I was so beyond excited to finally make a trip to Vermont this fall! It’s been on my list of places to visit since I’ve been on the East Coast but something always got in the way. With no travel plans on the calendar and so many restrictions with air travel, a road trip seemed like the perfect excuse for a getaway. I convinced Jackie to go with me and after checking the local COVID travel restrictions to make sure we were safe to visit, we hit the road for a 5 day trip. Below is a breakdown of how we spent our time and some tips if you’re planning your own trip to the area (leaf peeping or not)!
DAY ONE – THURSDAY // THE DRIVE
The big drive! We spent half a day driving from Westchester, NY to Stowe, VT – it’s about 4.5-5 hours in total (including a McDonald’s pit stop in Springfield, MA). It was so lovely watching the colors get more and more yellow/orange/red from the time we hit the VT border until we arrived in Stowe. We dropped our bags (literally) at our hotel, Field Guide Lodge, jetted up the mountain to Edson Hill for dinner, and stuffed our bellies with their maple ginger salad, fried brussels sprouts, seared salmon and crispy duck (and of course the dark chocolate tarte for dessert). From what I could see, the property was gorgeous and I would love to have spent more time there but we arrived late and it was almost dark when we drove up. It’s tucked up about 10 minutes away from town and would make for a lovely weekend escape if you really want to get away from it all or the perfect detour if you’re looking for a spot for fall foliage pictures!
DAY TWO – FRIDAY // STOWE, VT
A rainy but beautiful day in Stowe! After a light breakfast from our hotel (Lark Hotels include breakfast with your stay and these were a grab and go version because of COVID) we wandered down to the main part of town and got a real breakfast at Butler’s Pantry. I had the biscuits & gravy (with their maple sausage!) and Jackie had a spinach/tomato omelette with the maple sausage. Basically if you go to Butler’s Pantry, get a dish with the maple sausage! Across from Butler’s Pantry is an entrance to the Stowe Recreation Path, a 5.5 mile path that winds all through Stowe, so we wandered along that for a bit. I had a work call I had to take so we went back to the hotel for that and to get out of the rain for a bit. While we were out we had gotten a notification for a last minute table at Hen of the Wood for an early dinner so to kill time and be out of the rain, we checked out Idletyme Brewing Company. The space was super cozy/had all the mountain vibes you’d expect as well as great food and craft beer. We both got the beerskis and shared the fried pickles and Idle fries.
On our way to dinner the rain stopped and the sun started coming out so we made a quick detour to the Waterbury Reservoir for some pics and caught a rainbow! Jackie and I also spotted a rainbow during our trip in Hawaii and I love that it’s become our thing when we travel together! Dinner at Hen of the Wood was nothing short of spectacular. This restaurant popped up on almost every list/travel guide I found so I was basically stalking it for a reservation. We had the mortadella with pistachio gremolata and the cauliflower angolotto (pasta) with butternut squash. Not only was the food amazing but the scene right off the patio – the prettiest waterfall surrounded by fall foliage – was unreal and such sight for sore eyes after a day of rain!
DAY THREE – SATURDAY // WOODSTOCK, VT
Normally driving from Stowe to Woodstock is about an hour and 15 minutes but based on scenic drive reviews I read while researching, I convinced Jackie we should take Route 100. What I didn’t realize is that it was a TWO hour drive that route! We enjoyed it but it was honestly a lot of the same scenery you get driving around Stowe so unless you really have time and desire to do it, you can just take 89 and get there quicker. I had bookmarked Paradise Provisions in Warren as a spot to get breakfast sandwiches along the way, but we were pretty set on going straight to Woodstock to eat because we didn’t think it’d be two hours haha. In hindsight, we should have stopped to get something to tide us over.
Woodstock is truly a quintessential New England town and I could have spent all day wandering the shops and eating at all the restaurants. When we arrived we went straight to Worthy Kitchen because we were starving and it did not disappoint! We split the Worthy Chickwich and the Kitchen Burger and both were delicious. Might have been the best chicken sandwich I’ve ever had and the burger was like a more delicious version of a Big Mac. We didn’t really have cell service most of the day which was lovely because we took in the sights and enjoyed the little town! We popped into a few shops (The Vermont Flannel Co., F.H. Gillingham and Sons, Clover Gift Shop, and Woody’s Mercantile) but I think any of the shops on Central and Elm Streets are great to explore.
We arrived back in Stowe just in time for dinner at Cork Restaurant & Wine Shop. We lucked out and had a cute little banquette table in the corner by the fire which made for the perfect setting for our meal. We split the raasted corn & poblano dip, chopped kale salad and dirty potatoes and Jackie ordered the herb roasted chicken and I got the sticky shiitake mushrooms & broccoli for our mains. For desert we split the oat milk panna cotta. We were thoroughly enjoying our wine and they needed our table for the next reservation so they moved us to sit at the bar which is absolutely unheard of these days! It was nice to feel a small sliver of normalcy.
