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HISTORIC SITES
See
www.historicsites.vermont.gov/directory
The 8 sites
include both the Hubbardton Battlefield and Mount Independence.
Out of more than 85,000 places on the National
Register of Historic Places only
about 2,500 are NHLs.
NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS
There are at least 2532 NHLs in the US. There are only 18 NHLs in Vermont.
(Brown's Bridge became the 18th in 2014)
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Historic_Landmarks_in_Vermont
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._National_Historic_Landmarks_by_state
Calvin Coolidge Homestead in Plymouth is a "must". Mount Independence is
included and Hubbardton Battlefield is excluded. Hubbardton Battlefield
is however included in the National Register of Historical Places.
I requested that Vermont's Historic Sites Division apply to the
Department of Interior in June 2013. I learned they did not have
the staff, so I started the application process to get Hubbardton Battlefield
designated a National Historic Landmark. In 2013 Vermont's
Historic Sites Division added staff, and they restarted the process.
Stay tuned.
MUSEUMS
See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_Vermont
This list is extensive. "Musts" include Shelburne Museum and
scenic Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Billings Farm in Woodstock, and
Hildene in Manchester. Although the list included Mount Independence it
omitted Hubbardton Battlefield, which is a "must see".
The Slate Valley Museum in nearby Granville NY is interesting.
http://www.slatevalleymuseum.org/
ART CENTERS
See
http://art-collecting.com/nonprofits_vt.htm
The Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center is 1 and 1/4 hours
away. and they have a harness racing (in its 73rd year) and
its famous "flats" track., the second oldest in the US.
Saratoga Race Course has several nicknames:
The Spa (for the nearby mineral springs), the House of Upsets,
and the Graveyard of Champions. Famous race horse
Man o' War
suffered his only defeat in twenty-one starts while racing at Saratoga
Race Course;
Secretariat was
defeated at Saratoga Race Course by Onion, after winning the Triple
Crown; and
Gallant Fox had
been beaten by the 100-1
longshot Jim
Dandy in the 1930
Travers Stakes.
The Saratoga National Historic Park is a
must see for history buffs interested in the battles at Saratoga as is
the Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site.
The Bennigton Museum contains a terrific
exhibit of primitives by Grandma Moses.
http://www.benningtonmuseum.org/
Drive one hour north to Shelburne and visit Shelburne Museum
http://shelburnemuseum.org/
and Shelburne Farms
http://www.shelburnefarms.org/
CONCERTS
There are many free concerts around
the state. Go to free summer concerts: The
"Concerts On The Green" in Castleton are held on Tuesdays at 7 pm.
They are terrific with over 500 people attending each week. See dancers
from
Reggie's Red Hot Feetwarmers
who also play at the flats track in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Bandstands on the Town Green:
The Brandon Town Band performs on Mondays at 6:30 pm. It is a small
affair, but the trombonist is terrific. The Orwell Town Band performs
on Thursdays in July at 7:30 pm. There are also concerts on Sundays in
July at 6:30 pm in East Poultney.
RESTAURANTS
30 minutes: Cafe Provence
and Music Cafe in
Brandon. Fair Haven Inn in Fair Haven. Countryman's Pleasure in
Rutland. Swift House, Fire and Ice, and Mr. Ups in Middlebury.
Wheel Inn in Benson.
Fair Haven Inn
Wheel Inn
45
-55 minutes: Have lunch at Pauline's, when
in the South Burlington area.
Victorian Inn in Wallingford. Cafe Shelburne in Shelburne.
Paulines
Victorian Inn
The famous Dog Team Tavern
is gone. It was a restaurant that was listed on
the
National Register of Historic Places
and was located on Dog Team Road, off
U.S. Route 7,
roughly four miles north of the town of
Middlebury,
Vermont. The
restaurant burned down in early September 2006, destroying artifacts of
the Sir
Wilfred Grenfell
Mission and Labrador handicrafts. The building was originally a mission
house that was started by Grenfell and his wife in 1931. In the 1940s
the building became the Dog Team Tavern.
