Day 11: Burlington and Montpelier

The sixth state capitol on this trip, in Montpelier, Vermont, was a fascinating drive from Burlington. Less than an hour drive from the Burlington airport, a JetBlue destination, you can see hills covered in trees on the side of the highway. In a few weeks, they should be changing colors and provide an even better visual treat.

The state capitol features the Governor’s ceremonial office and a number of paintings of previous governors. There is a huge painting ofsoldiersin battle that is amazingly detailed down to each man’s face.

Inside Rock of Ages, learn about how granite is cut and designed into a number of different products, one of which is a tombstone. There is a free self-guiding tour on an elevated walkway in the factory.

For an even better experience, take the $5 school bus tour up to the top of the quarry. You can see how much they’ve taken out and the two abandoned holes now filled with water used in the cutting process. Usually there are people working, but on this Friday they had a companypicnicand went home early for the day.

The Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks invites visitors to take a short 5 minute walk on a trail into the forest of maple trees. You can see the tubes that run from the trees to the house where they process the tree sap into maple syrup.

A 20 minute video shows the process and nearby you can see the equipment up close. Inside, sample some of the maple syrup and the different products they make, also available for purchase.

Back in Burlington, Battery Park is a great place to relax and view the water and watch the sunset. There are statues and informational signs about the area. In June 1813, Lieut. Churchill and men built a parapet and set up a battery.

A special thanks to the ladies in the Governor’s office for the special gift.

If you go

Rock of Ages is a fascinating quarry. For a few bucks, you can see an active quarry from high up. Don’t forget to pick up some granite from the bin outside for free. Vermont is full of hills covered with trees. When Fall is here, it will be amazing!