When you Visit - And Why You Should
When you Visit - And Why You Should
We have landed in heaven. You should join us.
In our first few weeks living in Vermont, we have been continually amazed by the culture and beauty of the place, most of which is hard to capture completely in words or pictures. We are also learning first hand why Vermont is on track to become the first US state to be recognized as an official Blue Zone, places where people live longer due to a variety of healthy lifestyle choices, particularly eating healthy food, moving their bodies in healthful ways and having opportunities to de-stress in nature.
We are also coming to have an increased appreciation for our new home town of Montpelier, Vermont, which looks like it could have been lifted right off a model train set and brought to life.
Montpelier
One day we were out on a hike and started up a conversation with a friendly woman out walking her dog. Like many people here, she moved Vermont from somewhere else. When we asked her what brought her here, she responded without hesitation, “The food.” She then added, “Oh, and the culture, and the nature.”
Montpelier is at the epicenter of the Vermont farm-to-table scene, where much of the food is grown organically and sustainably. There are no McDonald’s in Montpelier (the only state capital without one), or Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC or other fast-food chains, either. There is a Domino’s Pizza and a Dunkin Donuts on the outskirts of the downtown area. In spite of the void of junk food, this smallest of capital cities in the USA, by population, has a thriving restaurant scene where they serve up some amazing grub and some spectacular locally brewed beers that are so good that we recently spoke to one visitor who went out and purchased some extra luggage in order to fly as much of it home as he could. Recently, we were sitting on the patio of a local eatery and we realized there were more restaurants within view than we could get to in several months.
Speaking of food, the Hunger Mountain Co-op and the weekly farmers market sell some of the best foods, which has been making our home cooking fun and delicious.
People here extend their love of good foods to the way they feed their pets, too. And, the sheer number of happy, healthy pups you see when out and about is pretty remarkable.
While our new home is being built, we are living in a cute, little apartment right in the heart of the town; yet, no matter which direction we walk we can be in the middle of nature very quickly.
Hubbard Park is operated by the City of Montpelier and includes more than 7 miles of hiking and ski trails. We hike there almost every day and sometimes twice per day.
There are two independent book stores, at least one of which hosts regular book club and author events. The first event we attended, we got to meet Sy Montgomery and Matt Patterson, the best selling author and artist responsible for Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World Shell by Shattered Shell, a book that has touched us more than we can say.
There are also two movie theaters, a play house, and several live music entertainment venues. With a full calendar of events happening in town, just steps from our door. Add in everything that is going on in all of the small surrounding towns, like Barre, Middlesex, Waterbury, Plainfield and others, and there is always something going on just minutes away.
Surrounding Communities
While Montpelier is the least densely populated city in Vermont, its sister city, Barre (pronounced “berry”), is the most densely populated. Located about 6 miles to the south and east from Montpelier, Barre’s primary industry is granite cutting. It includes an LGBTQ+ center, an opera house and what’s boasted to be the world’s largest zipper. To the south and west is Middlesex, read crossroads kind of town (at the intersection of Highways VT-100 and US-2) with one of the most interesting food and entertainment venues we have encountered: Camp Meade.
Camp Meade, as the story goes, began as a WPA camp for workers during the 1930s. A multi-purpose event venue, Camp Meade is home to a central outdoor stage/performance space, connected to a large green with various tables and benches for seating. Food, beer and wine are available, including pizza crafted in a huge turtle-shaped wood-fired pizza oven. The green is surrounded by a number of artist studios that include a stained glass artisan and a metal worker.
Camp Meade is also home to Yoga Lab, one of our all-time favorite yoga studios, where Mike will begin teaching yoga on October 6! The Red Hen, a local bakery featuring an array of delicious breads and a wonderful coffee shop. A thrift store and a wine and beer shop round out the fun things to see and do at Camp Meade.
Traveling west from Montpelier, through Middlesex, the next town over is Waterbury, home to Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, and a number of great shops and eateries.
To the east, Plainfield and East Montpelier are two of the small towns just outside of Montpelier and home to a favorite, quirky spot: Fox Market & Bar.
Between Montpelier and these surrounding communities, there is always something going on. One of the biggest challenges is keeping track of it all. Montpelier ALIVE keeps a very active calendar of the events in its namesake municipality and some of the events in nearby communities. However, to keep track of all of the things going on nearby there are nearly a dozen community calendars to check. It seems like there is always something going on.
Burlington
For those times when you want a more up-tempo, urban vibe, Burlington is about a 35 minute drive from Montpelier. It is the largest city in Vermont, tucked along the shore of Lake Champlain.
A beautiful, urban and progressive city, home to the University of Vermont, Burlington offers a vibrant night life, amazing food and picturesque scenery. The Church Street Marketplace is a fun, pedestrian space, where you find street performers, food stands, shops, bars, restaurants and other performance venues.
A short walk from Church Street, you will find the Burlington Waterfront Park, with walking and bike paths, a science museum, Amtrak station, more restaurants and a variety of events, like the annual Pride Festival.
The waterfront vibe is more mellow than Church Street and it is where you get to see spectacular views of the Adirondack Mountains and eat some freshly caught fish. Lake Champlain is home to 93 different species of fish that enjoy life in the lakes shockingly clean water, due, in large part to the area’s environmental ethic that prizes clear, clean water.
We’ve only been living in Vermont a few weeks and these are just some of the things we have taken in already. Whether you want to hike, swim, bike or ski, or even if you just want to enjoy some fresh food, Vermont has a LOT to offer.
The Greater World
We are, it should also be said, a relatively quick (and cheap) train ride to New York City. Boston is also nearby. And, Montreal is so close many of the signs and brochures around here are bilingual English/French. Burlington International Airport is human scaled and easy to navigate while offering direct flights on several airlines to destinations across much of the country.
If you have never been, Vermont is a must-visit place. We’d love to have you join is for a bit! Come see us!