Through our Lens:

An Off-centered Vermont Road Trip

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Nestled in a vastly mountainous, thickly forested region of the northeastern United States, is an off-centered state. Home to the first true website, a museum that welcomes the mundane, and a church designed to honor your four-legged friends. No, you’re not having a fever dream. This land does, in fact, exist. Welcome to the place that has earned the honor of “Most Hippie State” in the country, and was the perfect backdrop to continue our Off-centered Adventure with Dogfish Head.

In New England, one of the oldest regions in the United States, a new collaboration and new hoppy flavor has beer lovers everywhere “cheesin’.” Aptly named, “The Perfect Pairing,” Dogfish Head Brewing’s latest brew was devised with the help of Cabot Creamery to provide a beer worthy of a cheesy charcuterie board.

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2657 Waterbury-Stowe Rd, Waterbury Center, VT 05677

Conant's Riverside Farm

Located in Richmond, Vermont, this sixth generation farm has been producing milk since the property was purchased in 1846. As the years passed and the family grew, so did the farm, with each new generation contributing to its growth. While the farm has gone on to encompass more than 1000 acres, house its very own race track for horses, and operate a farmstand featuring the family’s own-grown sweet corn, they’ve never lost track of their milk-producing origins. 

2258 W Main St, Richmond, VT 05477

Reverence Whale Tales

Contrary to common belief, the inherently leafy green, mountainous, land-locked state of Vermont was once home to…whales? It turns out that after discovering the remains of a beluga whale in 1849, scientists determined that 12,500 years ago, parts of the Green Mountain State were actually underwater. To commemorate this aquatic past, sculptor Jim Sardonis created “Reverence,” a spectacular outdoor art installation consisting of two 13 foot tall whale tails carved out of 36 tons of granite. While you won’t find any living whales in Vermont today, these two land-dwelling sea mammals are still quite the catch!

I-89, South Burlington, VT 05403

Burlington Beer Company

This independent craft brewery has been brewin’ brewskis since 2014. With over 25 house beers on tap, ranging from IPAs and triple IPAs to fruit beers and dark beers, Burlington Beer Company pushes the limits of beer without losing sight of the tradition rooted in this classic beverage.

180 Flynn Ave, Burlington, VT 05401

Church Street Marketplace

Rated the #1 best public square in America for 2022, this four-block marketplace is located in the heart of Burlington, Vermont. It is home to over 100 shops, restaurants, and local businesses, as well as a variety of live performances throughout the year. Founded in 1981, the marketplace has served the community for decades and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. No trip to this beautiful city is complete without stopping at the Church Street Market, but with over 1.5 million visitors yearly, just make sure you plan accordingly!

131 Church St, Burlington, VT 05401

The Flynn Theater

When this famed Vermont establishment first opened its doors on Wednesday, November 26, 1930, it was the Green Mountain State’s newest and largest entertainment venue for theater and motion picture performances. Unfortunately, following the Golden Age of Hollywood films, business slowed, and by the ’70s the theater had gone under. Luckily, years later the Flynn Theater was revived, and after multiple renovations, it became the community’s venue of choice for intimate live theater, art, music, and comedy performances, a mantle it still holds today.

153 Main St, Burlington, VT 05401

Burlington Earth Clock

Nestled on the shores of Lake Champlain, this prehistoric-looking monument acts as an analog version of your iPhone. Unlike other sundials, for this one to work, visitors must stand in the center of the 14-stone granite structure and serve as the temporary gnomon (the point bit of a sundial). Fun fact:, the earth system also acts as a compass, with the four main cardinal directions indicated on particular stones and a calendar that utilizes the horizon and sunsets to function. Visiting the Burlington Earth Clock may not be as convenient as checking the calendar app on your phone, but it’s much more fun!

35 Island Line Trail, Burlington, VT 05401

What is art? Such a complex question deserves a complex answer. Andy Warhol once said that art is anything you can get away with. Sometimes the simple act of placing an item in a museum and calling it art is sufficient. The latter method of distinguishing masterpieces was more parallel to the ideology of Electra Havemeyer Webb when she established the Shelburne Museum in 1947.

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Knight's Spider Web Farm

Afraid of spiders? Then this place probably isn’t for you! Since 1977, Will Knight has been collecting spider webs from in and around his farm. Using spray paint, wooden plaques, and a few coats of lacquer, Knight can turn delicate spider webs into intricate and well-preserved pieces of art. While the farm itself is as you may expect–a farm–the property’s shop, where Knight sells his artwork, is truly something else.

