Highlights

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Itinerary

Day 1 – Vergennes, VT – Wine & Cheese Reception

Arrive at your Vermont Resort Hotel, the Basin Harbor Club, for a three night stay.  Located on the shores of Lake Champlain, the resort offers nature trails, bird watching, and amazing gardens that will wrap you in New England Hospitality.

Once you have settled in, enjoy a welcome reception featuring Vermont Artisan Cheeses, Fresh-squeezed Cider, Beer and Wine. Then relax and enjoy the gorgeous surroundings, watch the sunset over the Adirondack Mountains of New York, and savor Vermont Harvest Buffet served in the resort’s elegant dining room. (D)

Day 2 – Green Mountains Guided Tour – Maple Farm – Church Street Marketplace – Dinner Cruise

At breakfast, the resort’s owner will greet you with a history talk about the resort. Your local guide will also meet you at breakfast. Start your tour today in Vermont’s Green Mountains that are now painted in orange, gold and yellow hues. Along the way, your guide will share tales of the region’s rich history, point out unique geologic formations and interject bits of Yankee humor!.

Your first stop is Morse Farms. Watch how real maple sugar is made, from the trees to the finished product, on a traditional Vermont maple sugar farm. You will tour the sugarhouse, sample fresh-made maple syrup and visit the largest and most unique maple, crafts and mail order shop in the area.

Next visit Rock of Ages. Barre, Vermont is the center of the largest granite industry in the nation.  Visit the world’s largest and most modern granite manufacturing plant.  See workers in the quarry and learn how granite is processed and used. Then visit Hope Cemetery.  Discover a veritable outdoor museum of fine granite sculpture.  The headstones and markers, created by the world’s most skilled granite artists, rival the finest granite carvings anywhere.

To continue along the granite theme, lunch today is at the Lodge at Millstone.  The Lodge is an historic Vermont barn converted into an impeccably furnished, Adirondack-style Mountain Lodge with beautiful grounds and access to 60 miles of nature trails. Their famous luncheons feature local fare, patterned after the Italian immigrants who worked in the stone-cutting sheds.  Walk off your lunch with a stroll through their beautifully landscaped grounds that afford amazing foliage views.

After lunch, visit Vermont Butter and Cheese where they craft artisanal dairy products in the European style through a vital link with local farms.  The company supports a network of more than 20 family farms. providing milk meeting the highest standards of purity.  Their cow’s milk and goat’s milk cheeses have gained international recognition and Martha Stewart loves their signature Bijou cheese.

Travel back into Burlington and enjoy time at your leisure to visit the Church Street Marketplace, an outdoor pedestrian mall.  Enjoy the shops, boutiques and galleries. This evening enjoy a sunset dinner cruise on Lake Champlain.  This is truly ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ at its best featuring fabulous cuisine and live entertainment.  Return to your hotel after dinner. (B,L,D)

Day 3 – Cold Hollow Cider Mill – Lunch at Trapp Family Lodge – Ben & Jerry’s

After breakfast, you will meet your guide and the first stop is Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Open the door to a mouth-watering aroma of fresh-baked cider donuts and watch apple cider being made. The Cider Mill gift shop offers a fine collection of Vermont specialty food products, crafts and wines.  Enjoy the free samples!

Next, and only if you dare, visit Emily’s Haunted Bridge.  This 1800’s covered bridge carries a sadly haunting story of a love gone bad.  Only the brave dare to walk across! Travel to the Village of Stowe, once home to a winter Olympics. In the Village, you will find shops that have provided the necessities of life for residents and visitors since 1840. Stowe’s Main Street has kept its turn-of-the-century look, while being home to popular galleries, antique shops and craft stores.  You won’t want to miss Shaw’s General Store.

Next, enjoy lunch at the Trapp Family Lodge. It will satisfy your appetite, but also quenches your thirst for extraordinary scenery.  The Sound of Music resonates as you visit this classic Austrian chalet, owned and operated by the Von Trapp family. Enjoy an after-lunch stroll through their finely manicured grounds and display gardens.

The perfectly sweet ending to your day is a stop at Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory.  Enjoy a tour and a taste of Vermont’s finest as you travel back to your hotel. Tonight, enjoy a lovely farewell dinner and later, gather around the bonfire and satisfy your sweet tooth with S’Mores. (B,L,D)

Day 4 – Depart for Home

Travel Home after breakfast. (B)

Tour Map