the house  are absolutely stunning!! I can see why they would want to build a home in this location!

Tip: Besides the house, observatory and gardens, you can also visit the Welcome Center and Museum Store in the historic carriage barn; 1903 Pullman car, Hildene Farm, the solar-powered goat dairy and cheese-making facility,  greenhouse, composting facility, animal barn, vegetable gardens, apple orchard, 600 foot floating wetland boardwalk and an 1832 schoolhouse.

Read reviews for the house tour here

A few more photos of the outside

We had to go back through the house to exit so I took a few more pictures on the way out.

After the gardens, we left the house and continued our drive.

We passed this cool looking house as we were driving through Manchester.

Tip: The two most popular trails in this area the Lye Brook Falls Trail and the Prospect Rock Trail.

Continuing our drive through. Manchester

We passed the Orvis Outlet Store

In 1856, Charles F. Orvis founded the Orvis Company in Manchester, Vermont, offering superior fly-fishing equipment and priding himself on customer satisfaction and service. It is the oldest mail-order retailer in the United States.

Downtown Manchester

As we continued our drive, we passed beautiful farms.

The views along the way were so amazing!

We spotted a covered bridge so decided to pull over and check it out.

This is the Scott Covered Bridge and is located in Townshend.

The Scott Bridge is actually three bridges, put in place by Harrison Chamberlin in 1870 after the flood of 1869.

The bridge is 277 feet long and one of the longest covered bridges in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It’s closed to all traffic.

Driving through Townshend

A few minutes later we found ourselves in the quaint town of Newfane.

Fun Facts: The West River in Newfane yielded the largest gold nugget ever found in New England, at 6.5oz and the  small town was featured in episode 8, season 4, of the TV series “Route 66” in 1963. A sign for The Village Store at Newfane, Vermont, 1876, appears in an early scene.

There are around 1700 people that live in Newfane.

After arriving to the historic downtown area, we decided to park and take a few pictures of this cute, little town.

When we arrived there was some kind of farmers market or festival going on so it was difficult getting decent pictures of the beautiful historic buildings.

The First Congregational Church was built in 1839.

Near the church was the beautiful Four Columns Inn.  The house was constructed in 1832 for General Pardon T. Kimball, a cattle-broker, general of the state militia and later, a state senator.The house was converted to an inn in 1965.

Next, was the incredible Windham County Court House. It was built in 1824 and remodeled in 1853 to its present appearance.

Next is the Union Hall that was built in 1832 for $1600.oo. After twenty years it was abandoned, then converted to a public hall in 1872. It is now used for meetings, weddings, concerts, etc.

We then spotted this statue that had been erected in memory of the men of Newfane who had served in the Civil War.

We then spotted this cute little building that used to be the post office but now houses an antique shop.

Next to the post office was the rarest sighting of the day! 😉

We then headed inside the Newfane General Store to check it out. This store was built in 1889 after the original store that was built in 1822 was destroyed by a fire.

The store had a full menu of delicatessen and prepared food.

They also offered coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, groceries, cheese, maple syrup, ice cream, baked goods, and lots more!

They even had a few antiques in the store.

After checking out the general store, we continued our drive where we arrived to the Dummerston Covered Bridge in Dummerston.

The original bridge was built in 1872 but was totally renovated in 1998.

The West Dummerston covered bridge is 283 ft long and one of the two longest in the state, and it is the only one with diamond-shaped side ports.

Tip: The academy-award winning movie, The Cider House Rules, was filmed in Dummerston at Scott Farm in 1998.

Fun Fact: You can stay in the former home of famous author Rudyard Kipling. In fact, he wrote The Jungle Book, The Days Work, The Seven Seas and Captains Courageous while living there.

Continuing our drive

About 15 mins after leaving the bridge, we arrived to Putney where we spotted the Putney General Store.

The long history of this store dates back to 1796, the year when George Washington handed over control of the government to John Adams. The store has seen a lot in more than 2 centuries since then, including the recent loss of the original building to 2 fires in 2008 and 2009.

We headed inside to check it out

Since it was around 5:30 pm, we decided to order a couple of deli sandwiches for dinner.

After getting our sandwiches, we headed outside to eat on the front porch of the store.

They were so good!!

