Leaf Peeping Fun!
My wife Ashley and I just returned from the most relaxing and beautiful vacation that we’ve been on in a long time. After returning from our Holland, Michigan trip in June, we decided to start planning our next adventure, leaf peeping Vermont in the fall.
Well Ash went right to work researching the best areas, tastiest restaurants, local treasures, and everything else you do not want to miss when visiting a new destination. With the drought summer we had in NWPA, we decided to book our stay for early October, a week or so before typical peak season. Ash found Woodstock, Vermont to be a very trendy destination!
Trendy Woodstock, Vermont: Where to Stay
However, due to our late booking, we faced difficulties in finding a dog-friendly rental in Woodstock. Fortunately, we discovered a charming private cottage just 15 minutes outside Woodstock, nestled between White River Junction and Quechee. In my opinion, we made the right decision to stay outside Woodstock. The town had become incredibly trendy and popular after going viral on social media, resulting in bustling streets and crowds.
Especially since we had showed up at the perfect time during peak foliage. Woodstock, Vermont is a very charming town, don’t get me wrong. However, the main street that runs through the center of town happens to be US Highway 4. During peak leaf peeping season, it can be bumper to bumper traffic from one side of town to the other.
I would highly recommend staying a short drive outside of Woodstock, try looking in Quechee, White River Junction, or Killington. All of these towns are equally as beautiful as Woodstock without the headache of traffic.
Dog-Friendly Restaurants & Cafes
Those of you that follow us know that Ash and I always travel with our little chihuahua, Sebastian. Therefore, we are somewhat limited when choosing restaurants and activities. However, we utilize Yelp and the BringFido app to help us determine where we can bring the pup along. Woodstock and the surrounding towns have a nice selection of restaurants and cafés with the majority of them having outdoor seating of some sort.
The best restaurant we dined at was probably The Public House Pub. The atmosphere was comfortable, there is a permanent covered deck attached to the building with a small area of artificial turf fenced in at ground level. Seating was a combination of metal patio furniture and picnic tables. Making a reservation is highly recommended as this is a popular place! Hosts and servers were extremely friendly and very welcoming to our pup, Sebastian. The menu was fairly large, filled with American Traditional and BBQ cuisine. Every table has a placard with a QR code to scan for the drink menu. While I love this adaptation, some old timers don’t feel the same. They offer a full range of local beer and liquors as well as your traditional domestics and imports. I decided to try out one of the local whiskey’s, aged and finished with Vermont maple syrup. Initially it’s very smooth and sweet like an 80 proof bourbon, and ends on a smokey burn like 100 proof scotch! Being a lover of both, this whiskey was right up my alley!
The Public House Pub’s food was delicious. I ordered the BBQ pulled pork Mac and cheese, which was beautifully cooked. I’m a fan of smokier and hotter BBQ, but for northern BBQ it was pretty dang good. With a long dessert list and full bellies from clearing our dinner plate, Ash and I decided on sharing a Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake. The prices were very reasonable, about $30-$50 per person. We will definitely be looking forward to returning to The Public House Pub.
Our cottage in Quechee, VT was just 10-15 minutes away from Lebanon, NH. We popped across the Connecticut River into New Hampshire a few times during our trip to take advantage of the amenities in the larger cities. Our first priority upon our arrival was to have dinner! Ash had Three Tomatoes Trattoria on her list of dog friendly restaurants to try out. However, when we walked up to the hostess stand, the whole restaurant was booked pretty full. Luckily, right across the street was an Irish pub by the name of Salt Hill Pub with a large outdoor seating area. So we saved Three Tomatoes Trattoria for another night, and grabbed Jake’s Burger and Fish and Chips at the pub along with some local New Hampshire beers on tap.
A few days later, we journeyed back to Lebanon, for an early dinner at Three Tomatoes Trattoria. This time we were welcomed with open tables, quick, and polite service. Their drink list was pretty limited but I went out on a limb and tried the Limoncello Martini. Little too much vodka and not enough limoncello for my liking. After looking through the drink menu again, I’m convinced that they don’t have a true mixologist and are unfamiliar with traditional Italian cocktails. Nonetheless, onto the main course.
I ordered a Bolognese Tortellini and Ash had her usual Chicken Alfredo. I wasn’t overly impressed with the bolognese, it had no savory meat, no herbs, no sofrito. Tasted a lot like a store bought passata, which was pretty disappointing for an “Italian restaurant”. Some of the other restaurants we dined at were White Cottage Snack Bar, Santé, Woodstock Scoops, and Skinny Pancake.
Breathtaking Mountains & Fall Scenery
Vermont and New Hampshire are home to some of the most breathtaking scenic views in the fall. As the leaves change across the Appalachian Mountains, the peaks and valleys transform into a scenic landscapes worthy of an artists paintbrush. Possibly the biggest draw to the Woodstock, VT area is all of the scenic drives and destinations that are within an hour of Woodstock. Our first goal was to ride the Stowe Gondola Skyride.
