explore

if today feels like the day you want to explore northwest of here, then we have a loop for you! start your day off at the old brick store for coffee and breakfast or grab a sandwich for picnic later on. this will be about a 30-minute drive.

after a little food, there are a few places nearby to take a nice walk. the top of mt. philo at mt. philo state park (shown at the top of the page) has incredible views of the champlain valley and adirondack mountains. you can hike up the well-maintained trails or drive up to the top and walk out to one of the very best overlook sites around.

if you prefer history and architecture to hiking in nature, then head on over to shelburne museum- the largest art and history museum in northern new england (we have coupons for discounted admission, just come and ask us!). walk the 45-acres and explore the 22 gardens and dozens of historic buildings such as the round barn, general store, carousel, and the 220-foot sidewheel steamboat ticonderoga. shelburne farms is also not to be missed. if you do not have time or energy to do the long walk down to the stunning gilded-age barns or lakeside estate, just ask the kiosk at the entrance for a visitors pass and you can drive on down. even if you only have 20 minutes, don’t miss this memorable spot. lastly, before leaving shelburne, if you want to visit a quintessential general store then you are in the right town. pop into the shelburne general store for knick-knacks, candy, snacks, and souvenirs galore.

time to head back down route 7 toward vergennes making sure to pull over at cookie love to sample their maple creemee. there are a couple wonderful lake side parks and hikes you can choose from as you drive south on rt. 7 from shelburne. kingsland bay and button bay state parks are both wonderful spots for a picnic, a walk, a swim, or just a little waterside relaxing. both have their benefits but we think kingsland bay is a bit nicer overall.

vergennes is a charming town worth a stop and walk around. the coffee and sundries at vergennes laundry are excellent. malabar shop has beautiful things and great gifts. it’s only a few blocks with several nice shops so take a look around and enjoy vermont’s “smallest city”. complete this loop by continuing south on rt 7 from vergennes and at new haven junction hang a left on rt 17 towards bristol. this road will drop you right back to where you started – the tillerman!

this spectacular driving loop is only possible between memorial day and mid october. the lincoln gap is closed for the rest of the year due to the steepness of the grade and therefore sketchy driving conditions. we highly recommend doing this loop on a saturday so you can partake in the farmers market in waitsfield which is open until 1 pm – best farmers market around for sure!

if you are here in the winter months, it is still worth a trip up and over rt. 17 to explore waitsfield and sugarbush.

wake and head down to the parlor to enjoy a bit of breakfast and a french press of locally roasted coffee. now that you are nice and caffeinated hop in your car, head down the driveway, turn left, drive just under 2 miles and take another left onto lincoln rd. turn on some good music now because you will shortly loose reception :)

follow this breathtakingly beautiful road (for about 10 to 15 min.) along the river into and through the hamlet of lincoln, until you arrive at the sunset ledges trail head. park and hike! it is about a 30 minute moderate hike out to a magnificent view.

after a glorious hour in nature and some exercise, time to hop back in the car and head down to warren to poke around in the ever so charming warren store. stay here for a snack or just take in the perfect little postage stamp of a town and continue your way north on rt 100 to waitsfield where there are several options for delicious local fare.

if you are lucky enough to be here on a warm sunny day, do not miss a river swim at warren falls. if it is saturday, do not miss the farmers market which closes promptly at 1 – open june through october. waitsfield may feel like a bunch of shopping centers with parking lots at first, but if you give it a minute and look around you will quickly find this to be a thriving little community with all sorts of destination worthy shops, spots & eats. here is our short list, there are several more fun shops in the “downtown” area:

shops:

• addison west: beautiful housewares + more. thoughtfully curated, perfect for gifts.

• block house: local pottery. SO many talented artist in these parts. a lovely display.

• the tempest: used and new book store with soul. independent bookstores are an endangered species so support when you can.

• all things bright and beautiful: christmas shop. like stepping back in time or perhaps into a hallmark movie. they don’t make them like this anymore so enjoy this treasure while it is still here.

good food:

• creemee canteen: think public pool snack bar vibes but with innovation, skilled chefs and locally sourced ingredients. this place is not to missed, nor is the buffalo chicken sandwich. everything is made from scratch and you can taste it. their creemees are the size of your head and our family’s personal favorite.

• lawsons finest liquids: one of the best breweries in vermont. menu is small but delicious. perfect for a snack and a world renowned ipa before dinner. (you can see we are food focused here).

