To celebrate Michael’s recent birthday, we spent six days on a Vermont brewery road trip.
Table of Contents
Planning
TIP: For road trips within the US and Canada, we use RoadTrippers to plot points on a map and explore the surrounding area.
In the vicinity of our Vermont route, we found the following items to consider adding to our itinerary: a huge roadside sculpture, a cider mill, an ice cream factory, a cheese factory, a coffee roaster, breweries, yummy food options, the largest corn maze, and a number of places for hiking and scenic drives.
Getting Around
Within the United States, we often rely on having cell service and simply use Google Maps. But, as with other more remote and/or rural destinations, we found that our AT&T coverage was spotty.
TIP: Consider picking up area maps and/or saving electronic maps offline.
Accommodation
When traveling with Camper Dan, we’re interested in finding campgrounds and boondocking locations. We often don’t book in advance but we’re generally aware of the options. Consider your preferred accommodation style, your level of flexibility, budget and the season.
TIP: We look for ‘green space’ on Google Maps, check out state park websites, state and national forest websites, BLM websites, and, if we need additional amenities, look for KOA locations. Other useful sites include Hipcamp, iOverlander, FreeCampsites.net and RVParkReviews.com. And, when not camping, our favorite booking methods include Airbnb, HotelTonight (use promo code MMELLI for $25 off your first booking) and hotels.com.
On this Vermont road trip, we stayed in three locations:
This KOA was en route to our northern-most Vermont destination and allowed us to break up the driving over two days. Additionally, it provided full hook-ups so Camper Dan was fully charged with full water tank and an empty black/gray tank going into the rest of the trip.
This beautiful, small state park has a beach on the shores of Lake Elmore and a hiking trail to the fire tower atop Elmore Mountain. There are 45 spacious tent/RV sites. The campground was nearly empty during our stay so it felt extremely private. No hookups are available but there is a dump station and a bathroom facility with paid showers.
Another beautiful state park. There are approximately 50 campsites split across two areas. One section is heavily wooded and the other is an open grassy area near the shore of Lake Dunmore. We chose the open area and enjoyed a campfire and the spacious grounds that we shared with only one other RV. No hookups are available but there is a dump station and a bathroom facility with paid showers.
Activities
We were unable to fit all of the researched attractions and activities into just a few short days. However, we enjoyed the fall foliage, visited breweries and eateries, and dropped in on an old friend.
TIP: Check hours, especially for the breweries, as most are not open daily.
Brattleboro, VT area
- Hermit Thrush Brewery – offers a selection of overpriced sour beers
- Saxtons River Distillery – tastings available; specializes in maple and coffee liquors
Waterbury / Stowe, VT area
- Prohibition Pig – popular lunch and dinner spot with on-site brewery; dinner reservations recommended
- Craft Beer Cellar – brick and mortar craft beer bottle shop across from Prohibition Pig
- Ben & Jerry’s – stop in for ice cream and see the flavor graveyard; or participate in a full factory tour
- Cold Hollow Cider Mill – busy, touristic locale known for cider donuts; other Vermont specialty items for sale in the gift shop
- Waterbury Center – an easy way to get your fill of Lake Champlain Chocolates and Cabot cheese without visiting factory locations; Smugglers Notch Distillery tasting room is also located in this center (we weren’t impressed)
- The Alchemist – Heady Topper cans are sold in the Visitor Center
- Trapp Family Lodge and vonTrapp Brewing – explore the expansive grounds or enjoy a lager in the new bierhall
Morristown, VT area and beyond
- Elmore State Park – hike the Elmore Mountain Fire Tower Trail or frolic on the lakeshore
- Lost Nation Brewery – every beer is fantastic and the taproom has great food
- Hill Farmstead Brewery – enjoy a coveted beer in the taproom or make purchases in the bottle shop
We only scratched the surface of what Vermont has to offer. We look forward to exploring much more of Vermont – the outstanding Vermont state parks and outdoor activities as well as additional breweries – on a future Northeast United States road trip.
September 28 – October 3, 2016