You know you’re in New England when you visit Norwich. Main Street is lined with historic Georgian, Federal, and Greek Revival brick and frame buildings, and the local village green is busy with bandstand concerts, community picnics, and soccer games. Settled in 1761 across the Connecticut...
One of the most relaxing weekends we’ve experienced all summer was camping at Silver Lake State Park. The 35-acre state park is located in Barnard, about 10 miles north of Woodstock. Dave, Phoebe and I camped with our friends Gina and Andre, their two young...
On Route 12 near Silver Lake stands the 183-year-old Barnard General Store. The country store made headlines across the state three years ago when it closed for business. It then captured the attention of national news outlets when local fundraising efforts helped rescue the store...
Ascutney Mountain may not be a lost ski area for long. The West Windsor ski area, which went bankrupt and closed in 2010, could be turned into a community recreation area offering backcountry skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. The town just needs to raise...
Updated May 1, 2019 After a long, snowy winter, it feels good that's it's finally spring in Vermont. For the first time in six months, we can walk outside without a heavy jacket, stash away our wool socks, and watch the grass grow and leaves sprout. Even though spring arrived...
What’s your favorite Vermont town along Route 100? For me, it’s a toss-up between Weston (where I was married) and Warren (where I used to live). Route 100 stretches 216 miles along the spine of the Green Mountains through 33 classic villages and towns, from Jacksonville...
Need to get into the holiday spirit? Travel to a hilltop in South Royalton, where 200,000 holiday lights twinkle in the snow. The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial showcases one of the most festive holiday displays in Vermont, with trees, bushes, and buildings illuminated in red, green,...
On our way to my sister’s house last week, we took a detour through the back roads of Windsor County. I was searching for Amity Pond Natural Area State Park in Pomfret, which was donated to the state 45 years ago. As my husband drove,...
The Taftsville Covered Bridge in Woodstock is one of the oldest covered bridges in Vermont. I've crossed the bridge many times over the years, but yesterday was the first time I've visited the bridge since it reopened last fall. Vermont has about 100 covered bridges. When...
The Path of Life Garden in Windsor is unlike any other place I've seen in Vermont. The garden, created in 1997 by Norwich therapist Terry McDonnell, focuses on the circle of life and the decisions we make. The 14-acre meadow, set along the Connecticut River,...