Read reviews here

After we were done eating, we continued our drive and crossed into Westminster. 

Westminster is Vermont’s oldest existing town and was chartered in 1735. It was also the first capital of the Republic of Vermont. It borders the state of New Hampshire. The population is around 3100.

We passed this beautiful church as we were driving through the town.

About five minutes after arriving to Westminster, we crossed over into Walpole, New Hampshire where we passed another beautiful church! This church was called the Walpole Unitarian Church.  The church was built in 1842 but  was replaced after the roof collapsed in 1920.

Tip: Filmmaker, Ken Burns lives in Walpole

We then passed this beautiful house!

We were in Walpole for one reason, to purchase some delicious chocolates at L.A. Burdick.

L.A. Burdick has 7 different locations but the location in Walpole is their flagship store.

L.A. Burdick Chocolates began with one man who had returned from training as a chocolatier in Bern, Switzerland and had a desire to make chocolate confections that could truly be called chocolate as most chocolate in the US was mass produced.

In 1987, Larry Burdick founded L.A. Burdick and today is widely regarded as a pioneer of fine chocolates in America.

Tip: I had read that Ashton Kutcher served L A Burdick chocolates at his wedding

We were a bit overwhelmed by all the choices!!

They had this haunted house made entirely from chocolate!

I couldn’t pass up on these caramel trios! I love caramel….and chocolate! 😉

After picking out our chocolates, we decided to order a delicious dessert and coffee.

We ordered a slice of the chocolate raspberry cake and a slice of the chocolate mousse cake.

The cakes were incredible and the coffee was some of the best we had on our trip!!

Tip: They also have a restaurant attached to the chocolate store

Read reviews for the chocolate store here & for the restaurant here

After leaving here, we drove an hour back to our hotel in Woodstock where we called it a night!

Thanks for reading!

Stay tuned for Day 8!

Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here & Day 6 here

Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Guys!

This post continues our time in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Our travel dates were Oct 5 – 12, 2024.

Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here & Day 5 here & Click here to see links to all of my blog posts

This morning we decided to have breakfast at a very popular restaurant in Stowe called, the Butler’s Pantry. 

The restaurant was listed as one of the “10 Best Places to Grab Breakfast Before Skiing in New England” by New England Ski Journaling and voted the “Best Pancakes” in Vermont in 2020 by Insider.com.

We arrived to the restaurant around 7:45 am only to find a long line of people waiting to get in.

Tip: The restaurant doesn’t take reservations for breakfast but they do use the Yelp waitlist that allows you to get in line remotely. You can however, call and make a reservation for dinner.

The restaurant is located in a house that was built in 1830 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building was originally the home of Orion W. Butler, one of Stowe’s first and most prominent lawyers.

The beautiful Stowe Community church sits directly across from the restaurant.

Once the restaurant opened their doors at 8 am, the line started moving pretty quickly.

The Butler’s pantry also offers lodging.

After being seated, we took a few minutes to look over the menu.

We both decided on those famous pancakes with that delicious Vermont maple syrup.

The food was good but definitely not the best pancakes I had ever eaten.

Read reviews here

After breakfast, we decided to walk to Shaw’s General Store to find a t-shirt and coffee cup.

On the way, we passed the Avocado Pit. A Mexican restaurant that is housed in a beautiful, old house.

We also passed these beautiful houses!

The Stowe Village Historic District encompasses most of the village center of Stowe and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Click here for a self guided walking tour of 11 historic sites in Stowe

Shaw’s General Store is a 2 minute walk from Butler’s Pantry.

The store has been family owned and operated since 1895!

It still has the original wood floors and countertop from 1895!

The store offered a variety of things from Vermont made goods, candy, toys, souvenirs and much more!

Read reviews here

After not finding what we were looking for, we headed to another store called, Stowe Mercantile.

This store was very similar to Shaw’s General store.

They had tons of candy!

As we were walking through the store, we spotted this old gondola and a set of skis.

We ended up finding our t-shirts, a coffee cup and some Vermont made chocolate bars!

Read reviews for this store here

After purchasing our souvenirs, we headed back to our hotel and checked out as we would be staying our next two nights in Woodstock.

Click here for best hotels in Stowe

Once we were checked out of our hotel, we headed to our first stop of the day.

