Our trip to Stowe last month was absolutely perfect and made us wonder why we don’t visit Vermont more often. There was so much to do, and even though we were there for just a weekend, I would say we fit a lot in.
We didn’t really plan a ton of activities for Stowe, but when we got there, we passed by quite a few attractions that made for a Saturday afternoon filled with a food and drink: a visit to the Cabot Coop store, chocolate sampling at the Lake Champlain chocolate store, followed by a visit to the Green Mountain Coffee store. I followed this trifecta with a beer tasting at the Trapp Family Lodge, making for a fun and tiring day.
Our first stop was some cheese tasting at Cabot. Since we were planning a sparkling wine tasting, I took my cheese tasting job seriously.
In the end the hot habanero, extra sharp cheddar, and horseradish made it into our basket. I live by the rule that there must be at least three cheeses in the house at one time.
Next up was a visit to the Lake Champlain chocolate store. We sampled (and purchased) Aztec hot chocolate and some fudge.
And I fell head over heels for their milk chocolate praline crunch and dark chocolate disks. We may have purchased a lot of chocolate, but I figured we were helping the post-Irene Vermont economy, so it was okay.
After getting hopped up on chocolate, we got our caffeine on at the Green Mountain Coffee Visitor Center and Café. Housed in an old-fashioned train station, the café smells of divine dark roast. It was toasty and warm, but unfortunately the visitor center portion wasn’t opened.
Instead of touring the visitor center, we wandered around outside, getting a good dose of chilly air and loving the neat little train station touches. It reminded me of Anne of Green Gables; I was just waiting to turn a corner to see Anne and her carpet bag waiting for Matthew. 
We made an afternoon of leisurely checking out these three local gems, and it was perfect. As always, I enjoyed bringing home some food gifts to remind us of our time away. We’re headed to Vermont again very soon, this time to Killington for a little skiing (him) and apres ski (me) and to spend some time with good friends. I am trying my best to not hate the winter. It’s not really working. I am ready for this.
How’s winter treating you?
