Cannonball run to Alchemist/HF

I've stayed at the Old Stagecoach, a B&B, in Waterbury and had a great time. Their Huevos Rancheros breakfast is solid. Plus, they are walking distance to Reservoir and Prohibition Pig.

There's the Ben and Jerry factory across the street from Alchemist. A bit further up the road there's also the Cider Mill, Cabot cheese, and a glass blowing boutique with a look in to the shop.

You can find Lawson's at the Warren Country Store, about 20-25 minutes in the opposite way from Alchemist.

 

I would think you may get shut out at the Alchemist on July 6th because of the holiday.

There is a farmers market in Waitsfield on July 6th where you would be able to buy more than enough Lawsons (pick me up the Maple Triple I missed out on during my trip!)

Best to drive to Waterbury on the 5th and get there before 7pm to see if anything is left at the Alchemist. You can then hit the farmers market on Saturday morning at 8am and make it up to HF by 12. Not sure what to expect at HF post holiday, should be plenty of good growler options at least (as always).

I think Burlington both nights would be a pain. Stowe would be nice. But maybe Waterbury the first night, hit the Alchemist before 7pm, then Ben & Jerrys and some of the pubs (Prohibition Pig, The Reservoir, Blackback). And Burlington the second night after Farmers Market and HF. Coming from PA I found the Beverage Warehouse in Burlington area (Winooski) to be worth a trip alone for stuff I would never find around here. Plus Farmhouse Taproom & Grill and American Flatbread are great places for a family dinner while you enjoy some HF and Lawsons on draft.

 

Ben and Jerry's is how I convinced the Wife to take a family vacation up that way. Leaving Monday morning.

 

Staying in Burlington will add at least an hour to your drive to HF (compared to Waterbury), but since you have non-beer folks traveling with you it might make the trip more enjoyable. If you arrive in Burlington on Friday, you could have dinner at Farmhouse Tap & Grill (great localavore food, great beer selection) and then walk through Church Street Marketplace for shopping. Saturday morning (starting around 8:30 or 9), Burlington has a great Farmers Market where you could grab some breakfast/food and do some shopping. For non-beer travelers, hitting Church St Marketplace and the Farmers Market might ease their suffering.

Staying in Waterbury, you could get dinner at Prohibition Pig and get an early start. Waterbury doesn't a tourist friendly shopping market/center like Burlington, so you basically have a couple pubs and restaurants. Stowe also has a few dining spots and shopping centers, but they also close pretty early (like most places in VT, around 9pm then doors start closing).

Also, stopping at Cold Hollow Cider Mill in upper Waterbury (Waterbury Center) is a great little place to get cider, cider donuts, coffee, VT specific items (honey, cider, mustard, jelly, etc.).

That's going to be a lot of driving, so make sure you have some small stops planned so your girlfriends won't get bored. There's a lot of great scenery, but its also going to be hot and humid. There's a few other topics about visiting VT in this forum with links to attractions, shops, stuff, etc.

 

All of the above is solid information. I would just say that you might need to figure a lot longer of a drive factoring 4th of July traffic, and that supplies of everything you are looking for up there could be extremely limited/non-existant. I would rent in Stowe, but make sure you are within walking distance of shopping and activities if you are going to be making runs to the breweries without other members of your group. Have fun!

 

They're from DC; they will freeze to death if it gets below 85F that time of year. We have a son & DIL who live down there and she once made us build a fire on July 4.

OP: I'd probably stay in Stowe, all things considered.

Heady is reasonably easy to purchase for us locals. Just BM someone around here a week or so ahead of time and arrange a pickup on Friday/Saturday (Me? Maybe, especially if you have a little On the Wings of Armageddon to trade...).

Bottom line, Lawson's will be tough, you will get Heady one way or another, so focus on HF per your plan.

 

Im taking that exact trip this weekend. We found a nice Airbnb in Stowe, although Im sure the prices will go up for July 4th weekend

 

I'll echo the Heady comments above - plan ahead and setup a trade or risk getting shut out. Lawson's will probably be gone by the time you get to the Warren Store, if you can even make it there in your schedule. Plenty of Lawson's on tap up there though.

I'd stay in Stowe. Waterbury is a quintessential tiny New England town, but for two nights with a pair of non-beer obsessed girlfriends, they're going to get bored quickly. Stowe has plenty of shopping, it's only 15 minutes to the Waterbury bars, and it actually puts you closer to HF to minimize that trip.

All of that said, I actually think you guys might enjoy Burlington the most. It's a small city, very college-y vibe, and it would be super easy for you guys to separate and drink good beer while the girls walk around town. In Stowe/Waterbury you'd have to shuttle separate groups with a car. But, as noted, it puts you further away from HF, so that would cut a couple of extra hours into your Saturday.

 

As others have suggested, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a local to pick up some Heady for you. It's hard enough to get on a Saturday, nevermind July 4th weekend. Also, they might not even be open. Will HF be open that weekend?

 

There are Burlington people and there are Stowe people.

Burlington people tend to be cooler.

 

OP, what type of entertainment will your companions be looking for? Most things going Waterbury->Stowe->Greensboro will be food or outdoor recreation centered. I'm sure folks on the board can provide recommendations if there are specific activities you are looking for.

Given that your focus is HF and the amount of driving you are doing I think staying in Stowe and folloing the itinerary fspadora has laid our will serve you well. Depending on your Fri drive make a day of decision on Waitsfield Farmers Market for Lawson's. Check their blog a day or two ahead to see what they'll have http://www.lawsonsfinest.blogspot.com/ and there is usually a post in this forum a few days ahead about what type of system they'll use to handle the crowd of folks lining up to buy. For reference the Waitsfield market is more like Takoma Park's than Dupont.

Seems like you've done your research, but don't rely on GPS to get to HF and go with plenty of cash. No Suntrust or Bank of America in these parts.

 

Do this. feel free to BM me, always happy to help. They will definitely be sold out then, might even sell out on the Friday

 

Burlington has some sketchy hotels, maybe someone here can give you some advice.

 

I've stayed at the Burlington Holiday Inn Express near Magic Hat before. It was inexpensive and really nice. You won't be right downtown but buses are easy and taxis are pretty cheap. Plus you can get right on 89 to Waterbury.

 

Stay at the Green Mountain Suites in South Burlington and thank me later.

Downtown hotels are decent but pricey. Green Mtn Suites is nice, does free happy hour during the week & and is a $10 cab ride (or ambitious walk) from downtown.

I'd avoid staying at any of the cheaper 'inn' hotels.

 

And Stowe is the location of the brewery at the Trapp Family Lodge, whose lagers I'd like to try.

 

Skip them and hit up Lost Nation instead

It's the former head brewer from Trapp's, and he's doing excellent work over in Morrisville.

 

yep