By Thomas Best
Baseball season is over and it is time to return to the talks I was offering this fall about my wife’s and my trip to New England this last September. Last year, we spent only two days between New Hampshire and Vermont. We so loved this region’s scenic vistas and unique culture that this year we wanted to spend a week there. We began our trip with several days in Vermont.
I would first emphasize that if you want to soak up a New England experience, you must slow down your pace of travel. Settle in to a blissfully experience which captures your sense of seeing, hearing, and a historical spirit of time and place. Our first several days in Vermont were spent in the southwestern part of the state. Here, we entered the Green Mountains, a region of 4,000-foot elevations and dense forestation. In Bennington, Vermont, which I initially expected to be a brief overnight stay effortlessly captured Pam’s and my attention. We further cherished the thoughtful nature of conversations with locals Mom and Pop eating establishments, strolling through historic cemeteries, and gazing up at stately Congregational churches.
We were particularly fascinated with historical artifacts and artwork we encountered in Bennington’s Museum. The range of exhibits extended from exquisitely-crafted colonial furniture and lovely folk art to archaic military equipment and even some strangely attractive exhibits detailing the macabre experiences credited by locals to the spirit of Green Mountains. Specifically, related to folk art, I did not realize that we were in Grandma Moses “country.” An exhibit hall was packed with her folk-illustrations of everything from children enjoying Halloween and neighbors gathering to bring in the harvest to the simplicity of New England architecture. In this same area, we also toured a Revolutionary War battlefield dedicated to a key Patriot victory in 1777. However, what Pam and I especially loved was a trip out to the rustic country home of poet Robert Frost. Following a poet’s trail through his garden, a meadow, and a section of forest, we were captivated with pictures which local school children had drawn to illustrate Frost’s poetry.
Of course, before long it was time to leave Bennington and head north to the area of Waterbury. You may have never heard of this small city, but if you love “Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream,” you have consumed the flavors originating at the Ben and Jerry’s factory. The tour was fun-loving and tasty. The gift shop caused us to start filling up our souvenir bin with everything from tie-died t-shirts to more fridge magnets.
So that’s enough for a start to evaluate my memories of Vermont. Thank you for listening.
