it is november 4th today, and i write you perched by a window looking out at a sunny 70f degree day, with the fields glowing bright yellow and red. many of the leaves have fallen from the trees, but it is still a lovely time to come visit vermont when you have the right itinerary! stick season often gets a bad rap, but there are so many beautiful days (with less crowds). the start to chillier days make for coziness in front of the fireplace in the parlor after your adventures out and about.
go for a hike
late autumn makes for lovely hiking. a few of our favorite small/moderate hikes in the area are bristol ledges, sunset ledge, mt philo, and snake mountain…or set out for higher elevations and sweeping views of the green mountains atop camel’s hump or mt abe via the long trail. pick up picnic provisions from mini factory, a favorite cafe and store right on main street in bristol.
take a glassblowing workshop in burlington
with burlington just 4o minutes away, it’s a great day trip no matter the weather, but especially on a rainy or chilly day. ao glass, a glassblowing factory/studio/store, offers private 1 hr classes to make your own tumbler, vase, or bowl. classes are typically on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays.
witness the incredible snow geese migration
dead creek wildlife management area is a fantastic place to witness thousands of migrating snow geese traveling from the arctic tundra on their way south. the best times to go are dawn and dusk. around sunrise you can witness them take off on their morning flight, or about an hour or so before sunset you can bring a picnic and watch the flock arrive back to the fields to roost. it’s a unique and quite moving spectacle to add to the more common foliage itineraries. pair it with a hike up snake mountain or visit to vergennes laundry.
museum and gallery crawl
while many of the seasonal museums close late october, there are a number of wonderful galleries and year-round museums to visit! a few favorites:
middlebury
-henry sheldon museum (their epic holiday trains show is unveiled thanksgiving weekend each year and stays up through january 2!)
-middlebury college museum of art always has interesting exhibits and is a beautiful space
-edgewater gallery is right in downtown middlebury and lovely spot to pop in while taking a stroll. they feature emerging and established artists from vermont and beyond.
burlington
-soapbox arts is a small gallery in the soda plant, located in burlington south end arts district. there are always interesting contemporary exhibits happening, with a mix of local and regional artists. grab a coffee at brio and take a stroll through the soda plant, home to over 40 artists and businesses.
- bca burlington city arts is right on church street in downtown burlington, bringing a diverse range of contemporary art exhibits to their 3-story gallery in an old firehouse.
-fleming museum of art is university of vermont’s museum that brings some wonderful exhibits to burlingon.
-perkins geology museum is also a part of uvm and is a small museum filled with fossils and rocks- great for any budding scientists.
-echo museum is an incredible interactive science and nature museum dedicated to lake champlain- great for kids of all ages!
other
-shelburne farms is not a museum per se, but for anyone intrigued by gilded age architecture, a walk through the grounds is not to be missed. what was once a sprawling estate now serves the community as an educational nonprofit and working farm (be sure to try their 3yr aged cheddar!). gilded age barns sit atop some of the areas most beautiful pastoral views with walking trails throughout the property.
linger over brunch
good food is something that is not hard to come by in this neck of the woods. we are lucky to be just down the road from two of the most charming places in the state- minifactory (a cafe, grocer, and jam manufactory in downtown bristol with some of the best food in the country), and vergennes laundry (a cafe and small mercantile in vergennes, where a walk inside the door feels like being transported to another time and place. the turkish eggs are heaven!). enjoy!
antique stores
visit our “tillerman day trips” interactive google map for a list of all our favorites in the area.
after dinner stargazing
in our little mercantile, you will find “star wheels”, planisphere star maps to learn constellations (without an app!). there are benefits to the sun setting at 4:30pm, and one of those is earlier stargazing. with very little light pollution here in vermont, you won’t want to skip experiencing the night sky during your visit.
take a walk around a quintessential vermont town
bristol, vergennes, middlebury, and waitsfield are each charming vermont towns that are perfect to stroll around if you’re looking for a mellow morning or afternoon. our interactive “tillerman day trips” google map has all our favorite stops.
photos found online by respective businesses
l to r: glassblowing class at ao glass, vergennes laundry, sunset ledge hike (photo via peakery), barge canal market, shelburne farms, henry sheldon museum, champlain valley antique center, main street in bristol
the tillerman is a boutique inn and farm-to-table restaurant in bristol, vermont, between burlington, vt and middlebury, vt. we have 7 uniquely renovated bedrooms in our artfully decorated late 1700s farmhouse, wit a restaurant serving inventive, seasonal shared plates below. we are open year-round and always have a number of events on the property- including live music, craft nights, wine tastings, and more. we are also a wedding venue- hosting weddings weekends ranging from 10 to 200 guests. come visit us, we’d love to have you!