Outings
There are lots of fun things to do in the area.
These are my favorites, places I go to all the time.
Be sure to see the page on Area Attractions.
Brownsville, Woodstock, Windsor
Brownsville General Store, Brownsville, VT
Breakfast and Lunch counter, Deli
Skunk Hollow Restaurant and Tavern, Hartland, VT
Classic tavern in a very old, cozy house.
Dinner in a tavern setting downstairs, with drinks.
Live music for dancing Friday nights,
Open mic Wednesday nights
-- consistently the best and most comfortable open mic experience.
Hosted by Jason Cann.
Check out other Open Mics in the area.
Dinner in a white tablecloth setting upstairs.
Keepers Restaurant, Hammondsville, VT
Sit down restaurant and bar. Open, country, and homey.
Kedron Valley Inn (bar and restaurant), South Woodstock, VT
A swanky bar and restaurant in an historic building.
No Name Cafe, Main St., Windsor, VT
Coffee and free Wi-Fi.
Diner, Main St., Windsor, VT
Breakfast, lunch, early dinner.
An authentic chrome car diner - a real beauty.
Featured in the cartoon "Zippy the Pinhead".
Very good food, and even better pie.
Dartmouth / Hannover, NH
Dirt Cowboy Cafe, Hannover, NH
Salt Hill, Lebanon, NH
Fire Stones, Quechee, VT http://www.firestonesrestaurant.net/dinner.htm
See also
Events calendar at VT Chamber of Commerce
Skiing
Suicide Six - 16 miles
Okemo - 20 miles
Killington - 35 miles
Stratton - 54 miles
Mount Snow - 60 miles
Sugar Bush - 72 miles
Mad River - 90 miles
Stowe - 95 miles
Update 2011
This thing is fun and sublime:
http://www.pathoflifegarden.com
Also, canoeing or kayaking down the connecticut with these guys is an afternoon:
http://www.kayak-canoe.com/
Dartmouth College / Hanover, NH is a fun, preppy town to get a coffee (Dirt Cowboy Cafe)
browse for books, walk the Quad in your Izod.
Hanging out in Woodstock, VT is also fun. Worlds best handmade ice cream:
http://www.mountaincreameryvt.com
but go *downstairs* to the basement from the sidewalk, where they just serve
Ice Cream. Do any of the mansion or farm tours in Woodstock listed on my page,
and mill about the dog art gallery, and the overblown kitsch general store. It's
a museum-piece small town built by the Billings/Rockefellers, but still
impressive.
A day at silver lake is cool. Rent canoes and go hang on the lake all day.
http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/silver.htm
Simon Pierce glass blowing is popular with young kids, and some adults too.
http://www.simonpearce.com/category/about+us/see+us.do
click on Quechee or Windsor. Windsor is closer, Quechee is also a fun day-trip.
30 minutes away, and has a fabulous gorge where you can swim with caution.
The raptor center is cool for raptor lovers
http://www.vinsweb.org/
they have talks, demonstrations, rescued raptors on display.
And, if you like day car trips, Montpelier, VT is a nice drive up VT Rte 100.
Do hike or drive to the top of Mt. Ascutney to the fire tower. The fire tower is
easier by car, since from the parking lot at the top it is still a mile up. But
it is an all-day hike up and down without the car. You can get half that view at
the old Quarry up the Brownsville Trail on Ascutney. About a mile trail, steep
at points, a mellow fire trail at points.
http://www.ascutneytrails.org/trails.html
On that site, the Weathersfield trail / Cascade falls is my favorite magical
hike in the area. My partner and I went on our first date there and contemplated
the Lover's Leap atop the falls.
There's a soccer field right in Brownsville and a little park if you are
jonesing for a flat place to kick a ball. My lawns and fields are big, but not
soccer ball friendly.
There's a farmer's market in Woodstock, and one in Cornish, NH
http://www.cornishnh.net/news.htm
I hear the one in Cornish is good, but haven't gone.
Haven't been to this one,
http://www.norwichfarmersmarket.org/
but if you went, you could definitely check out Dan and Whits:
http://www.danandwhits.com/
I have a fetish for general stores, and this one is the real deal.
There might be some cross-country trails here:
http://www.voga.org/cross_country_skiing.htm
I snow-shoe all over the place, but have only skied on the GMHA trails, which are interlaced with the V.A.S.T trails.
http://www.vtvast.org/VAST/Trails.html
See if the GMHA will give you info. It's a member thing, but they are really good people, and the landowners are very generous.
http://www.gmhainc.org/
There's plenty of snow-shoeing on Mt. Ascutney and the Brownsville Town forest.
Best is to pick up a map for the town forest at the Brownsville General Store.
Mt. Ascutney park info is here:
http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/ascutney.htm
Locals swear by this place, but I have yet to make it over there. Hartland is about 20 minutes north.
http://www.hartlandwintertrails.org/
Hiking
Old Job - site
43.355560, -72.930000
Come in Landgrove road, or Forest service roads 30 and 10.
Or from Rte 7 to Mt. Tabor Road to Seasonal Forest Road.