We ventured to Vermont this past weekend with visions of skis and poles, terrain parks and mountain peaks but behold the temperatures dropped below the zone and no skiing happened. There were already plans in place for the non-skiers and plenty of good eats for all.
We first hit a classic diner in Bennington, Vermont, the Blue Benn. It is a traincar built in the 1940s and still serving up tasty grub in true nostalgic style. Jukeboxes on the table, breakfast served all day, fast service and an honor system for who sits next. We give a collective 5 stars!
After a bite, we got back on the road and travelled through beautiful countryside and the touristy little New England town of Wilmington, VT. Hurrican Irene devastated this little town and the water rose 8 feet in 15 minutes. The town diner, Dots, in a building that stood since 1832, was destroyed when the building was lifted from its foundation and the walls fell. The town refused to let Dot's die and after many donations of time, materials, and money, Dot's is alive again. It has been strongly fortified and the owners have taken on considerable debt but the berry-berry pancakes and comfort of familiarity are back in Wilmington again.
Our drive landed us in Brattleboro, VT, another great town for tourists, if the weather cooperates. It happened to be -20 degrees with the windchill and we only braved being out with a walk from the car to the restaurant. The restaurant accommodated all eight of us on a Saturday with no hesitation and we enjoyed our meal at Fireworks (and my blood orange margarita!).
The next day the non-skiers followed well-made plans and drove through the winding scenic roads to visit Mass MoCa and The Porches Inn (covered in a separate blog entry). Lunch was had at Papa Charlie's Deli in the college town of Williamstown, MA.
The skiers stayed warm at a bowling alley in Wilmington and learned all about the area's style bowling-candlepin bowling!
Despite the arctic air, our visit was great and we will try another "ski" trip to Vermont again for sure!!