124 Spider Web Farm Rd, Williamstown, VT 05679

The Museum of Everyday Life

This peculiar museum in Glover, Vermont, is unlike any museum we’ve visited before. Not following in the footsteps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art or The Met, this institution doesn’t feature rare one-of-a-kind pieces. Instead, the curators at the Museum of Everyday Life display and celebrate the delight found in everyday objects, ranging from pencils to mirrors. Swing by and maybe you can learn something about that wall clock you neglect to read regularly.

3482 Dry Pond Rd, Glover, VT 05839

Bread & Puppet Museum

Created in 1917, this museum is jam-packed with theatrical paraphernalia from the Bread & Puppet Theater in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Over the years, the collection, consisting of a half-century’s worth of creativity and hard work, has outgrown its original confines and has expanded to other buildings on the property. Unlike most museums, this one does not try to resist the test of time and deterioration, instead, it welcomes it. So why wait, visit before it’s too late!

753 Heights Rd, Glover, VT 05839

Sitting on the border of Canada and the United States, this is the only opera house in the world to have an address in separate countries. Purposely built to pledge allegiance to two flags, this structure automatically enrolls performers into an international tour.

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93 Caswell Ave, Derby Line, VT 05830

Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium

Founded in 1889 by local industrialist Franklin Fairbanks, this classic Victorian-style museum is a natural science mecca and Vermont’s only public planetarium. With a massive collection of biological specimens, countless historical artifacts, and a full calendar of events, the museum welcomes all visitors to explore the beauty of the natural world and its cosmos.

1302 Main St, St Johnsbury, VT 05819

At this church, all congregants go to heaven—though don’t go looking for any dogmas. Where “all creeds and all breeds” are welcome, this chapel serves as loving testament between humans and their canine companions.

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143 Parks Rd, St Johnsbury, VT 05819

Stitchdown Farms

Flower power is the only way to describe this gorgeous flower farm and floristry located in the rolling hills of Bethel, Vermont, where the flowers are not only locally grown, but sustainable and chemical-free. In addition to full-service floral design for all occasions, Sitchdown also operates a farm stand where community members can purchase bouquets, pastured pork, and a variety of other locally produced goods.

119 Bundy Rd, Bethel, VT 05032

In 1890, a man by the name of Ezekiel Emerson acquired a half-century old home in a state so dilapidated it might make @cheapoldhouses think twice. With no HGTV in sight, the modest farmer rolled up his sleeves, and spared no expense in bringing his humble home up to snuff.

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Liberty Hill Farm

One of the original pioneers of the agrotourism movement, this farm and inn have been putting up visitors on their gorgeous homestead for years. Located in the beautiful state of Vermont, this farm stay serves locally produced food and offers year-round accommodations for anyone in need (or want). With a spacious lawn, tons of hiking and biking potential, winding rivers, thick forests, miles of cross-country skiing trails, and a long list of farm chores to be done, there is something for everyone. 

511 Liberty Hill, Rochester, VT 05767

New England Maple Museum

Ever since the process of making maple syrup was discovered by Native Americans hundreds of years ago, Vermont has been producing this sugary delicacy. In fact, the Green Mountain State is the leading maple syrup producer in America, having yielded over two million gallons of the stuff in 2019 alone. So it’s only fitting that Vermont is home to the New England Maple Museum, a one-of-a-kind IRL history lesson on all things maple. After exploring the various displays dedicated to this age-old process, visitors can stop by the museum gift shop and pick up a bottle of maple-colored liquid gold to take home and share!

4578 US-7, Pittsford, VT 05763

Cornish Windsor Covered Bridge

Built in 1866, this gorgeous bridge from times past crosses the Connecticut River, connecting the towns of Cornish N.H. and Windsor, Vt. At nearly 450 ft long, this is the longest wooden covered bridge in the United States and the longest two-span covered bridge in the world. In 1970, The American Society of Civil Engineers designated it as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and a few years later, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Cornish, NH 03745

For the non-thrill seeker, it’s hard to imagine looking down on a steep-slope and thinking, “If I go fast enough, and put a ramp at the right spot, I bet I could achieve something close to flying!” The first ski jumpers simply must have been adrenaline junkies.

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Cedar St, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Hermit Thrush Brewery

Since 2014, this brewery has been pushing the sour beer boundaries. Brewed with locally grown ingredients, fueled by good old-fashioned wood and fire, and flavored by seasoned oak barrels, Hermit Thrush Brewery’s world-class beverages are unlike anything you’ve tasted before.

29 High St #101c, Brattleboro, VT 05301

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