It’s no secret that Hen of the Wood is my favorite restaurant in Vermont. For years, it has been on my Vermont bucket list to have dinner in the acclaimed Butcher Room, a private dining experience for 6-12 on a butcher-block table off of the kitchen at Hen. […]
When I lived in Middlebury, I would frequently take the Appalachian Gap over to Fayston, Waitsfield, and Warren to explore in my favorite valley in Vermont… The Mad River Valley. I remember one distinct day in 2014. It was a summer afternoon in August, and I stopped at […]
I’m a big fan of trying unique spa treatments around Vermont, especially with my goal of prioritizing more self care this year. And every facial or massage I try is a wholly unique experience. The products and techniques they use, along with the environment they offer, really makes […]
I’m a sucker for a good place to stay. I often hear, “Why splurge on a hotel when you’re just sleeping there? You’re not going to spend much time in the hotel, right?” To me, though, when I escape on a vacation for rest and relaxation, where I […]
Someone asked me yesterday which I prefer: Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks. My answer? Neither. In Vermont—specifically the Burlington area—we have so many options for locally roasted coffee that I never find myself dropping by a coffee chain for a caffeine fix. When it comes to coffee, I don’t […]
I’m a high-stress, tense, go-go-go individual. I always have been and, I suspect, I always will be. I’m happiest (and most efficient and most fulfilled) when I have numerous competing interests in my life: work, freelance work, blogging, travel, being an attentive partner and dog momma, keeping in […]
When I was in college at Middlebury, I spent my summers on Campobello Island, an eight-mile by three-mile island on the Bay of Fundy that also is home to FDR’s 34-room summer “cottage”. It’s really rural and makes Middlebury—and most Vermont towns—look like a thriving metropolis. There are no traffic lights for 75 […]
Although I travel often, I rarely stay in hotels. In fact, the only time I stay in “hotels” is on business travel when the possibility of a late arrival and anonymity are attractive to me. A recent stay at Hotel Vermont, one of the newest lodging options downtown and Burlington’s […]
When I was in college, I lived full-time in Vermont and spent the summer months working at restaurants and an inn in downeast Maine (technically Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada). I spent most of my waking hours in Lubec, Maine—largely a community of fisherman—where I befriended the locals. Although Lubec is […]
I’ve always admired family-owned businesses, as it certainly takes patience, discipline and good communication to work with family members day in and day out. In Vermont, there are an overwhelming number of family-owned-and-operated businesses from dairy farms to maple syrup operations to restaurants and country stores that have been thriving for generations. The […]
For years I’ve considered myself a foodie. I’ve worked in countless restaurants (as a bartender, cook, server, hostess) and worked for a food magazine for a number of years. For the most part, we grow our own produce or get it straight from the farm in our local CSA, […]
One of the things I love the most about old homes is the unique details that carry throughout them. The Lang House on Main Street Bed & Breakfast, just a few blocks from Church Street in Burlington, has some of the most beautiful architectural details in a historic home […]