DAY FOUR – SUNDAY // STOWE GONDOLA, SHELBURNE VINEYARDS + BURLINGTON
We originally had the Stowe Gondola on our to-do list for Friday but given the pouring rain when we woke up that morning we decided to push it back to a better weather day. So when the weather was set to clear on Sunday we went for it! We arrived around 10:45 and it was already about an hour wait (the line was insane because of everyone socially distancing and they were only using every other cab so they could sterilize in between uses). The Stowe Gondola goes to the top of Mount Mansfield which is Vermont’s highest peak! The elevation of the very top of the mountain is 4,395’ but the gondola technically drops you at 3,625’. That’s pretty high for east coast standards! [Fun fact about East Coast vs. West Coast mountains, the ski resort I grew up going to has an elevation of 9,700’ at the top!] Unfortunately, the Cliff House restaurant was closed because of COVID, but just paying to go up and check out out the views was worth it. It’s especially worth it if you aren’t a hiker but still want to enjoy some views!
After our adventure up the mountain, we made our way west to Shelburne Vineyard which was a little over an hour drive. We had planned on brunch and exploring in Burlington but given how long the gondola took, we grabbed a salami sandwich from Hender’s Bake Shop (which was delicious btw!) and hit the road.
Shelburne Vineyard was by reservation only and we booked an afternoon table on the lawn. It’s a somewhat tiny vineyard but the perfect setting for an afternoon of wine tasting in the sun next to the vines. We both ordered the Rachel for the tasting [described as “for the drinker who’s up for anything, energetic and always on-trend”] and after that I got a glass of the 2018 Marquette and Jackie -got the 2019 Whimsey Meadow Rosé (which I also debated getting!).
Based on recommendations from girls we met at the vineyard, we popped up to Burlington to check out their Waterfront Park and relax with the sunset. We thought about staying for dinner but decided to drive back to Stowe to eat at Doc Pond’s because we were able to make a last minute reservation. It’s by the same owner as Hen of the Wood and it was really good! Comfort foods with a twist and a lot of craft beer options! We split the charred broccoli salad, salt cod & corn fritters with pulled pork sammy and dry rub wings and left very full and happy.
DAY FIVE – MONDAY // THE DRIVE HOME
After a couple last photo stops at Barnes Camp and Salon Salon, we hit the road to head home. We wanted one last Vermont meal along the way (versus fast food) so scoped out the Skinny Pancake in Queechee for a stop. We saw the Skinny Pancake (they have sweet + savory crepes and burgers/sandwiches!) a couple of times and they have a bunch of New England locations so it only felt right to give it a try. I ordered the Jonny crepe with sweet potato fries and Jackie got the pulled pork sammie and both were delicious. Of all things, I was super impressed with their sweet potato fries haha. The drive back was about 4.5 hours and we lucked out and didn’t hit any traffic!
GENERAL TIPS & THOUGHTS
If you’re planning to go to Vermont for leaf peeping, I suggest starting the planning process as early as possible! Tt can be hard to time peak foliage because the weather can be so unpredictable but it’s honestly better to lock down a hotel room and at least some dinner reservations in advanced. I originally used the New Hampshire fall foliage tracker to determine which weekend we should go and once the leaves started changing, I was stalking the Vermont foliage reports (not that this would have changed which weekend we were going but gives you a good idea of where the prime leaves are in case you need to plan a day in a different part of the state). Based on everything I’ve seen the past few years, it’s usually the last week or two of September and first week or two in October that are prime.
During non-COVID times if you aren’t within driving distance of Vermont, you can fly into Burlington, VT or Boston, MA (just know it still takes about 3 hours to get to Stowe from Boston) and rent a car. If you’re visiting more southern parts of Vermont, you can check flights into Albany, NY or Hartford CT. And if you don’t mind a drive, it might be cheaper to fly into and rent a car in NYC.
I felt like Stowe was the perfect location for our trip because we were able to easily check out both Burlington/Shelburne and Woodstock. I also feel like we could have spent two full days (if not more!) just exploring Stowe because there’s a lot happening. And I loved Waterbury which is only 10-15 minutes from Stowe – the town is super cute and based on our experience at Hen of the Wood and Hender’s, their food scene gets a thumbs up from me as well!
Vermont, and especially Stowe, is a great place to visit year round. There’s ample outdoor activities for the spring/summer/fall and I can only imagine how bustling Stowe is during ski season. I’ve not been to Vermont for a ski weekend but I could just picture hitting up Idletyme Brewing or Doc Pond’s for an après ski moment!
Overall, be flexible! As you can tell from my photos and my Instagram stories, the weather varied greatly. Even if it wasn’t raining, the mornings tended to be foggy which would make taking in the views (if that’s important to you) challenging so if you can build in some flexibility, do so!
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