The rustic restaurant was a local landmark
known for its sizable portions (most notably the
prime rib) and
the "relish wheel," which typically contained
corn relish,
apple butter,
horseradish
cottage cheese,
beets, and
sauerkraut. Also,
the restaurant's famous sticky buns were always served at the beginning
of each meal. The restaurant was very popular among
students from the
nearby
Middlebury College,
who often flocked there with family during the college's fall family
weekends.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Team_Tavern
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DAY HIKING FROM BEEBE POND
Eagle Rock Hike and High Pond Hike
Take an easy hike to the summit of Eagle
Rock or
to High Pond in Sudbury (via the Nature Conservancy Trail on Ganson
Hill Road East, or via Delancey
Road). Examine the topographical
maps. Look at two maps: Topo of High
Pond and a topo of the road
from Brandon to High Pond area. Be sure to
examine these hyperlinks. Also see info on Ganson
Hill Road and Delancey Road.
Birdseye (or Bird) Mountain This
is just east of Castleton on Route 4A. See a terrific video on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zn4_G131NA See
the Vermont Fish and Wildlife web page that describes its 770 acre
property athttp://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/maps/Wildlife%20Management%20Areas/Rutland%20District/Bird%20Mountain%20WMA.pdf Deb
Markowitz, former Secretary of State and currently Secretary of Natural
Resources climbed Bird Mountain the weekend of 9.29.13 in 2.5 hours.
The trailhead is 1.8 miles south of Route 4A on Birdseye Road, just east
of Castleton. http://trailfinder.info/trail.php?id=385
Also Birdseye Mountain was a former ski area http://www.nelsap.org/vt/birdseye.html
Herrick Mountain is just south of Bird Mountain and has a hiking trail.
Mount Zion This
is located on Carson (Kit) Davidson's property near the Hubbardton
Battlefield. There are trails to the top of Mount Zion and a terrific
Japanese Garden on the West Side of Monument Hill Road on 200 acres and
a trail to a waterfall on the East side of Monument Hill Road on another
200 acre parcel.
For info and directions see: http://dayhikinginrutlandvt.blogspot.com/2011/07/mt-zion-and-japanese-gardens.html andhttp://mountaintimes.info/news/features/2013/07/hubbardton%E2%80%99s-japanese-garden-and-mt-zion-trails-offer-a-peaceful-stroll-through-a-unique-vermont-landscape/ and http://www.afana.org/taconic.htm and http://www.castletonspartan.com/news/mt-zion-man-offers-reflection-paradise-1.998410#.Ug52Pa7D8fc and http://www.vermontneighbornetwork.org/other-inspirational-stories.html
Alyssa Bennett lives on the property as its manager.
Her cell is 802-598-2404 She also works for Vermont Fish & Wildlife
Department and has helped survey Vermont’s cave-hibernating bat
species.
Mickie died in 2012. Kit's phone in Hubbardton is
273-2982 See
maps and description of trails Here
are some pictures that were taken on August 16, 2013
Here is Kit and the view from his home looking south
towards his Japanese Garden. Alyssa also.
Camel's Hump A terrific day hike is Camel's
Hump which has a granite
dome which
provides 360 degree views. See Hiking
info on Camels Hump. Also, consider hiking the "Monroe Skyline" on
the Long Trail which requires two cars and takes all day or two days.
Many topological maps can be found at http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/nhtopos.htm and
athttp://docs.unh.edu/towns/HubbardtonVermontMapList.htm
Mt Philo Also consider Mt
Philo State Park, a 45 mile drive north on
Route 7 in Charlotte, Vermont. The 168-acre park is located atop Mt.
Philo (968' elevation) and overlooks the Lake Champlain Valley and the
Adirondack Mountains of New York. This is Vermont's oldest state park,
created in 1924. There is a 1.1 mile toll road you can drive to the top
for picnicking and camping. Admission is $3. You can also hike to the
summit. The views are spectacular.