• lareau farm & american flatbread: the atmosphere and setting does not get better than this. picture perfect farm with picnic table for outdoor seating or cozy-up inside with their massive wood burning oven. their tasty flatbreads, locally sourced salads and community minded spirit will make you want to come back again & again.

it’s been a long day and time to head home. rt 17 will take you up and over the appalachian gap and drop you right back at the tillerman. the drive is about 30 minutes of winding, sometimes steep and incredibly beautiful scenery. if you happen to be doing the drive in early october check if mad river glen has their single chairlift operating for an epic foliage viewing opportunity.

south bound to middlebury! hop in the car, drive straight through bristol and head onto 116 south towards middlebury. if the weather is fickle during your time here, this would be a great outing for a rainy day. grab your umbrella and be on your way! a 25-minute drive takes you through the rolling countryside. before you know it, you’ll hit route 7, taking you straight into the town of middlebury.

park your car by the stone mill public market and get walking. cross the bridge, take in the dramatic middlebury falls and check out riverfront park. poke around the shops at the historic marble works district. we love otter creek used books - is there anything better than the smell of old books? go to round robin for vintage clothes and head to stone leaf teahouse for a delicious cup of tea. they offer an excellent selection of loose leaf teas in a relaxing and cozy setting.

via printers alley, walk on main street. art galleries, jewelry, vermont products, ... name it and you’ll find it here. if the smell of new books is more to your liking, the vermont book shop has got you covered! if you’re a bookworm, you’ll easily lose track of time in this store. continue the thrifting spree and pop into buy again alley for more vintage clothes. loop back to the stone mill public market and take a look inside. they have beautiful housewares, gifts, cards, vermont apparel, local products...

we can’t believe we waited this long to talk about coffee... here are your options:

• little seed coffee roasters: these folks pour a mean latte! they always have seasonal specials - we tried their camomile-fenugreek latte in the fall and loved it! don’t order your usual, just this once, we promise it’s worth the risk.

• royal oak coffee: great coffee and pastries. we recommend their cardamom and vanilla bean latte.

• haymaker bun company: in the summer time you can sit outside on their balcony overlooking the river. on colder/rainy days, you can still enjoy the same view from inside. also great for coffee and a pastries....

even if you have no plans on cooking, it’s worth a visit to our middlebury co-op with local products. if you’re going on a hike, it’s a great place to grab a snack, soup or salad from the salad bar. this is our happy place! your last stop is the middlebury college campus. not only is it gorgeous, it also houses bounty of very cool events (cultural events, music, sporting events, etc.).

after a morning well-spent in the town of middlebury, you can head on south towards silver lake in salisbury (18 minutes from middlebury), or if you decide to do this hike in the morning - which is a good idea on a hot summer day - the drive from the tillerman to silver lake trail is 37 minutes.

on your right you’ll see the beautiful lake dunmore. in the summer, folks take their boats out on the lake and the sandy beaches and large open grassy areas at branbury state park make the area very popular for swimming, sunning, or picnicking. pull into the parking lot by silver lake trail, you are now in the moosalamoo national recreation area, one of two national recreation areas in the green mountain national forest.

get the “alltrails” app and look up silver lake trail and/or falls of lana trail. you can hike up and make a loop around silver lake or do an out & back hike up to silver lake and check out the falls of lana on your way down. the top horsetail at the falls of lana snakes down through a gorge into a stunning and deep swimming pool. dramatic, refreshing, beautiful!

no need to travel far and wide everyday as there are so many wonderful things to do right here in bristol and the neighboring 5 towns.

get the “work” out of the way and start your day with a challenging yet oh so rewarding hike right in town. park in the village and walk down mountain terrace to the trailhead of bristol ledges hike. it is straight up for 30 minutes but once you get to the top you will feel like a million bucks with sweeping views of addison county. if feeling ambitious you can extend the hike and continue north to deer leap.

it is an easy downhill back to the village where minifactory is calling your name. order the smashed potatoes, or anything on their menu for that matter, and enjoy some of the best food the county has to offer, truly.

while it may be small, bristol village has a lot to offer. walk the block up and back, pop into many of the vibrant independent stores lining main street (check out the ‘shop’ section at the top of this page). one of our very favorite things to do is walk the neighborhood behind the north side of the village. there are sidewalks for strolling while delighting in house after charming house and gardens.

it wouldn’t be a proper visit without visiting a couple of the local farms and farmstands that the area is blessed to have. if you are here in autumn, drive up north street toward monkton and yates family orchard for some of the best apple picking and cider donuts around. just past yates a few minutes is full belly farm which has a wonderful farmstand with “you pick” berries and flowers in the summer, fresh fruit from the farm, creemees and all sorts of local goodies to bring home.

you can complete this loop by heading back towards the tillerman via states prison hollow road. we know its name is a bit off-putting but this is a beautiful drive and will allow you to take in some new scenery without backtracking.

once back in the tillerman neighborhood, we strongly recommend some river time. we have the sweet baldwin creek on our property but if you head down the road, about 1.5 miles (ish), take a left on lincoln road and choose your pull out along the new haven river. there are so many great swimmable, explorable, sit back and relaxable spots along this river. we can’t think of a better way to spend the day than exploring the nooks and crannies of the river that leads to lincoln. LOVE.