Moving in a month - tell me about Burlington, or Vermont in general.

In My Humble Opinion
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In one month I’m moving away from the Armpit of Florida, (Tallahassee) to Burlington, Vermont. Woots! My brother and I will be renting an apartment there, so no house hunting.

I was born and raised in Maine. (Mostly in Bath) but have spent Alot of time in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. So really I’m moving back home to New England - I can’t wait! I picked Burlington because there are mountains to snowboard at all over the place, (I Really miss snowboarding) and Lake Champlain is right there as well. But that’s about as much as I know about Burlington and/or Vermont.

So which mountain has the best trails? Cheap season pass but decent trails? Where would I go kayaking (besides the Lake) or hiking in the summer? Any fun festivals n’ such? I would also like to make some friends in the gay community (I’m a lesbian) if there is a gay community there?

Any info would be much appreciated!

Super Van Uber

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I’m in Vermont - down in the Dartmouth area - but I don’t snowboard or kayak, and I’m not gay, so I don’t know how helpful I’ll be.

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I don’t have any specific help for you because the last time I spent any time there was in '93, but my first reaction upon seeing your thread title was “Awww, Burlington! I love Burlington!” You’re lucky to be moving there.

I do know that there are a lot of hale and hearty lesbians in Vermont. Just look for the Subarus. I hope you like the outdoorsy type.

And you’re only a few hours away from Northhampton, MA, which as you probably know is the lesbian capital of the universe.

p.s. There is awesome whitewater all over the place. I mostly know the stuff in NW Massachussetts, though. I assume you mean whitewater kayaking. If you do sea kayaking, maybe you should try whitewater?

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Wow. I feel like I’m back in Massachusetts. When people find out I was born in Northampton, they have an annoying habit of asking me if I’m a lesbian. It’s a virus they inject in you when you’re born. It’s a Cooley Dickinson conspiracy.

Anyway, I do not live in Burlington or even in Vermont. But, I’m right across the lake in Plattsburgh.

Burlington is beautiful. The whole state is really. I loved driving through when I went home to MA. Now that I have no vehicle, I’m not only stuck with the bus, I’m stuck going through NY, UGH.

I can’t be of any help though.
There is a very high percentage of Suburu ownership in VT. I can’t say it has any connection to the homosexual percentage of the state though. I always assumed it was because they handled well in the snow.

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My wife’s originally from Brattleboro, down in the SE corner of Vermont, and we get back there a couple of times a year. A beautiful state with lots of friendly people. You’re lucky; you should be there in time for the peak foliage season (around Columbus Day weekend). Good luck!

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Is it true there’s only one grocery store within the city limits? The one time I was there, maybe five years ago, I read a newspaper article about whether the city council (or zoning board?) was going to allow a mainstream supermarket or a whole-foods type place. Maybe I misunderstood the article, but I was scratching my head over why they couldn’t have both. Portland, Maine, has a similar population yet boasts multiple competing stores of each type.

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Based on how I remember it–there is a big road with lots of strip malls, hotels, and the like just south of the town. So there may not be anything technically within the city limits, but there are plenty of big ol’ stores very close by.

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Yep. Shelburne Road has all the chain stores and there are other residential areas with all that.

Burlington is an excellent spot for all kinds of festivals in town – First Night on New Year’s Eve, jazz festivals, all sorts of music in bars on Church Street. Beer tasting down by Lake Champlain.

I’m not outdoorsy but everywhere you look there are mountains to climb, lakes to kayak, etc. Just ask around–people are happy to make recommendations!

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Wiki has a pretty good writeup: Burlington, Vermont - Wikipedia

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Thanks guys!

I think I’ll fit in ok now, lol. Don’t have a Subaru, but I do have an Xterra. :smiley:

I’d love to try white water kayaking, I’ve never done it. Florida doesn’t really have enough elevation for there to be anyplace to go white water kayaking, lol. It’s more of a lazy river type thing.

And I really didn’t know that Northhampton had that reputation, although I guess I know where to go now if I get really lonely, heh.

I’m getting Really excited to go now. I’m going up at a great time. The first thing I’m buying is a snowboard! And I can’t wait to bike n’ hike on all the trails that are bound to be everywhere. Man… the anticipation is killing me!

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Eonwe knows the town better than I, but I’m a born and raised Vermonter, grew up about 40 minutes south of Burlington, and lived there for a couple years very recently. It’s a great town with a lot to see and do for such a small size.

If you’re a beer drinker, you’re in luck. Burlington, and Vermont in general, is a fantastic state for beer. It has more breweries and brew pubs per capita than any other state. Just in Burlington alone there’s Vermont Pub and Brewery, Three Needs, American Flatbread/Zero Gravity, Switchback, and Magic Hat. Expanding to the rest of the state is Otter Creek Brewery, Bobcat Cafe, Longtrail Brewery, The Alchemist, Harpoon, Rock Art, and others I’m forgetting I’m sure.

You like music? Tons of local music. Nectar’s on Main Street has live music (most of it local,) almost every night of the week. Higher Ground is a small venue that gets a LOT of great talent, local, independent, and even very well-known bands. It’s nice to see a big-name artist or band in a smaller, more intimate locale.

The Flynn is a great theatre, and has more than just plays. Lots of different types of acts, music, dance, comedy, etc… play there.

Church Street is a fantastic “pedestrian mall,” and it’s real, if that makes any sense. What I mean is that it’s not one of those “pre-fab” fake downtown things a lot of cities seem to be sporting nowadays. Bars, restaurants, local shops, etc…

If you need to know anything specific, feel free to ask in the thread or send a PM!

(And yes, there are a ton of Subarus. Like…you’ll never see more in your life than here. Every parking lot looks like a used Subaru dealership.)

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Yes, you are! Foliage should be at the peak up there about when you arrive–you should love it!

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Unfortunately, it seems that the Chew Chew wont be happening next June. That’s really too bad. I went once oh, about 21 years ago. I still remember it fondly. I haven’t had the chance to go back since I came to Plattsburgh and now it seems I never will. :frowning:

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I think that will be acceptable. :wink:

It’s more than a reputation. There really is a very strong lesbian community there. There are so many people in western MA with “alternative lifestyles” of various types that the real alternative lifestyle is not to have an alternative lifestyle.

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Of course the “reputation” is boosted by the presence of Smith in Northampton and Mount Holyoke in South Hadley, Bay Path in Longmeadow and Elms in Chicopee. At least Elms went co-ed fairly recently. But, having that many women only colleges in such a small area definitely boosts the reputation.

Northampton really is a beautiful town and I would recommend visiting it if you get the chance. Actually, all of Western MA is (coming from someone who lived in Chicopee for 6 years).

Massachusetts also has Provincetown - out on the Cape, which I believe is either the gayest or the second gayest place in the universe.
Basically, whether you want history, sports, outdoor activities, or just about every type of culture imaginable, you’ll find it all within a few hours of Burlington.