Mt Horrid It is 8 miles east of Brandon at
the junction of Route 73 and the Long Trail. The elevation is about
3,200 feet, 1000 feet above Brandon Gap.http://www.summitpost.org/great-cliffs-of-mt-horrid/346627
and http://www.rei.com/guidepost/detail/vermont/hiking/mount-horrid-and-the-great-cliff-trail/39332
Brandon Gap is one of the Gaps included in the
Six Gap Bicycle ride.http://www.northeastcycling.com/six_gaps.html
Snake Mountain An
hour hike to the summit. Three miles south of the junction of Route 22A
and Route 17. Seehttp://www.hikenewengland.com/SnakeVT080511.html
Tim's
Trail A nearby hike is on "Tim's
Trail" an
easy 2.8 mile loop along the side of Bald Mountain in West Haven VT
near Whitehall NY. Bald Mountain is 1065 feet high, whereas the
elevation of Lake Champlain is just under 100 feet. In 2007 Caitlin
Whitney counted 32 Leopard
Frogs on
Tim's Trail. You will have great views of the South Bay of Lake
Champlain. From Rutland, VT, take Route 4
West. Then
from Route 4 you will cross the state line from Vermont into New York.
From the state line, continue west on Route 4 for about 5.5 miles,
crossing a set of Rail Road tracks. Turn
north (right) onto Route 9A just across from where there was a garden
center. Route 9A takes you by the Skene Valley Country Club. Travel
about 1 mile on Route 9A, and then turn left onto Route 9 at the T
intersection. Take the first right onto Route 10 (Doig Street). Drive
a half mile, then turn left onto the dirt road (the paved road curves
right). Cross the bridge over the Poultney River into Vermont and turn
left on the unmarked Galick Road. (Ward
Marsh is
to the right) The parking area for Tim's Trail is .7 miles down the dirt
road on the right. Please be advised that this road is often flooded in
the spring. The
parking for the Susan Bacher Memorial Trail, a 2.5 mile loop trail, is
another mile down the road from Tim's Trail. See Topos
of the area.
New York: The
very best hikes are in the Adirondacks. The "High Peaks" in the Keene
Valley area are well described inhttp://adirondackhikingtrails.com/
Also, visit nearby Lake Placid.
New Hampshire: An
excellent day hike is Mt Chocorua near North Conway.http://www.mountainsummits.com/mountains/newhampshire/chocorua.htm
For Mount Washington and other hikes, see:http://www.slackpacker.com/map_nh.html In
Franconia Notch a great hike is Mount Lafayette. http://www.hikenewengland.com/FranconiaRidge001021.html The
Franconia Inn http://www.franconiainn.com/ in
Franconia Notch and Notchland in Crawford Notch http://www.notchland.com/ are
both terrific. Have dinner at the the Appalachian Mountain Club's Joe
Dodge Lodge in Pinkham Notch at the base of Mount Washington.http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/whitemountains/pinkham/before-you-go.cfm
Drive up the Auto Toll Road to the top of Mount Washington or take the
Cog Railway http://www.thecog.com/ from
Bretton Woods. Stay or dine at the old hotel http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/BrettonWoodsMountWashington.aspx?cid=sd_psg_g-mtwash&gclid=CPvU0Pn6orcCFUOe4AodClAAYA Drive
along Route 112, the 35 mile scenic "Kancamagus Highway" between Lincoln
and Conway, NH. http://www.kancamagushighway.com/
MAJOR HIKING TRAILS
Appalachian Trail This
well known trail goes from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount
Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately 2,184 miles long. It was
completed in 1937 and took about 15 years to build. The trail passes
through the states of Georgia, North
Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West
Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, New
York, Connecticut,Massachusetts, Vermont, New
Hampshire, and Maine.
The Appalachian Trail, the Continental
Divide Trail and
the Pacific
Crest Trail form
what is known as the Triple
Crown of
long distance hiking in the United States.
Long Trail This is a 273 mile
long hiking trail located
in Vermont,
running the north south length of the state. It is the oldestlong-distance
trail in
the United
States, constructed
between 1910 and 1930 by the Green
Mountain Club. The Long
Trail traverses almost all of the Green Mountains' major summits,
including (from south to north) Glastenbury
Mountain, Stratton
Mountain, Pico, Killington
Peak, Mount
Abraham, Mount
Ellen, Camel's
Hump, Mount
Mansfield, and Jay
Peak. The Long
Trail was the
inspiration for the Appalachian Trail, which coincides with it for 95
miles in the southern third of the state. The
Appalachian Trail heads east to New Hampshire near the Long Trail Lodge
in Sherburne Pass by Pico.
