• 8 Beautiful Places in Vermont to Photograph
    8 Beautiful Places in Vermont to Photograph

    Since launching HappyVermont.com in August 2009, I've traveled through many of Vermont's 251 cities and towns.  Here are 8 beautiful places in Vermont to photograph, including some of my favorite historic churches, meeting houses, barns, and bridges. Waits River Church The tiny village of Waits River in...

  • Why Bayley-Hazen is One of Vermont’s Most Historic Dirt Roads
    Why Bayley-Hazen is One of Vermont’s Most Historic Dirt Roads

    Vermont is home to more than 8,000 miles of unpaved roads. One of the most historic is the Bayley-Hazen Military Road, the Northeast Kingdom's oldest thoroughfare. Traces of the road, most of it unpaved, extends diagonally 48 miles from Wells River to Montgomery Center. Much of...

  • 6 Vermont Fire Towers to Visit While Hiking
    6 Vermont Fire Towers to Visit While Hiking

    Vermont was once home to dozens of fire towers across the state. According to the Green Mountain Club’s 360 Degrees: A Guide to Vermont’s Fire and Observation Towers, 38 fire towers once stood in Vermont. Today, there are far fewer. The History of Vermont Fire Towers Many...

  • Vermont Farm Dinners Draw Food Lovers to Cambridge
    Vermont Farm Dinners Draw Food Lovers to Cambridge

    Anne Tisbert is a farmer, entrepreneur, tour guide, and mother. At Valley Dream Farm, which she purchased with her husband, Joe, in 1992, she rises early each day to tend to organic produce—red beets, sugar snap peas, rhubarb, and tomatoes—that grow in the shadow of Mount...

  • A Vermont Floating Bridge Spans Generations, Connects a Community
    A Vermont Floating Bridge Spans Generations, Connects a Community

    The famous Vermont floating bridge is making a buoyant comeback in Brookfield. Since reopening to vehicular traffic in May 2015—after being closed since 2008—the Floating Bridge is attracting visitors from near and far. The bridge, first built in 1820, spans 321-feet across scenic Sunset Lake. The newest...

  • Where to Swim in Vermont, Kayak or Fish: 9 Lakes, Ponds and Waterfalls
    Where to Swim in Vermont, Kayak or Fish: 9 Lakes, Ponds and Waterfalls

    Now that summer is in full swing, it’s a good time to map out places for where to swim in Vermont. Here are nine lakes, swimming holes, and ponds worth visiting this summer for swimming, kayaking, and more. (By no means is this a complete...

  • A Vermont Family Finds the Sweet Spot in the Specialty Food World
    A Vermont Family Finds the Sweet Spot in the Specialty Food World

    A decade ago, Fat Toad Farm caramel started out as a simple experiment in homesteading. Calley Hastings and her family hand-milked a French alpine doe named Jupiter in their Brookfield garage to make goat’s milk caramel sauce for friends and to sell at the local...

  • 5 Things To Do in Manchester This Summer
    5 Things To Do in Manchester This Summer

    Manchester is many things to different people: a ski town, a shopping destination, or a summer getaway for golfing and fly-fishing. For me, Manchester is home. To celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary, Dave and I opted to get out of Burlington for a child-free weekend...

  • The Backroom in Pittsfield Offers a Cozy, Dinner Party Vibe
    The Backroom in Pittsfield Offers a Cozy, Dinner Party Vibe

    Behind a country store on Route 100 is a tiny restaurant that is quickly making a name for itself in Vermont’s local food scene. Kevin Lasko and Katie Stiles opened The Backroom in Pittsfield a little over a year ago behind the Original General Store. The restaurant...

  • Connecting with Nature at a Tiny Treehouse in Lincoln
    Connecting with Nature at a Tiny Treehouse in Lincoln

    The treehouse in the backyard of Harrison Reynolds and Ellie Bryant’s home earns rave reviews on Airbnb. Perched 30-feet above ground and anchored by four maple trees, the treehouse stands in the shadow of Mount Abraham in Lincoln. Nearly every weekend of the year, visitors looking...