Expert: David Beckett - 4/6/2009

Question
We'd like to stay in a little village in Vermont for 2 weeks and take day trips by car.  We'd either rent an apartment or stay in a B&B.  What town would you recommend?  Someplace with coffeehouses, bookstores and a couple decent restaurants.  Night scenes are unimportant.  Thank you.

Answer
Thanks for your note, Robin -

I'm by no means an expert on little villages in VT. So I'd suggest  more research and the help of folks who know rural VT better than I do. I know Burlington, Middlebury, & Montpelier a lot better than I know smaller towns and villages...and those are small cities, not little villages. I'll bet you'd really enjoy visiting Vergennes, Middlebury, and Richmond though. They all have lots of character, shops and cafes.

However, there are a couple of regions I can recommend, which I'd head for if I were looking to explore rural VT. One of them is The Northeast Kingdom, the other is The Champlain Islands.

Both of these areas are unique and full of places to discover.

Here are places to start with those two regions

http://www.travelthekingdom.com/

http://www.champlainislands.com/

If you do get to The Northeast Kingdom, and you've ever had a dog - please don't miss http://www.dogmt.com/chapel.php It's a gorgeous spot, unlike any place I've ever been.

You'll also enjoy The St Johnsbury Athenaeum which is nearby http://www.discoverstjvt.com/top_ten.php This is as charming as any museum I've visited in VT.

If you make it to The Champlain Islands - You'll want to visit Hero's Welcome General Store, which is (again) unlike any place I've ever been. You may even consider a day or overnight trip to Montreal while in "The Islands". I drive up to Montreal the scenic route, through The Champlain Islands, and visit Old Montreal, which is like a trip to Europe in the car.

Please let me know if you have questions about any of these places or attractions.

David Beckett
david (at) askdavidbeckett.com