Lake Champlain full of city charm, natural beauty
City foliage, country foliage. In Vermont, you have a choice. Want a bustling small city surrounded by hills ablaze in color? Or how about quaint and classic small-town Vermont settings awash in autumn hues? Both are excellent options for the season.
But what if you could have both — a cityscape and country idyll too? It's possible, and it's in the Lake Champlain region.
Centered by spectacular Lake Champlain, the region stretches out to offer you the best of those two worlds, all within easy access. By foot, by car, by bike, by boat, even by gondola, the Lake Champlain region is a great spot to experience fall foliage in both urban and rural settings.
Putting down anchor for your Lake Champlain journey is a snap. Burlington proper offers a wealth of accommodation choices, all with easy access to the plethora of activities and scenic spots in the city and beyond.
For a true bed-and-breakfast experience tucked in the heart of the city, choose the Willard Street Inn. Its motto is, “Service of yesteryear with the amenities of today,” and they mean it. A family-owned and -operated spot, it offers casually elegant accommodations in an 1881 Victorian mansion nestled in Burlington's historic Hill District. That means city highlights, such as Church Street Marketplace, the waterfront and college campuses, are totally walkable.
Your stay comes with a choice of three chef-plated breakfast entrees daily, off-street parking, locally roasted coffee and freshbaked cookies delivered to your room daily. The mansion is set on a full acre with gardens and Adirondack chairs placed throughout for relaxation and to soak in the beauty. Learn more at www. willardstreetinn.com.
For an eclectic and beautiful spot with great service, check into the Hotel Vermont, just off Church Street, with amazing views of the lake. There, you can explore like a local. Hotel Vermont even makes enjoying this colorful season a snap with its fall foliage itinerary, which sends you off on a self-guided day of foliage perfection (details at http://hotelvt.com/ amenities/fall-foliage-tour-2), an adventure with the inhouse activities coordinator, or for a tasty sip at the bar with the beer concierge. The days are warm, the nights are cozy, and the mountains are the color of fire.
If that's not enough, your floor has amazing coffee drinks all day and freshmade sodas, as well as pastries in the morning and cheese in the afternoon. Don't miss brunch at Juniper on-site. Go to www.hotelvt. com for more details.
The Courtyard Burlington Harbor, right beside the Hotel Vermont, offers the luxury of Marriott with true accents of Vermont and opportunities to relax both indoors and out. The recently renovated Courtyard Burlington Harbor is just steps away from Lake Champlain,
Burlington town center and the Church Street Marketplace. It features spacious guest rooms, an indoor saline pool, soaking tub, fitness facility, complimentary bicycle use, fire pit, highspeed internet, flatscreen HD TVs and a business center. Breakfast, dinner and Sunday brunch are served at the on-site restaurant, Bleu Northeast Seafood, where, in a quintessential New England experience, Bostonians can satisfy their appetite for local seafood while enjoying the fall foliage.
Guestrooms and bathrooms echo Vermont's serene beauty, using art by Vermont photographer Shayne Lynn, cherrywood furnishings, autumnal colors, comfortable linens, warm comforters, oversized tubs, walk-in showers and, of course, fat fluffy towels.
Outside and overlooking the lake, you can find fire pits to relax around. Learn more at www.marriott.com/ hotels/travel/btvdt-court yard-burlington-harbor/.
Another option is the Hampton Inn & Vermont Event Center. It's just outside Burlington, and offers gorgeous views of the mountains and is just minutes from shopping. Hampton Inn & Vermont Event Center has 6,000 square feet of meeting space and can host groups as large as 225 people. With 187 beautiful guest rooms and a delicious complimentary hot breakfast every morning, Hampton Inn & Vermont Event Center has everything you need to make your stay comfortable and convenient. Go to www. hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/ hotels/vermont/hamptoninn-burlington-BTVMVHX/ index.html.
Once you've picked your resting spot, it's time to head out for action. Foliage time in the Lake Champlain region can be as active or relaxing as you want. In every corner — city or rural — there are sights, tastes and experiences to savor.
First, there's the lake. Lake Champlain's beauty in the fall stops you in your tracks. Surrounded by vivid trees blanketing mountains that reflect in the blue water, it's an endless “ahh” moment. But you won't stand still. Consider renting bikes at Local Motion and riding along the bike path that hugs the shore of the lake. The path is walkable, too, a nice easy “hike” that is family-friendly.
