It is amazing to think that even though I have spent 32 years of my life living in New England, I rarely headed north. We only did if we had plans to go skiing, and maybe a couple camping trips in Conway, NH. Vermont and New Hampshire are popular destinations for skiing, but they are beautiful to visit year round, especially in the summer! Since we had come home for the summer in New England, we decided to take a week long trip to explore parts of Vermont and New Hampshire that we had never seen before, with our first stop being Burlington, VT! This will be the first of a series of posts for a Northern New England Tour!

Burlington, VT

Burlington, VT has always been a pass through city heading to points north in Vermont, but we had never stopped. One of cousins had spent several years in Burlington. She absolutely loved it for its history, small college city vibe, and artistic culture. It had always been a bucket list item of mine, but somehow another location always took precedence. So, this summer, we made it a point to make Burlington, VT our first stop on our tour!

The place we stayed in was the perfect price and location, but it might not be for everyone. It was an older home that had been renovated to be an Airbnb, with 7 bedrooms and only 2 bathrooms! It certainly served its purpose, but it definitely had a hostel feel to it. This is perfect for anyone looking for an affordable short stay, but if you like your privacy, maybe not! We had a nice, clean room on the 3rd floor with a comfy bed, cold AC and our own keypad lock. The kitchen was brand new, with coffee, community snacks, and everything perfectly labeled for ease of finding things. They really maintained the place well, coming each day to clean, turn over the rooms, and check to see if we needed anything. Be sure to check out the space here if you don’t mind the set up described! 

Must See and Do

Farmhouse Tap and Grill

On our first night, we arrived around dinner time with empty stomachs. While waiting in line at Tree House a few weeks prior, we got some great recommendations from a guy behind us that we were chatting with. We ended up walking around for a little bit, and when we saw Farmhouse Tap and Grill, and we instantly remembered getting that as a top recommendation for both beer and food. SOLD!

We had a very short wait, where we spent our time sampling some local beers, including a few from Fiddlehead. Not only is their tap list really impressive, but they also have a decent bar and wine menu. We were seated in no time, and both decided on the burger special for the night. What we loved about this place, is that most of their ingredients are locally sourced. I really feel like the toppings are what make a well cooked burger delicious. This one had a really tasty, local aioli as well as perfectly caramelized onions, which made for a great meal. I am pretty sure their menu rotates quite a bit to account for their ever changing source of ingredients. How sustainable!

Waterfront Park

Since we happened to be here during the week, we worked during the day, exercised at the park, and then played afterwards! We found the Waterfront Park to be a great place to get some running intervals in, which had a nice view of the lake, skatepark, and people watching of course! This is an excellent park to visit in nice weather. Here you will find community yoga classes, people in hammocks, and swings to sit and watch the sunset each evening.

We had a lot of things within walking distance of our Airbnb, including bars, restaurants, the Y and yoga studios, but even closer was the best grocery store, City Market/Onion River Co-op, where we would get our lunch each day. This is a member owned and operated grocery store, that sells speciality items, lots of local products, fresh prepared foods, and excellent made to order sandwiches!  This was also where I discovered my new love of kombucha! They had Aqua Vitea kombucha on tap, in a self serve station where you can re-fill your bottles. I made sure that I visited each day while getting lunch to try a new flavor. Stay tuned for my adventures in brewing my own post coming soon!  

Breweries!

On our 2nd night, we headed down the road to the next town of Shelburne, where we went to Fiddlehead Brewery. Here, they let you sample all of the beer on tap for the day for free! Once you decide on your favorite, you can purchase cans or growlers to go OR bring them next door to Folino’s Pizza for some delicious, brick oven baked pizza! Here, they will provide you with a frosty mug for your BYOB beer! On the day we went, it happened to be really rainy, so we were stuck inside, but they also have a great outdoor space for nicer weather.  