If you are in the northern part of
Vermont try Belvidere Mountain. http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/840396 andhttp://www.summitpost.org/belvidere-mountain/261999 and http://www.travelthekingdom.com/listing_detail.php?id=484 andhttp://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/bmtn.htm This
is part of the Long Trail.
North Country Trail This is
a 4600 mile trail ends at Crown Point, New York. There are plans to
connect it to the Long
Trail in Weybridge,
Vermont. See http://northcountrytrail.org/
Catamount Trail This
is a 300 mile long snowshoe and cross country ski trail in Vermont. You
can travel from Inn to Inn:http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/trips/americas-best-adventures/ski-catamount-trail/
Learn about the trail:http://www.catamounttrail.org/trail/
DRIVING
The Hubbardton
Battlefield and
Visitors Center on Monument Hill Road in Hubbardton is terrific. Also
visit Mt
Independence
in Orwell only 15 miles away.
Take the three
minute ferry across Lake
Champlain at Larabees Point to NY to visit Fort Ticonderoga.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ticonderoga
Visit the Fort and the Pell Family's
restored Pavillion Hotel and Gardens.
The space within Fort Ti's walls became known as the “King’s Garden,” a
reference to the jardin
du Roi
planted
by the French defenders of Carillon.
See
www.fortticonderoga.org/history-and-collections/preservation
and
www.fortticonderoga.org/visit/the-pavilion and
www.fortticonderoga.org/history-and-collections/landscape-gardens
Drive the short one mile non toll road to the summit of nearby Mount
Defiance, where General Johnny Burgoyne had a cannon dragged
to the summit and see the terrific view. This action made the
situation untenable for the American General St. Clair, who then vacated
Fort Ticonderoga in the middle of the night. The British caught the
Americans the next morning and a successful rear guard action at the
Battle of Hubbardton on July 7, 1777 saved the main body of the army
which subsequently defeated Burgoyne at Saratoga a month later. Here
are pictures of Fort
Ti and
a lovely view of the narrowing of the lake between Fort
Ti and Mount Independence seen
from Mount Defiance.
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View north from Mount Defiance showing Fort Ticonderoga, center,
on Lake Champlain |
Mount Defiance, is west of Fort Ticonderoga.
The La Chute River, from Lake George, is at right |
From NY 22,
take Montcalm Street into the village and turn left on Champlain Avenue,
Then veer left on The Portage. Mount Defiance Street is the second
left. The road is on the right.
Lake George is
a beautiful 32 mile long lake. It is connected to Lake
Champlain by the La Chute River which flows out of the Northern
end of Lake George through Ticonderoga. It drops 230 feet in 3.5
miles. |
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Beautiful Lake George |
La Chute River in Ticonderoga |
Take a ride on the Carillon (Fort
Carillon was the French name for Fort Ticonderoga), an excursion boat at
Larabees Point. http://www.carilloncruises.com/
Consider renting a houseboat for the day at Plunder Bay.
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Don on Houseboat 1990 |
Sophie and Heini on Houseboat 1990 |
Visit the historic 60 mile long Champlain
Canal. Take an excursion boat tour from Schuylerville, NY south
through lock
5 and north to a
nineteen foot high waterfall.
The canal's waters flow south to the Hudson (and Erie Canal) and north
to Lake Champlain in Whitehall, New York. The mules along the towpath
are all dead. See: http://www.champlaincanal.org/ &http://www.tug44.org/champlain.canal/ &
info on the 11 locks at http://www.offshoreblue.com/cruising/champlain-canal.php
Visit the historic Vail
House in
Sudbury.
Go to Proctor and visit the Marble
Exhibit. Also drive the Marble Trail: http://dimensionsofmarble.org/thetrail/VermontMarbleTrailWeb.pdf
Go to the summer Theater in Weston and in Dorset.
