We have finally arrived at the last stop on our 15 day New England road trip. Vermont completes our circle. We’ve gone from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, and then around to New Hampshire. This has truly been an epic road trip and one our family won’t soon forget.
Day 13 – Vermont
In Part 4 of our journey I left you halfway through day 13 in New Hampshire. We had spent the morning exploring the Kancamagus Highway and now we’re ready to finish the day in our next new state, Vermont. Our first stop was the Rock of Ages Quarry in Barre, Vermont.
Rock of Ages Quarry
Before you start driving to the Rock of Ages Quarry make sure you know where you are going. Our GPS sent us the wrong way. Thankfully, a very nice lady got us straightened out. We arrived right at lunchtime. Rock of Ages was nice enough to let us eat our picnic lunch on their small patio. It was a nice shaded area with small tables.
Before we ate lunch we bought tickets for the next guided tour of the quarry. The tours leave multiple times during the day and they take you to an overlook of the Smith Quarry. The quarry is nearly 600 feet deep and the largest operating deep-hole, dimension granite quarry in the world. The tour is about 40 minutes long and they take you to the quarry in a company vehicle. The tour is first come, first serve, and is $6.00 per adult and $3 per child age 6-13.
Tour
We arrived at the designated tour spot 5 minutes early and didn’t see anyone else waiting. After 10 minutes we inquired and found out the tour had left without us. They had actually met somewhere else. The tour guide didn’t double-check his count, so he didn’t realize he left us. Now, we are super frustrated! The cashier who had made the mistake decided to take us out to the quarry, but we had to drive our own vehicle. By the time we arrived we had missed all the commentary from the drive and the first 10 minutes at the quarry. We also missed the commentary from the return drive. We were very disappointed.
When we returned to the visitor center the manager apologized profusely and made everything right. While we would have loved to experience the entire tour we left satisfied. We still recommend a visit to the Rock of Ages, just be sure to get to the designated tour spot early.
Visitor Center and Factory
The Rock of Ages visitor center is small but has an interesting video about the quarrying and manufacturing processes. I highly recommend the video! After watching everything we saw made so much more sense. The visitor center also has historic photos, exhibits, and a gift shop. It is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm and admission is free.
Rock of Ages also has a free self-guided factory tour that is open from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. You view the 16,000 square foot factory from an observation deck. You can watch artists using hand tools along with computer-guided diamond-tipped saws and precision grinders. It was loud but neat!
Outside, don’t miss the free granite bowling lane. This lane was developed as a prototype for use in commercial lanes. The concept never took off. But today you can use rubber balls and have lots of family fun. Our kids loved it!
Bragg Farm Maple Sugar house
Next we drove about 20 minutes to the Bragg Farm Maple Sugar house in East Montpelier, Vermont. The farm is open from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm and is free. We began our visit by watching a video about collecting and processing maple syrup. Since we visited in the Fall, they weren’t running any syrup. Consult their website if you would like to witness that. The video was a good replacement, though.
After the video, we were able to taste 4 different types of maple syrup. The kids loved this part! Our family all agreed that Stage 2 was the best. Then we browsed the gift shop that had all sorts of Vermont crafts, gifts, and specialty foods. They also have an ice cream parlor where you can try some maple creemees. Outside, be sure to look in on the farm animals. During our visit, they had goats and rabbits. Also, look around! The views are spectacular.
TownePlace Suites
After Bragg’s, we headed to our hotel in Williston, Vermont. For the next 2 nights, we would be staying at the TownePlace Suites Burlington Williston. This ended being one of our most expensive hotels. The hotel consists of two separate buildings with the main entrance not being covered. The main building houses the exercise room, breakfast area, and bar. They do not have a pool. I got the impression that this was a business traveler hotel.
We had a large corner suite on the top floor of the second building. It was very quiet! It had a small kitchen, living room, and 2 separate bedrooms. The bathroom was tiny, but we made due. We weren’t impressed by the breakfast. The juice was watered down and the eggs and bacon weren’t hot. The area was spacious though.
Day 14
Day 14 was our last full day of sightseeing and we had a lot to see. This area of Vermont has a lot of small factories that offer tours and samples. We had a list of 4 to hit.
Green Mountain Coffee
We started off with a stop at Green Mountain Coffee Visitor Center and Cafe. The visitor center is actually inside the Waterbury Amtrak station. It is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Inside, you can explore from “source to cup” through displays and videos. You can also learn the history of the 1875 train station. Then head over to the cafe for a taste. The cafe offers a variety of free coffee samples.
Ben & Jerry’s
Next, we headed down the road to Ben & Jerry’s. We arrived just in time for the first tour of the day. Tours leave about every 30 minutes on a daily basis. Tickets are sold in person only inside the lobby on a first come first serve basis. Tickets are $4 for adults and those 12 and younger are free. During the busy summer and fall seasons, tickets can sell out quickly and wait times can approach 2 hours. You can stop by the lobby and purchase tickets for a later tour time.
Our tour consisted of a short video and a walk through the factory. No photography was allowed. Our guide was wonderful and explained everything in terms the kids could understand. In the end, we got to try Sweet Like Sugar ice cream. This was the best part!