Our drive took us through the small town of Morrisville.

This was another cute, colorful town with lots of historic buildings.

We passed this old church.

I thought Tennessee had a lot of churches…this place is right up there with TN…however, the difference is, we use our churches for church services. A lot of the churches we saw in Vermont were either not being used for services or they had been converted to something else.

Actually, Vermont consistently ranks among the least religious state in the country.

We decided to park and get out and walk around for a few minutes after we spotted this beautiful, old house.

We discovered that it used to be the governor’s mansion.

Governor George W. Hendee, the only governor of Vermont from Morrisville, had this house built in 1878. Mr. Hendee went on to represent Vermont in US House of Representatives from 1873-1879.

We continued our walk through town where we spotted another church called, United Community Church. 

This church was built in 1839 and was remodeled in 1857 and again in 1875.  A pipe organ was added in 1885 and the church was enlarged and renovated  in 1897 in the Gothic Revival style.

After the church, we spotted this gorgeous, old house that was for sale.

After this house, we headed back to our car to continue our drive.

We spotted the Fisher Covered Railroad bridge along the way….it was located in Wolcott.

The bridge was built in 1908 and was the last covered bridge in Vermont to carry railroad traffic, and is a rare surviving example in the state of a double Town lattice truss. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

We didn’t stop to take pictures, so I just snapped a few while we passed the bridge.

Continuing our drive to our next stop, the Nichols Ledge hike. 

The hike is located in Woodbury which is a 45 minute drive from Stowe.

The drive there was on a very narrow, gravel road!

But the drive was so beautiful!

Thankfully, we never met another vehicle on this road!

After finally arriving to the small parking lot at the trailhead, we got out and started the short hike to the ledge.

There was only one other car in the parking lot when we arrived at 10:45 am.

This hike is located on private property but the owner allows people to hike here. However, during March 15 – Aug 1, this trail is closed to hikers due to the peregrine falcons that nest here.

The hike to the ledge is only 0.6 miles and you will gain about 250 ft of elevation.

You will be walking through the woods the entire time and the last section of the trail is a bit steep.

It took us about 10-15 mins to reach the top and the views were incredible!

Nichols Ledge sits at an elevation of 1,707 feet and presents you with  exceptional views of Nichols Lake, East Long Pond, Woodbury Mountain, and the Worcester Range of the Green Mountains.

The leaves were popping with colors of orange, yellow, reds and greens!

We couldn’t believe that there was only one other couple here when we arrived and they actually left shortly after we arrived!

It was cloudy and drizzling rain so it was hard to capture just how vivid the colors were.

Nichols Ledge reminded me of the Artist Bluff trail that we had hiked earlier in the week while we were in New Hampshire.

After taking way too many pictures, we headed back to our car.

The trail was really muddy in some areas.

After arriving back to our car, we continued our drive to our next stop.

Instead of going back the way we had come, we continued down the one lane road.

It was like driving through a painting!

About 15 minutes after leaving the trail, we passed one of the lakes we had seen from Nichols Ledge. Our location now showed that we were in Cabot.

Tip: Cabot is home to the Cabot Creamery Visitor Center 

Our drive took us through Marshfield but we were still on the backroads driving gravel roads.

The trees along this drive were so beautiful!

I couldn’t stop taking pictures ….as usual! 😉

We were now in East Calais where we spotted an overlook that gave us awesome views of a nearby church!

As we continued our drive, we came up on the church that we had just seen from a distance.

We then passed this pond. Vermont has tons of lakes and ponds!

About 45 mins after leaving the Nichols Ledge trail, we arrived to our next stop, Bragg Farm Sugarhouse. 

We were ready for our daily creemee!

Tip: Click here for a guide to visiting Vermont’s maple farms

After getting parked, we headed inside.

They offered all kinds of Vermont made goodies!

And of course, their own maple syrup!

The Bragg Family has been producing Pure Vermont Maple Syrup at the Bragg Farm Sugarhouse for 8 generations!

They make their maple syrup the traditional way, using buckets and a wood-fired evaporator.

After walking around the store for a few minutes, we headed to the front to order a delicious maple creemee!

We then headed back outside to enjoy our creemees on the front porch.

