Fair point. I think the wife is going to try to hit up a spa when we get home from Hill Farmstead. That might give me time to run over there by myself, but I’m just not sure how long we will be at HF that day. Both Friday and Saturday, we have places we want to get to, but not an exact plan just yet.
My opinion since I've been visiting those areas for almost 30 years now.... Thursday - Do B&J, lunch in Waterbury, go to the absolutely beautiful Lawsons, hit Freak Folk near open, head to Stowe which will keep wife happy with lots of shops (you can always scoot off to Lower Bar for a Hill draft), get dinner at Trapp. Friday - Go to Hill, hit Willey's, go to Alchemist for a Heady, try to eat/drink at any of these - Doc Ponds, Bench, Backyard, Ranch Camp, Piecasso (outdoor patio is awesome), Edelweiss. Saturday - Stick to Burlington area. Tons of stuff for wife to do and Burlington Beer, Foam, Zero Gravity, Four Quarters (very close) and Hen of Wood are all worth your time. Have a blast!
Not a local, but was just in Burlington for eclipse. Made it to Four Quarters, cool spot, good range of beers (many to go options)and have enjoyed what I ve had so far. Worth a bounce over IMO
Great advice here but unless you’re dead set on B&J I’d skip that tour and go to the Cabot Annex Store instead. The cheese is cheap as shit, they have free samples, and it’d save you time/give you more time to relax. Beer wise, agree with all the recommendations. Would not skip Lawson’s; would prioritize that over Freak Folk and Alchemist in terms of overall brewery experience as well. Von Trapp is 100% worth visiting for the view alone.
Shelburne Museum is incredible and a do not miss. Restaurants in Burlington will offer Heady Topper, Lawsons and maybe Hills Farmstead. Vermont is a beautiful State and Burlington is exceptional with its lake views. Have fun!
If cheese is one of your goals for your trip, the Yellow Barn project should be completed by the time you come to VT. Along with a Hardwick welcome center, it will house a cheese shop run by Cabot and featuring Jasper Hill. This will be on your route coming from Stowe to HF. https://m.sevendaysvt.com/news/a-ha...ot-creamery-and-the-towns-ag-history-38340660
Lots of good ideas here, so I'll keep it short. Alchemist releases new brewery-only beers on Friday, so it is a much better day to stop by if you want anything besides Heady and Focal. If you don't, you can find these two all over the state. If you are interested in not-only-IPAs breweries, while in Burlington, you can check Burlington Beer Company, Switchback, Queen City, and Zero Gravity all at once. They are literally across the street from one another. Out of these four, Switchback and Zero Gravity would be my highlights. Unless you're going to visit Shelburne Farms or Shelburne Museum, I'd skip Fiddlehead. The beer is great, but you can find it everywhere. If you're going from Stowe to HF, stop by Soulmate Brewing in Morrisville. It's a new brewery, but everything they make is great. And now they have cans. Lastly, Schilling in Littleton, NH is not far from HF, and the beer, views, and food there are excellent.
Personally I would skip staying in the Woodstock area on Wednesday night. It makes for a nice stop but not really an overnight destination, IMO. I would head right to Stow/Waterbury on Wednesday. That gives you more time in the area you seem to have a lot that you want to do. And dinner Wednesday night could be Hen of The Wood in Waterbury. But, honestly, you really can’t go wrong with an Autumn trip to Vermont. Mike
Local beer fan chiming in here, but on behalf of your wife as everyone else has nailed the beer highlights already. First & foremost: Columbus Day Weekend is THE busiest tourism weekend by far. Avoid if at all possible as the traffic will destroy any hopes of maximizing your itinerary. Dedalus Wines in Burlington & Stowe has the best high-end cheese selection in the region currently. TopNotch has a glorious spa in Stowe. Shelburne Vineyard is a lovely experience (my friend is the tasting room manager.) Shelburne Farms is gorgeous for an easy hike, and if you can splurge for dinner at the Inn there, it is a supremely romantic experience. Shelburne Museum requires a very pricey day pass, is very spread out and literally takes all day to get through. Enjoy!
Having done the trip to HF from Waterbury in the fall multiple times, I would just say that you should have plenty of time to get back to Stowe on Friday and do whatever you don’t fit in on Thursday. HF is beautiful and great beer, but it’s not going to take up your whole day.
