Howdy from the Green Mountain State! (That’s Vermont for those anipals not well versed in geography.) I’m very excited to be writing about my second ever big vacation — and even more excited to share it with you! So let’s get started.
Lake Champlain with New York State in the distance
Although New England isn’t a huge region of the United States, it did take us about four hours to drive from eastern Massachusetts to Burlington, Vermont. I realize that for some of you, four hours is a jaunt to the grocery store. But in New England, which is made up of just six states, that’s a long time. The fastest way to get to our destination actually meant taking a short cut through New Hampshire! (You’ll have to Google our route later if you don’t believe me.)
We did stop at rest areas to stretch our paws and pick up some tourist brochures. That’s how I found out that the name Vermont actually comes from the French, Verd Monts, which literally means Green Mountains. But you just need to know they have mountains with a lot of trees. Which is great because, from what I experienced, Vermont people and canines like to be outside!
Burlington, Vermont has some of the first bike paths in New England. You can ride or walk along through wooded areas or sit on the banks of Lake Champlain to rest your paws. The views are lovely — and the seagull stalking is a ‘can’t miss’! For those scent hounds in the crowd, you’ll want to visit South Burlington Vermont’s Red Rocks Park. Not only are the views of Lake Champlain fantastic, the 100-acre park provides plenty of olfactory stimulation. (I’m pretty sure I smelled a bear — even if my people claim it was only a chipmunk.)
Community Dog Park, So. Burlington, VT
If it’s the canine party scene you’re looking for, than you’ll want to visit the Community Dog Park (yes, that’s really it’s name), located in South Burlington. This is a large, somewhat wooded park located next to the international airport. Surprisingly, it wasn’t noisy, and like every place we traveled, it was clean (that’s code for poop-picked-up). If you are in Burlington, try Starr Farm Dog Park. This park was huge, but very exposed, so make sure your peeps wear hats! Both dog parks have water on site but you may want to make sure you have your favorite travel bowl if you’re not a canine who likes to share saliva.
If shopping is your thing, check out the shops on and around Church Street in Burlington. This is an outside pedestrian shopping area in the heart of Burlington. There are plenty of restaurants with outside seating where pets are welcome to dine with their humans. Since this is a college town, (home to the University of Vermont) you’ll have plenty of people watching to occupy your time, or just sit back and listen to the street performers (but make your people drop a buck in their guitar case — the kids need to eat!).
Vermont Country Store
On the way home, you may want to stop at the Vermont Country Store. They have two locations, one in Weston (the original store) and the other in Rockingham. If you’re looking for things like Hair-No-More, or are lonely and want your own @GeorgetheDuck stand in (only in rubber), or if your peeps just need a Bozo Bop Bag, this is the place to go! They have lots of old stuff — excuse me — hard to find classic products. I stayed outside under a tree, while they shopped. However, if you’re not a canine who’ll take the opportunity to catch some zzzz’s while your humans disappear into memory lane, than maybe your peeps might want to rethink this stop. My humans kept running outside to check on me until I finally barked at them and told them not to come back out until they brought me some Vermont cheddar cheese! (The cheese, like my vacation was FABULOUS!)
all photos by @iamDaisyDoo
