Burlington– Beaches, breweries, bike path & Church street- Come hang at one of many beaches on Lake Champlain and catch the sunset. Rent a kayak or Paddle board at Oakledge beach or North Beach. Rent a bike and bike the bike path along the lake and out to the Colchester Causeway. Have drinks at a brewery like Foam, Switchback & Zero Gravity. Or eat and shop on Church street.
✨ for kids Echo center at the waterfront & cremees at Burlington bay – Splash pad downtown Burlington, city hall park, let the kids run through the water- Shelburne farms in shelburne with a tractor ride and cows, pigs, goats & chickens – swim at North beach or leddy and have a picnic – Shelburne Museum and treats at the Shelburne Country Store
North East Kingdom Vermont– 2 hrs from Burlington
Highlights: Lake Willoughby, Mt. Pisgah, Bread & Puppet Theater, & Parker Pie.
*there is limited cell reception here- keep your google maps on or download the map
Lake Willoughby -has two main beaches- North has a big long beach that is great for families and lots of sand but doesn’t have the green blue water and the view the south does. The South west cove is the nude beach- has blue green water and the best views. There is a small beach there so we bring floats in case it is busy. Right across from White Cap campground and to the right of the nude beach is a smaller beach that is kid friendly and you get the views and blue green water as well. This area is where most kayaks and paddle boards access the water.
Mt. Pisgah– you can park at the south entrance which has a nice parking lot, or you can start at the north side with parking on the side of the road. The north side tends to be quieter and has the best views. You can access the views from the south side by hiking down to the overlooks on the north and then hike back up. There is no summit view- just overlook views. For other hikes in the area check out Wheeler Mt & Mt Hor.
Bread and Puppet Theater and Museum – Check their website for shows. https://breadandpuppet.org/museum -Usually Friday, Sat & Sun. Tickets are $10. Buy tickets ahead of time as shows typically sell out. You can also visit the museum before or after the show. Bring a blanket or chairs and form of shade with a hat or umbrella- it can get very hot in the sun. Visit Parker Pie Pizza after or bring it and have a picnic!
Other options in this area include Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury (46 mins), Hillfarmstead Brewery in Greensboro (33 mins), Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium (42 mins) & Museum of everyday life (23 min) from Lake Willouhgby
Warren Falls, Bolton Potholes, Lawsons Brewery & Canteen Creemee– 1 hour from Burlington
First stop Bolton Potholes- this is my 18 year old niece’s favorite swim hole. Then head to Canteen Creemee Company for lunch. We always order our ice cream first cause that comes out right away- then we eat that and wait for our meal. They are not open everyday so check their hours before going https://www.canteencreemee.com/ – then once full head to Warren falls- it can get super busy here so you may want to do this first and end with Bolton potholes. There are natural slides here and it is my favorite swim hole. A little up the road is Moss Glenn falls- very small and no area to swim but very beautiful- not to be confused with the Moss Glenn falls in Stowe 🙂 after stop at Lawsons Brewery for drinks or American flatbread for pizza and games
Stowe area– 1 hour from Burlington- stop at the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury. Hike Mt. Mansfield or drive up the Stowe Mt toll road. For a smaller hike, Stowe Pinnacle is perfect and very kid friendly- the foliage in the fall is gorgeous! Bingham falls to cool down or zipline for some adrenaline! Stop to get a maple cremee and apple cider donut at Cold Hollow Cider Mill- or get their Dreamee, a cider donut with maple cremee sandwich. Take a bike ride on the Stowe bike path- gorgeous views and you bike past restaurants and bars so if you are hungry it is an easy stop. Also check out Moss Glenn Falls for a small hike or just go straight to the waterfall in 10 mins- super kid friendly. The Alchemist Brewery is in Stowe as well. So much to do in the Stowe area all year long.
Bristol Falls or also known as Bartlett falls- 42 min from Burlington- This waterfall you can go behind the falls- the sounds is so incredible. You can also slip in the water cause there are long flat rocks under the falls and you can sit and let the power of the water fall on you- it is one of my favorite things. When you are done go to the town of Bristol- it is only a minute away-lots of shops, art and yummy food.
Tubing in Richmond– depending on where you drop in and come out this can be a full day or a half day. Our float is usually about 4/5 hours. We park in the parking lot at the park to the left of Stone’s Throw Pizza. You will need to put everyone in one or two cars and leave the rest of the cars parked here cause this will be the end of your float. You will leave snacks in these cars for after the float or bring your snacks with you. You will be very hungry so pack snacks! Make sure the keys to these cars come down the river with you cause you will need your snacks and these cars will take you to the cars left at the Jonesville bridge. Drive everyone up to the Jonesville Bridge- blow up your floats- take your keys and drop your floats in- it is about a 4/5 hour float. You will get out of the river at the long bridge- you are floating bridge to bridge. Drop a pin at the parking lot to help understand where your float will end- but you cant miss the bridge- it will be the only bridge on your float.
Snake Mountain hike and explore Vergennes– 47 min from Burlington. Hike up Snake Mountain and explore the small town of Vergennes after. Get lunch at Three Squares Cafe https://www.threesquarescafe.com/ and shop at The Joy Shop for local Vermont artist and awesome clothing. On the way home stop at Shelburne Vineyard for some wine and across the street is Fiddlehead brewery.
Rachel Travel Vibes 