Thank you for the info! Good stuff. Hopefully I'll have some extra time to get by FQ. I think the wife is pretty deadest on Ben & Jerry's, but maybe I can talk her out of it once we get closer to the actual trip. I'll be sure and hit all of those breweries, but may have to adjust the timing/days. Either way, I'll get there. Thanks. Good to know on Shelburne. We don't have much of a plan for Saturday yet so I'll keep looking at ideas/options. Awesome. I had no idea about that place. It'll be a great place to stop on our way to HF. Thanks. Lots of great info. Thank you! I wish we could make it to Schilling, but I just don't see any way to make it work for this trip. Maybe next time though. Thanks. That might be a good idea. I just wasn't sure how much driving we would want to make on day 1 and thought Woodstock could be a decent first stop. It also allows the wife to enjoy a few things before I wear her out with beer stops the next few days. I'll keep looking at options though. Good to know. I'll look at the dates before we book anything. I made notes for all pf those places and hopefully work some of those in for her. I was thinking about the museum, but I definitely don't want to burn a full day there. Might have to skip that. Good to hear. I want to be sure and get the full experience at HF, but I also dont expect to be there all day. Random question - will we have any issues getting to HF if its raining? I hear lots of stories about the travel being bad during the winter (and that makes sense), but I have no idea what those roads will be like if there is rain. Thanks.
Thank you all for the information and recommendations. You have been very helpful. I'm pretty excited to get this trip started and we are still 6 months away.
Lots of good input in here already. One really fun thing in that area is that you can drive up to the top of Mount Mansfield (Stowe) and from there take a 5-10 minute hike to some absolutely killer 360 degree views. If you want the payoff of an amazing hike without the work or time commitment, it’s hard to beat. Sounds like if anything, you need less to do, not more, but just throwing it out there because it’s pretty awesome and I’ve never heard anyone suggest it in these VT trip threads.
Ok, I'm about 4 weeks out so i wanted to revive this thread with a few more questions regarding some of the brewery stops: Hill Farmstead (Friday): We will be traveling from the Lodge at Spruce Peak to HF early that morning. Google maps says its around 1 hour to get there, but what is the real time to expect during "leaf peeper" season? What about on the way back? It opens at 11:30, but is there an advantage to getting there at 11:00? Do people line up? Should I go straight to the draft line, and can you order multiples or is it just 1 at a time? Are there any Any Pro-tips to help me maximize my time (which may only be 2ish hours)? Should I order cans online the day before? Alchemist (Thursday probably around 5pm): I know it closes at 6:00, but I'm just planning to get a HP Heady and a few cans. Will it be nuts in there at that time? Anything else checking out while there? Lawson's (Thursday around 12:00pm) Will it be busy at all at noon? Will the drive down and back from Waterbury take a lot longer during that weel than the 20 mins that google maps currently shows? Blackback for lunch (Thursday): Do they take reservations for lunch and will those be needed during Leaf peeper season? Basically, I have no idea what to expect with regards to traffic/crowds. I want to make sure I budget enough time for everything. The good news is only a few things (other than dinner reservations) are bound to a specific time. Thanks again for all of your help.
I wouldn't worry too much about "leaf peeper" traffic going from Stowe to HF - maybe your drive will take 10 minutes longer? It really depends on if you get stuck behind someone going slow on rt 15 since there aren't many opportunities to pass. But that could happen at any time. Happens to me all the time throughout the year. Plus, its a nice drive. Going slower to take it all in, isn't a bad thing. Also, seems like peak foliage may be earlier this year (last week of Sept), so it might not be an issue when you come to VT. Getting to HF early isn't that important. If you're at all concerned you might miss out on a bottle/cans you want, place a pre-order that morning (you can only pre-order day of). And as long as you're there close to when they open, the chances of you missing something in the taproom are very low. Of course, both the retail shop and taproom advice goes completely out the window if they happen to release a whale that week. Tips to maximize your trip to HF...pre-order that morning so you don't need to spend time figuring it out when you get there and can just focus on enjoying the space/view. If you pre-order, go to the taproom first and get 2 drinks (you can only get 2 at a time). You need to wait in the same retail line regardless of if you pre-order, but if you go to the taproom first, you can drink your beers while waiting. Or the initial line might be gone entirely by the time you go into retail. In general, lines aren't bad at HF these days aside from special releases/events. As for the Alchemist, it's never a long wait for cans. Assuming its still nice weather, people will be spread around the grounds. So even if its busy, it won't be bad. I can't imagine Lawsons will be that busy on a Thursday at noon. Its a big place and I've never had issues with crowds there, even in peak summer or ski season. The drive between Lawsons and Waterbury can definitely slow down at times. Its especially bad during ski season. But again, maybe a little extra time due to leaf peeper traffic, but it won't be bad.
Oh also, you didn't mention Freak Folk, but they're definitely worthy of a stop in Waterbury. Check their hours and they're strict about no dogs/kids. But they make great beers and are wonderful people.
Awesome. Thank you for the info. That truly helps alot. I am hoping to get there on Thursday, but them not opening until 3:00 is creating an issue in my schedule.
One other question - if you could only pick 1-2 breweries in Burlington which ones would you pick (based on beer and taproom)?
Queen City.... great selection of German, English and sometimes Belgian brews.... Not the place to go if you want a dozen IPA options, though. Prost!