From Hubbardton go to Brandon and drive over the
Brandon Gap (Rt 73) or the Middlebury Gap (Rt 125) to the Skier's
Highway (Rt 100) to Waitsfiled and then over the Appalachian Gap (The
McCullough Turnpike) (Rt 17) to Rt 30 and to Hubbardton. Rt 17 runs from
Rt 100 in Waitsfield to the Champlain Bridge in Addison. See http://www.addison-eagle.com/news/2012/jan/26/mccullough-turnpike-vermonts-long-and-winding-road/ andhttp://vermonthistory.org/research/research-resources-online/green-mountain-chronicles/fighting-the-depression-the-c-c-c-1933
Dorset Dorset is a lovely town just north oh
Manchester on Route 30. It is famous for being home to America's oldest
marble quarry, the Doset Inn (Vermont's oldest continually operated
Inn), and the Dorset Playhouse:http://www.dorsettheatrefestival.org/ Also,
the Vermont Summer Festival (its horse show) is held in Dorset.
Weston Weston has a terrific Playhouse
Theater Company, Vermont's oldest. http://www.westonplayhouse.org/
Be sure to visit the Vermont Country Store. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Country_Store
Weston is on Route 100, south of Ludlow.
The beautiful towns of Manchester and Woodstock are
well worth the one hour drive. Brandon and Middlebury are less than 30
minutes away.
Manchester Drive
the 5.5 mile toll road to the 3848 foot summit of Mt
Equinox in
Manchester, Vermont. The origin of the word Equinox may be that it is a
corruption either of the Indian word Akwanok or Ekwanok. These words can
be freely translated to mean the top or the place where the very top is
- an appropriate name. A must is a visit to Hildene the summer
home of Robert Todd Lincoln, Abraham
Lincoln's son in Manchester. He was an attorney, Secretary of War, and
Chairman of the Pullman Company.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildene
Articles about Hildene 2013 &
Hildene 2018.
Plymouth
Visit the Calvin Coolidge home.
www.vtstateparks.com/htm/coolidge.htm
and
www.vermonthistory.org/research/research-resources-online/green-mountain-chronicles/memories-of-silent-cal
Woodstock Visit
the Billings Farm in Woodstock http://www.billingsfarm.org/ .
Dine at the Woodstock Inn. In 1874 tourists were inspired to flock to
the area via "The
Woodstock Car" - a rail
car that departed nightly from Grand Central Station in New York City.
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1927 Picture of Woodstock Inn (opened in 1892) |
Inn replaced by Laurance S Rockefeller in 1967 |
Visit the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller
National Historical Park . Read
about it in: http://www.npca.org/parks/marsh-billings-rockefeller-natl-hist-park.html Conservationists
were George Perkins Marsh. (Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Perkins_Marsh
and http://www.nps.gov/mabi/historyculture/index.htm )
and Frederick Billings (See http://www.nps.gov/mabi/historyculture/frederickbillings.htm )
Have lunch and watch glassblowing at Simon
Pearce in Quechee.
Berkshires You should consider visiting
the Berkshires
in Northwestern Massachusetts: Clark
Museum in Williamstown
www.clarkart.edu/museum/
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
in North Adams, the largest
contemporary art
museum in the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Museum_of_Contemporary_Art
Mount Greylock is the highest mountain
in Massachusetts with its 3491 foot elevation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Greylock Visitor
Center entrance in Lanesborough, Notch Road Gate entrance in North Adams
or Greylock Road in New Ashford. Be sure to read
about the road to its summit. at
www.bywayswestmass.com/byways/mt-greylock/ There are two
roads, one from Lanesborough and one from North Adams to the summit.
413-499-4262
From Williamstown. At rotary bear onto US Route
7 south. Continue for 13.7 miles thru New Ashford into
Lanesborough.
At the brown Mount Greylock sign turn right onto North Main
Street. Follow the brown lead-in signs 1.5 miles from Route 7 to
the Visitor Center and park entrance.
Driving distance from Visitor Center to summit is 8 miles. |
From North Adams. Go 1.2 miles west on
Route 2.
Turn left onto Notch Road and follow brown signs 2.5
miles to park entrance.
Driving distance from Route 2 to summit is 8.5 miles. |
Thunderbolt Trail on Mount Greylock at
www.skinet.com/skiing/articles/ghosts-thunderbolt and
berkshirehiking.com/hikes/thunderbolt.html
Below are the Highest Mountains in
Massachusetts
Hoosac Tunnel. See
www.hoosactunnel.net
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