On our runs at the park, we had also seen signs for Foam Brewers, so while we were at Fiddlehead, we looked up Foam, and it had excellent reviews. When we arrived, there was a really interesting group performing, called Local Dork  They spin vinyl records, and on that night, it was a few days away from the Solar Eclipse, so they were giving little antidotes while playing the Stranger Things theme song. Different but they were entertaining!

What we didn’t know was that this place is WAY underrated! Their IPAs were sooo good! We had a few smaller pours so we could try more, and were impressed with all of them. I approached the bar and basically told the bartender that I don’t love IPAs, but I am working on it. She laughed and recommended Galaxie 500 which was really smooth! My husband also tried Halo Bender, Beautiful Losers and The Fruit that Ate Itself. He was sure to log all of these on his Untappd app. Fast forward to today, and I now love IPAs! Sure, Vermont has some big name breweries, but I highly suggest you head to Foam for a big selection of quality, tasty beers, great entertainment, and a cozy outdoor space!

Romantic Evening Activities

Sunset Cruise

Our last night in Burlington happened to be our 3rd wedding anniversary, so I used my bargain hunting skills to find a few things for us to do that would be romantic, but not super costly. After looking online, I found the Spirit of Ethan Allen which offered a sunset cruise on Lake Champlain for about $25 a person. It was a perfect evening out on the water, which lasted about 2 hours. We were able to enjoy our time outside on the bow of the boat sitting at a table enjoying our antipasto plate, while watching the sunset. Once the sun set, it started to get chilly, so we went upstairs to enjoy the rest of the ride.

Dinner at Leunigs

When we disembarked, we were pretty hungry, as our antipasto platter didn’t hold up too long. We didn’t have anything in mind, so we turned to our trusty Yelp to see what was looking good. It is pretty rare that we explore French cuisine, but since it was a special occasion, we popped into Leunig’s Bistro. It was fairly late, and also mid-week, so we were able to get a table right away by the window.

Since it was after 9, we were able to order off the Bistro menu, which is only available during certain times. For $20, you get a smaller portion entree, soup or salad, and a discount on select wines. We went with this option because it was late, and we didn’t have a huge appetite. Sorry to let you down, but I don’t remember what I got. I do know we thoroughly enjoyed it and still had some leftovers. Being the romantic guy he is, he ordered a bottle of champagne for the table while I was in the restroom to celebrate our anniversary. Cheers!

Burlington Street Art

One of my favorite parts of Burlington was the street art. I had to do a little digging after taking these photos, but here is some info on the artists! Street art and murals  are really a big trend in lots of cities these days! I am feeling a street art post coming real soon! Hang tight!

I just LOVE hummingbirds! When I was in 1st grade, I was in an advanced reading class. We were asked to put on a presentation in front of our parents and I was assigned the hummingbird. My mom will never forget my cute presentation, where I stated, “mother hummingbirds regurgitate their food to feed their babies.” Haha! What a word for a 6 year old to recite! Since then, hummingbirds have become a favorite between my mother and I. I could not help but stop, and admire this mural in Burlington! It is a huge, 28 foot fall mural on the brick building on the corner of St. Paul and College streets.  The artist is Mary Lacy and you can see more of her work here. 

Another mural that really caught my eye was this one. At first, the colors drew me in, then the message, “You Are Loved.” As I got closer, I realized that it included information for those in need of help, providing the 2-1-1 number. The lead artist for this movement, Alex Cook has done over 150 murals all over the world in various communities. They are meant to remind people that they are loved and where to find help if needed. Check out more about the You Are Loved movement, as well as Alex Cook’s work here.

Coming up Next!

Burlington a perfect trip for a long weekend, or a stop on a northern New England tour. The downtown part of the city is very small and very walkable, but packed with great restaurants, bars, yoga studios, shops, boat tours, outdoor activities and more! Next time you are looking for a staycation idea in New England, be sure to consider Burlington, VT! Next up on my Northern New England Tour will be Woodstock and Stowe, VT!