After the tour explored the grounds. Don’t miss the Flavor Graveyard or the playground. The kids loved both! Also, be sure to pay a visit to the cows.
Cabot’s Farmers’ Store
Then we drove on to Cabot’s Farmer’s Store. It was just down the street from Ben & Jerry’s. The highlight at Cabot’s is sampling all the different cheeses. They are open daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. The store has a large selection of Cabot products and other Vermont specialty foods. We had to give our kids limits or they would have made themselves sick on cheese.
Cold Hollow Cider Mill
A short drive later we arrived at our last stop on our tasting tour, Cold Hollow Cider Mill. This is mostly a store but in the back you can watch the workers press apples to make cider. Don’t overlook the free samples of apple cider. It was so good! I also highly recommend the cider doughnuts. You can even watch them being made. Cold Hollow is open daily from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and is free to visit.
Long Trail Picnic Area
By now it is lunchtime. Surprisingly we aren’t stuffed full of goodies from our various morning stops. Just inside Smuggler’s Notch State Park, we eat our picnic lunch at the Long Trail Picnic Area. This picnic area has multiple tables nestled beside a small stream. It also has grills and a pit toilet.
Bingham Falls
Now it was time for some hiking. About 2 miles from the picnic area is Bingham Falls. There are pull-offs on both sides of Route 108 just south of Smuggler’s Notch State Park. The entrance to the trail will be on the east side of the highway. It is easy to miss the area since signs are back in the woods a bit from the trailhead.
Bingham Falls trail is 0.5 miles and back with an elevation gain of 144 feet. The trail starts off going downhill then there are steep steps down to the falls. It was a little rough, but the kids loved it. Remember what goes down, must go back up! This is definitely not a stroller-friendly trail. I also wouldn’t attempt it if you don’t like going up and down rocky, uneven steps. During our visit, there were a couple of guys jumping into the water. Use your best judgment!
Moss Glen Falls
Our last stop of the day would be at Moss Glen Falls. Moss Glen was about 20 minutes from Bingham Falls and down a dirt road. Google Maps did a great job of getting us to the trailhead. There is a fair-sized unpaved parking area but no facilities. This trail is not stroller-friendly. I definitely recommend checking for ticks after your hike.
The trail to the falls is about 0.25 miles. You can continue on or return the way you came. The entire trail is 4.2 miles out and back. The trail starts out flat and somewhat narrow passing through a forested area then traversing a muddy terrain. The wettest parts have wooden planks acting as boardwalks. After a while, the trail opens up and you can go down to the right to the stream. This leads to the base of the falls. Back on the main trail you continue up a steep rocky hill and come to a sudden full straight-on view of the falls. It was spectacular and beautiful! We chose not to continue further down the trail.
Day 15
Day 15, the last full day of our road trip. We started heading south back toward Virginia. This day would have only one sightseeing stop, the Vermont Marble Museum in Proctor, Vermont.
Vermont Marble Museum
The Vermont Marble Museum was very easy to find. The building looks quite old and dated. This museum has the largest marble exhibit in the world. It has displays, exhibits, galleries, and a gift shop all telling the story of the people and places that make up Vermont’s marble industry. The Vermont Marble Museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and admission is $9 for adults and $4 for kids.
The actual museum is on the second floor. The lobby looks to have been updated but the exhibits are very dated. Exhibits include the Marble Chapel, Hall of Presidents, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Geology Room, World of OMYA, Marbles of the World, and a U.S. Supreme Court Mock-Up. There is nothing interactive. They do have a children’s room, but our kids found it boring. One room has a This Old House video explaining the marble extraction process. It was interesting and worth watching.
You can not view the quarry or processing facility. We did come upon an artist working on a piece of marble. He took the time to talk to our kids and even let them take turns working on the marble. Outside there is a small sculptor garden and a “freebie” bin. You can dig through the bin to find your own souvenir. We found a nice 11″x17″ piece that only had a flawed corner. I’m hoping to find someone local to finish it for me.
It took us a little over an hour to explore the museum. Afterward, we ate lunch on a picnic table we found right outside the museum. From there we hit the road south to Fishkill, New York. A word of caution, cell service can be spotting in parts of Vermont. Even our GPS had some trouble finding certain locations. Make sure you have good directions before setting out.
Final night
Our final night was spent at the Springhill Suites in Fishkill, New York. We used our Marriott Reward Points on this stay. This hotel is connected to the Residence Inn next door and they share some amenities, like the pool. Our only complaint was that our room had an opaque glass barn door to the bathroom. If someone used the bathroom in the night, the light shined out into the room. Otherwise, this is a great hotel.
Conclusion
The next morning we completed our 15 day New England road trip by traveling back to Arlington, Virginia. The last 15 days had been so epic and memorable. This was one road trip we won’t soon forget.
We spent one month more in Arlington and then returned to Florida via the Blue Ridge Parkway. I’ll be writing a post about that trip soon. Also, don’t miss the post on Our Year in Washington, D.C. Did you miss part of our New England road trip? Here are the links to parts 1 through 4.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own. I was not compensated for this post. Because of Covid-19, our experiences may not be what you encounter.
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