Or head up into the mountains — plenty of them, including majestic Mount Mansfield, are as close as a 15-minute ride away. There's hiking for every level and taste, but should you want to just soak it all in, Stowe Mountain Resort offers scenic gondola rides to the top of Vermont's highest peak.
Another nice family hike can be found at nearby Mount Philo, a gentle and fun incline that's particularly lovely in the morning. You can stop in at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory in Shelburne post-hike for a special family experience.
All that beauty, color and activity will surely work up an appetite. No worries, because the region is full of incredible spots for true farm-to-table dining.
Church Street and the surrounding area in Burlington is not only fun to walk and shop (you'll find amazing local crafts and art), but it's a foodie haven. The Farm House is a great spot that takes farm-to-table to a higher level. August First Bakery on Main Street is a must-visit for made-from-
scratch breakfasts and lunches (go for breakfast or have them pack a lunch for your hike!) and pastries.
For grown-ups, craft beer is everywhere, and you can even do a tour of craft beers and distilleries with the City Brew Tours group. For amazing cocktails with local and seasonal twists, stop in at Hen of the Wood.
And of course, it's practically criminal to visit the region without a visit to Lake Champlain Chocolates. You may be familiar with them: They are available around Boston at such spots as Whole Foods and specialty gift shops. But seeing and sampling them up close is heaven.
It all started 34 years ago with a dream to create extraordinary chocolate that rivaled the Europeans. Founder Jim Lampman did just that, along with a handful of employees willing to work for chocolate. Since the beginning, they've established farmer relationships that still exist today. Monument Farms, Kimball Brook Farms and Vermont Creamery, as well as local honey and maple syrup producers, provide Lake Champlain Chocolates with the best quality ingredients that make their chocolates so delicious.
You can visit the flagship store on Pine Street in Burlington's bustling south end, which offers free factory tours that attract more than 200,000 tourists a year. In addition to the those tours (with plenty of free samples!), the Pine Street store offers free chocolate tastings from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
The Pine Street Factory Store has the largest selection of Lake Champlain Chocolates found anywhere and many specialty items that are only found at the Vermont company store. We're talking confections such as hand-dipped cherry cordials, coconut creams, caramel chocolate-dipped pretzels and more. The store also boasts a cafe with award-winning ice cream, including milkshakes and sundaes and hot chocolate, served with your choice of a house-made marshmallow or freshly hand-whipped cream. Learn more at www. lakechamp lainchocolates.com.
You can explore the world's love for such sweets at the Shelburne Museum. The museum, a wonderful spot to visit, is an unconventional and utterly delightful destination in the Champlain Valley. Folk art, impressionist paintings, circus collections and even a steamboat — it's all here on the beautifully landscaped campus of historic buildings and galleries.
One such unique collection this fall is “Sweet Tooth: The Art of Dessert,” which explores America's appetite for tantalizing and tasty confections and its impact on modern visual culture. Through the installations of artists working within the subject matter and dessertthemed mixed media, the works of art featured in this exhibition provide a feast for the eyes. Delve beneath the sugarcoated surfaces of these delectable paintings, prints, sculpture and more, and explore the deeper threads of meaning linked to our insatiable desire for sweets.
Another favorite attraction for families at the Shelburne Museum is the horseshoe-shaped Circus Building, designed to showcase the hand-carved miniature Arnold Circus Parade, which stretches nearly the full length of the building's 518 feet. Here you can also find handpainted carousel figures — horses, tigers, giraffes and more — made by the renowned Gustav Dentzel Carousel Co. The icing on the cake: A vintage carousel operates just outside the Circus Building (weather permitting) between May 1 and Oct. 31.
Another can't miss (and you literally can't) exhibit — the steamboat Ticonderoga. The restored 220foot steamboat, a National Historic Landmark, was built in 1906 and operated on Lake Champlain. In 1955 it was moved two miles overland to the museum. If you think that sounds like a feat, it is, and you can watch a film about it on board the steamboat, which portrays life on board in 1923. Special guided tours are offered daily between May 1 and Oct. 31. (www.shelburne museum.org)
A beautiful lake. A vibrant cityscape. Lush mountains painted with the colors of fall. Beer, cocktails, activity choices and, of course, chocolate. Now that's a fall blend you'll savor. Learn more at www.vermont.org.