Maple creemees are a combination of the state’s two most famed products: high-quality milk and high-quality maple syrup and they are pure perfection!

Read reviews here

After finishing up our delicious creemees, we continued our drive through the beautiful countryside of Vermont.

We drove back through Marshfield but this time, we were driving through the town instead of the backroads.

We passed the Marshfield Village Store. The historic town market dates back to 1852.

A few minutes later we found ourselves back in Cabot where we passed the Cabot Creamery facility.

The original creamery was built in 1893 by 94 farmers who invested in proportion to the number of cattle they owned. The creamery started out making butter, but began making cheese in 1930.

The creamery receives milk from 800 family farms across New England and produces 130 million pounds of cheese per year.

Tip: Click here to watch a 5 min YouTube video on Cabot’s creamery and their tours

Driving through Cabot

We passed this incredible house!!

We saw so many gorgeous, historic homes in Vermont….I’m not sure if we even saw any newer homes here!

About 30 mins after leaving Braggs Maple Farm, we arrived to our next stop, Burt’s Apple Orchard. 

There are tons of orchards in Vermont!

During their open season, Burt’s orchard offers pick your own apples, cider donuts, pumpkins, maple syrup, cider, cider slushes, hones and more!

Burt’s has 26,000 maple trees that they tap for sap!

After arriving to the orchard, we walked around and checked it out.

They had acres and acres of apple trees!

And tons of pumpkins!

My hubby decided he would try out one of the apples that had fallen to the ground. 😉

The orchard grows about 40 different types of apples!

We headed inside the small building where they were selling their apples, syrup, vinegar and other goodies.

After seeing that they sold the cider donuts, we decided to order a couple with some hot apple cider!

There’s a large kitchen behind the registers where the donuts are made all day, and bags of them are lined up on counters as well.

The hot apple cider hit the spot on this cold, wet day!

After leaving here, we continued our drive.

A few minutes later, we spotted a covered bridge so we pulled over to take a few pictures.

This is the AM Foster Bridge Covered bridge and it’s a reproduction of the Martin Covered Bridge that was built in 1890.

This bridge was built in 1988-89 by its owner, Richard Walbridge Spaulding and sits on private property.

After leaving the bridge, we continued our drive.

We were now driving through West Danville and heading to a back road that is popular during the fall called Bayley-Hazen Road. It is also one of Vermont’s most historic dirt roads.

Tip: Don’t miss the largest corn maze in New England while in this area!

On the way, we spotted the Greenbank’s Hollow Covered Bridge so we made another quick stop.

The original bridge was built in the mid 1800’s however, a mill fire in 1885 leveled the bridge as well as the whole community that was located here.

The bridge was rebuilt in 1886, but the community was never rebuilt but now the Danville Historical Society is currently recovering and restoring the site that has been dormant since the 1885 fire.

Near the bridge, is a historic site marker entitled A Forgotten Village and foundations are marked as to their use in 1885.

There was a sign hanging in the bridge with a QR code that you could scan to read about the bridge and 5 other bridges located in Caledonia County.

Views from the bridge

There are several remnants of the old mill and town that once stood here.

There were also several site markers that marked the spots where the mill, homes and other structures once stood.

After leaving here, we continued our drive.

We made another quick stop when we spotted these trees that had been tapped for maple syrup.

It was so cool to see first hand how the sap was collected from the trees!

Continuing our drive

We were now on Bailey-Hazen Road making our way to the very small town of Peacham.

The history of this road begins in 1776 when Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery attempted to capture Canada. The American army needed reinforcements and supplies to continue the siege of Quebec.

Jacob Bayley, head of the frontier militia and a resident of Newbury, wrote to General George Washington about the need to build a new road to shorten existing supply routes.

In 1778-79, General Moses Hazen continued the construction of the Bayley-Hazen Military Road as far as Hazen’s Notch on Route 58—now marked by a historic site plaque. The military road was abandoned in April 1779 when news broke that the British patrols might use it as an invasion route.

As a military achievement, the Bayley-Hazen road was considered a flop. Still, nearly 250 years after it was built, the road continues to generate interest among history buffs, locals, and visitors.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of color in the trees.

A short while later, we arrived to Peacham.