Does anyone have suggestions on vermont or new hampshire sites and lodgeing for antiques -arts and craft-fall foliage.Im going with wife 55-60 yrs old from MN never been out east.will be there about a week? Flying into burlington early OCT
We decided to drive down to see the seasons change. It was a long trip, though. Virginia, Kentucky, Tennesse, Georgia. It was so magical to me to come from the north, where it’s cold, to the south, where it’s warm, and see the tremendous differences from region to region in this incredible country of ours. My wife and I used to go to Virginia every autumn to see the foliage turn. Virginia has amazing foliage, although I do think that the foliage in Ohio is underrated. It’s just dazzling along I-75. Yes, just dazzling. We would go down to Virginia, to get away for a while. You know, to see the wonderful farms, the countryside. The hills, the mountains. Talk about “purple mountains majestry”. Just fantastic. Red leaves, purple mountains, green fields. And the roads, black, cutting through the green. All the colours. The trees,… Pennsylvania’s nice, too
We went there several years ago in late September and, by the luck of the draw, saw green Vermont - it was a very warm fall.
However, we had a lot of fun in the Manchester area, including touring Robert Lincoln’s summer place.
Elendil’s Heir would be a good contributor to this thread.
Burlington is a gem of a city located on the hill above Lake Champlain, the next largest lake in the US after the Great Lakes. Lots to see and do in town, from the waterfront to the University of Vermont on top of the hill. If you have time, take the ferry round-trip across the lake to see the full spread of the Green Mountains.
About 8 miles south of Burlington is the Shelburne Museum, a sprawling campus with about a hundred buildings full of American antiquities of all sorts, plus a sidewheel steamship right in the middle. Well worth seeing at the start of an antiquing trip.
About 25 miles south of that is Middlebury, a historic community with plenty of history to explore.
About 40 miles east of Burlington is Stowe, a ski town with amazing shops and restaurants. If you can manage to time it when the Craft Fair is in town, so much the better. On the way to Stowe, stop at the Ben & Jerry’s factory and take the tour.
About 20 miles southeast of Stowe is Montpelier, the state capitol. The State House is a historic gem. Nearby is Morse’s Sugar Farm, a working sugar house with demonstrations and gift shop.
About 30 miles northeast of Montpelier is St. Johnsbury, the heart of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, the most rural part of the state. Lovey small towns and villages, and unbelievable foliage in season. October is perfect.
As you’re flying into Burlington, you might want to visit the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury.
Jim Steele writes:
> . . . wife 55-60 yrs old . . .
You’re not sure about your wife’s age?
IM not going there!
Where is a good place to stay in burlington?
So far all i got is holiday express
The Stowe Foliage Arts Festival is early in October and is a nice event for arts and crafts and local food.
Since the OP is looking for advice, let’s move this too IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
You can take a nice drive down Route 7. It runs the length of western Vermont: Swanton, Saint Albans, Burlington, Shelburne, Vergennes, Middlebury, Brandon, Rutland, Manchester, and Bennington.
What are you looking for? A B&B or Inn?
Thanks! I actually know little about the Burlington area, which is in the NW corner of the state. I’m much more familiar with Brattleboro, in the SE corner, where my wife’s from. It’s a great small town: http://brattleborochamber.org/one-and-only
Robert Todd Lincoln’s house, which Northern Piper mentioned, is Hildene - well worth a visit: http://www.hildene.org/
The Vermont State House in Montpelier is a great historic site: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/sthouse/sthouse.htm
And the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory has fun tours: Factory Tour | Ben & Jerry’s
Hope you have a great trip!
Pretty much whatever you can get at this point. The first week in October is peak foliage season, and hotels are often booked a year (or more!) in advance.
There’s a Hilton and a Courtyard on Battery Street with the best views of the lake and within walking distance of the Church Street Marketplace. They’re probably on the high end of what you’ll find. There’s also a Sheraton, a Holiday Inn (the restaurant there, the WindJammer, is most excellent), and a Comfort Inn near the interstate with views of the mountains. There are numerous smaller hotels, motels, and B&Bs as well.
Others have already suggested some nice scenic tours. One of my favorites is down Rte. 7 to Rutland, then west on Rte 4 towards White River Junction. You’ll go through several small towns and past the Killington ski resort, and eventually through Woodstock (The Rockefellers have a mansion there, and several movie stars, including Michael J. Fox have residences there), and across Quechee gorge. There are several antique stores in Quechee, including one of my favorites, the Quechee Gorge Antique Mall (My Blog – My WordPress Blog). It’s a pretty long drive to loop around and back to Burlington though–at least 2.5 hours there via Rtes 7 & 4, and a little more than an hour back along I-89 (not including stops). If you just wanted to see Quechee and Woodstock, head south on I-89, and you should have plenty of time to browse.
Seriously though, get your hotel (or hotels) booked now…they really do fill up quickly.
We stayed in this cabin a few years ago, loved the seclusion and the location. Lots of driving to get places, but we really loved the property. I realize it’s nowhere near Burlington, but I wanted to plug the place anyway. 
If you’re interested in the B&B scene, I can’t recommend Liberty Hill Farm highly enough. It’s a little ways from Burlington, but puts you in a great position for just about everything Vermont has to offer.
As the name suggests, it’s situated on a working family-run dairy farm (full disclosure: it’s actually owned by my Uncle Bob and Aunt Beth, though it’s now mainly my cousins running the farm, while Beth still cooks the awesome meals).
Love the cabin.reminds me of northern mn
Farm was good but need my own bathroom