We didn’t waste time making the hour drive to Stowe, VT with rain coming in the forecast, we didn’t want to risk the leaves getting knocked down before we got there. At only $45/person, it was worth every penny to ride the enclosed lift up the mountain and take every photo/video possible. Once we reached the top of the mountain, we exited the lift in the station. The station was an awesome stop alone, with a large scale restaurant on one side (not dog-friendly), a gift shop and concession stand on the other. After exiting the station, we walked around the mountain top taking in the fresh air, scenic overlook, and colorful landscape. On the mountain top, there are seats available along the edge (first come first serve) to relax and enjoy.
As you’re leaving the Stowe Gondola Skyride, if you’re brave enough take a left turn and go through Smugglers’ Notch. Carefully drive through the ancient rocks to the other side or stop at one of the parking areas and hike one of the many long trails. Smugglers’ Notch State Park is located on the side of Mount Mansfield, the tallest mountain in Vermont, and part of the Green Mountains.
We had one other roadtrip day where we drove a little over an hour into New Hampshire to the White Mountains, home of Mount Washington, the tallest mountain in New Hampshire. Specifically we went into Franconia Notch State Park, and stopped at Echo Lake.
New England is renowned for its covered bridges, and the Woodstock, Vermont area boasts a significant number of them! Woodstock itself has its own charming downtown area, featuring the Middle Covered Bridge. Just outside Woodstock, on our way to Quechee, we made a point to drive past and even crossed the Taftsville Covered Bridge almost every day.
Of course Vermont has no shortage of incredible landscapes and scenery to drive through. Our cottage was only a mile or two from the Quechee Gorge, “Vermont’s Grand Canyon”. As beautiful as it was to drive over the bridge everyday, the traffic was impeded by construction closing off one lane. Nonetheless, every time we transversed the bridge, we were in awe of the cascading cliffs covered in colorful fall foliage. Just east of the gorge, is the Quechee Gorge Trail and State Park. The trail is fairly easy to hike, it’s approximately 1.5 miles down 200ft to the Ottauquechee River at the bottom. On the first couple days of our trip were a little warm for the aerobic cardio workout, luckily a cold front moved in and it cooled off to a perfect 55°F. We laced up our hiking shoes, and entered the trail through the visitor center. The first quarter mile is pretty flat and narrow. When you approach the gorge, the trail widens and takes a left turn down the side of the gorge. This is not a hill for anyone with bad knees! The hill has to be close to a 20% grade. Nonetheless, at the bottom of the hill there is access to the Ottauquechee River. After the long drought summer we had in the northeast, the river was pretty low and most of the stone riverbed was exposed and dry to walk on. PLEASE DO NOT WALK OUT AT NORMAL LEVELS. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Just off the edge of the dry bed was a steep drop into a deep channel with fast moving water. Alas, after getting a few pictures in the gorge, we made our steep hike up the hill. Need to stop and catch your breath or stretch? No worries, there are plenty of benches on both sides of the trail! Restrooms are available inside the visitors center along with trail maps, guides, and other information about the area. This is where we chose to continue our tradition of getting a pressed penny from all of our trips. If you would like to collect pressed pennies as well, you can look up the location of penny presses near your destination at PennyPresses.net.
Vermont’s Local Treasures
Vermont is known as the maple syrup capitol of the United States, and there’s no better place to experience Vermont maple syrup than at Sugarbush Farms.
Make the scenic drive back to the 4 generation Luce Family Farm, admission free, open 9AM-5PM. Across the parking lot from the farm, you’ll find the “Maple Walk”, a short loop through the woods. Along the Maple Walk, you’ll find trivia questions, information about tapping maple trees, as well as the tubing and taps used to harvest the sap from the maple trees.
I highly suggest heading down to the sugar house next, where the magic happens! Check out the HUGE sap storage tanks, watch the video on tree tapping, and marvel at the size of the stainless steel evaporator. All around the sugar house you will find information about how the Luce family turns the water like sap, into the delectable, sweet, and sticky topping we all know and love, pure maple syrup. Your next stop absolutely has to be the gift shop. Enter through the Tasting Room, where the Luce family lets you sample the fruits of their labor, in the form of cheeses, smoked meats, syrups, and sauces. The Luce family knows how to sell, the only way out of the tasting room is directly through the gift shop, right past everything you just sampled and more! Can’t squeeze enough cheese in your luggage? No problem, visit SugarbushFarm.com to have them ship directly to your house! I know I will definitely be keeping the Sweet Bourbon Glaze in my arsenal of condiments.
In our travels around Vermont and New Hampshire we swung by the popular Cold Hollow Cider Mill, perhaps a little too popular for my liking. Upon approach to the cider mill entrance, we were caught in a traffic jam along the main road. Unbeknownst to us, that was the line to enter the cider mill. Nonetheless we decided to stick it out and try to get one of Cold Hollow Cider Mill’s Famous Apple Cider Donuts. Though when we entered the gift shop after eventually finding a place to park, the whole barn-sized gift shop was elbow to elbow with people attempting the same task. After escaping the chaotic gift shop, we crossed over the driveway to the café. Here you can purchase baked goods, warm up with hot apple cider, and even try out their different hard ciders with a flight (must be 21 or older).
At last, it was time to make our way back home. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Woodstock, Vermont and the surrounding areas. The beautiful scenery and mountain landscapes of Vermont and New Hampshire should be on everyone’s bucket list, no matter the season. If you’re not sure where to plan your next vacation, please visit Woodstock, Vermont.
