On Part 1 of this story, I took you along the beginning of our leaf-peeping road trip through New England, which began by exploring some of the historic sites of Boston and a drive up toward Vermont; from point A to B on the map.
Woodstock, Vermont
On Day3 of our trip, we continue heading north through the Green Mountain State. After spending the night in Killington, we head to Woodstock, Vermont to take a walk through this picturesque town. The morning was quite cool compared to Boston and we were starting to get those Fall vibes.
The town was quintessential Vermont main street USA; delivering exactly what we were expecting. We arrived early morning so it wasn't very busy. Most of the activity was at the few small cafes that were opened for the first few breakfast diners.
There were also several people like us who were happy to just park their car and walk along the beautifully manicured streets that felt like something out of a Hallmark Channel movie (in the best way possible). We parked in the center of town at a park called "The Green" and walked over to the Middle Covered Bridge.
There are several historic covered bridges across the region, but this is the first one where we were able to visit up close. The driveway is only wide enough for one vehicle at a time and there is an adjacent walkway also contained under the protective wooden structure. We took a moment to enjoy the sound of the stream flowing below.
There was a mix of brick and wooden structures throughout the town but they fit in seamlessly amongst one another. The backdrop was of gorgeous transforming foliage and almost all of the homes had their stoops adorned with pumpkins and the occasional ghostly decor that only enhanced our experience as we strolled and enjoyed.
After about 30 minutes of walking, we pretty much reached the other side of town. By this point, we Florida boys were cold and decided to stop for a warm beverage at Abracadabra Coffee Co.
We were a bit confused in finding the location until we found a sign pointing toward a grassy area at the adjacent East End Park where the coffee shop was operating out of a small camper with a couple of groovy employees inside along with some merchandise and great music playing outside.
Warm drinks in hand, we head back to the other side of town toward the car to continue our road trip north through Vermont.
Waterbury, Vermont
We take the beautiful Route 100 north from Woodstock toward Waterbury, which is about an hour away. The drive is absolutely incredible. By this point, we were fully immersed in peak fall foliage and were in awe of the beautiful colors that surrounded us along each bend of the road.
One of my favorite parts of driving through Vermont was appreciating how interconnected people are to the landscape. Almost all of the roads cut through the mountains by following close to a stream or river, and in areas where the valley is wide enough, you'll catch a few homes or a random small town.
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory
I'm sure Waterbury has lots to offer, however, we were there for the ice cream. But not just any ice cream, Waterbury is home to the world-famous Ben & Jerry's factory, known for creating some of the most creative and iconic flavor combinations.
Ideally, we would have been able to take a tour of the factory the produces the world-famous ice cream, however, this was unfortunately not an option at the time that we visited due to construction. That didn't stop us from enjoying our visit!
I was impressed by how well the company was set up to deal with the thousands of guests that visit each year. It very much had amusement park vibes, complete with a queue line with informational yet fun signage telling the history of the organization as you waited for your opportunity to order. We enjoyed taking some fun photos before going to our next stop.
Cold Hollow Cider Mill
A short 5-minute drive up Route 100 leads to another sweet destination: Cold Hollow Cider Mill. The premises consist of a restaurant, factory, and shop, and they produce some incredible apple cider. Now, I'd had apple cider before, but for some reason, I didn't think I liked it. This all changed when I sampled the apple cider from Cold Hollow.
The drink is served either chilled or warmed and has all of the flavors of a great apple pie. It has tartness which provides freshness yet has warmth and depth. They certainly made a believer out of me!
The reason we stopped here, however, was for the apple cider donuts. We made sure to have only a small amount of ice cream knowing that we were going to have more sweets when we got here, and to be honest it would not have mattered - those donuts are incredible!
We ordered a small bag of donuts which accompanied us in the car for a few days as well as some apple cobbler. Everything was delicious and I definitely recommend checking out this regional food if you're ever in Vermont.
Stowe, Vermont
Another 10 minutes up Route 100 is the gorgeous town of Stowe, Vermont. This town was on literally every list of recommendations for places to visit within the Green Mountain State. There was no food on the agenda here, but this was a great opportunity to take a walk around the town before our final leg of the day's road trip.
Like most of the other towns we visited, Stowe sits in a valley with the main road following the banks of a nearby creek. The town has a selection of great-looking eateries and unique shops.
This was byfar the busiest town we've seen so far on the road trip, however, it was a far cry from the crowds we had seen all over the internet. It was great to see that people were traveling domestically and helping the economies of these picturesque communities.
This is a place that is definitely worth a stay at if you can find accommodations. Hotels are pretty pricey because they are very limited and there were no major hotels here, just small family-owned ones and several bed and breakfast places.
From here, we continue northwest toward Burlington, Vermont. More on that in the next article.
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