If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter already, you will perhaps know that I recently went on holiday to Vermont, USA during the infamous ‘Fall Season’ where the leaves turn spectacular and min-popping shades of orange, red, gold and purple and the wild scenery is some of the most breath-taking around.
Our best friends have recently bought a gorgeous maple farm in Vermont which is why we went in the first place and where we stayed. I will be honest, Vermont is a place I hadn’t ever heard much about or wanted to visit until they had moved there. It is a stunning house (erm hello decor goals), nestled amongst 250 acres of land and surrounded by mountains, lakes and hidden mountain cabins. Just walking around the mountain trails on the farm you can see Coyote, bears and deer and the land is so stunning, colourful and nature-filled. We pretty much hiked, ate, drank hot cider and cosied up beside the crackling fire watching horror movies every night.
The state of Vermont is one of the least-populated in America so don’t expect a fast-past life, high-rises or too many bright lights ; it’s leafy, relatively quiet, out-doorsy, and more of a place to visit if you love nature and sight-seeing than eating in swanky restaurants or designer shopping. It’s not too far from the Canadian border either so the weather is VERY cold in winter, with lots of ski resorts dotted around to take advantage of the flurries of snow dumps and the summers are similar to ours in the UK, although a little warmer and more humid
I would suggest to anyone making a similar road-trip to hire a SUV-type car to get around so you can explore to the full potential. There are many lovely towns dotted all over the State ; it’s worth putting Stowe, Woodstock, and Burlington on your hit list for visiting Vermont which are the more popular towns with Woodstock being my favourite with it’s picturesque shops, lovely restaurants and the infamous Vermont Flannel Store!
The famous Appalachian Trail (one of the most famous hiking trails in the world!) runs through Vermont and the Green Mountains so if you love walking then you need to try and do some of the trial ; my biggest regret was not managing to get to do this, but we are going back next year and we would love to spend a day or 2 exploring the Appalachian trial.
When you are in Vermont be sure to sample LOTS of the local Vermont Maple Syrup, Hot Cider and visit the amazing traditional Vermont Country Stores. You will usually fly into Boston or New York before traveling up to Vermont or New England, so a perfect opportunity to stop off for a couple of days for a bit of city-life , fancy dining out and shopping. Travelling to Vermont/New England in Fall is not just spectacular for the turning of the leaves, but it’s also around harvest-time AND Halloween and my god, do the Americans take Halloween seriously = L O V E. Salem is in Massachusetts, a neighbouring New England state on the East Coast so we couldn’t give up the opportunity to make a pit-stop on Halloween to see ALL THE FUN & WITCHES. It was as expected, insane, and worth a stop-by if you are in this neck of the woods ; go and see the story of the Salem Witch Trials in the museum and come out feeling as angry as I did that all these innocent people had to die….for no reason. There are lots of ‘Witchery’ type shops in Salem, selling everything from wands, to spell books and healing crystals. If you fancy having your Tarots read or fortune told, there are plenty of people around who *think* they can do exactly that….ahem. HI MRS.SCEPTICAL.
The last 2 days we spent in Boston, in the Eliot Hotel just off the infamous Newbury Street so we had great restaurants, shops (SEPHORA) and sights to see within a stones throw from where we were staying. Not only is the hotel in a great location (NEAR SEPHORA), but it is also home to the infamous UNI Japanese Restaurant : fantastic food and a must-visit if you go to Boston, if not just for a couple of the gorgeous cocktails at the bar.
Boston is a city that I had never really though much about or for, but I was absolutely blown away by it, and I absolutely loved it! It had a really nice calm and relaxed vibe and I am dying to go back there next year and explore it for a few more days. I had my much-anticipated Sephora shopping spree at the end of the holiday which was both amazing (the Sephora in Boston is GREAT!) and painful (the $-£ ratio sucks rn) at the same time. My full Sephora haul will be my first You Tube vid coming soon so please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
Until next time, Vermont.