Vermont Travel Notes

Here's another reason to visit the Shelburne Museum, a magnificent facility that I consider a must-see in Vermont.

This Labor Day weekend, the Vermont Balloon Rally will be held on the grounds of the museum from September 4 through 7. About 30 balloons are expected to attend.

Spectators will be allowed to walk among the balloons and watch the flights each day early mornings and late afternoons. Children are no only allowed, they're encouraged to come see this colorful event. There will also be face painting, bounce house, free rides on the museum's antique carousel, nighttime balloon glow and a balloon walkabout where kids and adults can actually walk through a partially inflated balloon lying on the ground.

Rides will be offered including tethered rides and full flight rides. If you would like to do a full flight, it's best to make reservations in advance which you can do on the website.

Thanks to some generous corporate sponsorship, prices for the event are very low: children 12 and younger are free; children 13 and older (yes, that includes adults) are $7 for a four day pass. Or, just pay $20 for a carload up to a maximum of 6 people. The value of the museum and this event far exceeds those prices.

The Shelburne Museum is located Route 7 a few miles south of Burlington on the shore of Lake Champlain. This Google map has it on the wrong (east) side of the road but it will get you close enough.


Balloon walkabout

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor (except the photos) Grunberg Haus

MSN has an online video series hosted by Andrew Zimmern in which he travels around the country recording interesting places to visit, usually focused on food. Zimmern was host of the Travel Channel show, "Bizarre Foods" and now hosts Travel Channel's "Bizarre World" in addition to being a chef, writer, and teacher.

Zimmern was recently in my area of Vermont to visit Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, Little River Hotglass Studio, and Cold Hollow Cider Mill. He doesn't just visit though - he gets right into production, creating his own Ben & Jerry's flavor in the test room, blowing a glass jar at Little River Hotglass, and making cider doughnuts at Cold Hollow.

These Appetite for Life. episodes are a good way to get some behind-the-scenes views of popular attractions in Vermont and elsewhere.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

The Fiestiavus Vermont Comedy Tour begins tonight at the Big Picture Theater in Waitsfield VT.

The tour features eight standup comedians traveling around Vermont giving five performances from August 26 through September 2. Some of them are traveling in a prototype Ford Fiesta as part of that company's Fiesta Movement program. One of the tour organizers, Seth Beck, was a winner of the Fiesta Movement contest which awarded 100 "agents" like him the use of a new Fiesta for six months.

Here is the tour schedule: Wednesday, August 26, 7:30 p.m., Big Picture Theater & Cafe, Waitsfield. $5 cover charge.

Thursday, August 27, 9:00 p.m., Positive Pie restaurant, Montpelier, VT. $5 cover charge.

Friday, August 28, 8:00 p.m., The Hartswick Studio, Sheffield, VT. Purchase $10 tickets here.

Saturday, August 29, 8:30 p.m., On the Rise Bakery, Richmond, VT. $5 cover charge.

Wednesday, September 2, 7:30 p.m., One Half Lounge, Burlington, VT. $5 cover

At all these events except the September 2 performance, the Ford Fiesta will be on display.

The Fiestavus Vermont Comedy Tour was created by native Vermonters Nathan Hartswick and Ford Fiesta "agent" Seth Beck.

For a preview of what to expect from the comedians (some R rated material by the way), you can take a look at the Vimeo or YouTube videos.


Fiestavus Vermont Comedy Tour's Ford Fiesta


(c) 2009 (except the photos) Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

The Alchemist Brewery and Pub is one of the most popular spots in this area for tourists and residents alike. Anyone who is a beer lover should put The Alchemist on your must-do list (bucket list?). It's located on South Main Street in Waterbury VT.

To keep up with what brewer John Kimmich is preparing, you can subscribe to the blog RSS feed. A recent entry talks about the gluten free offerings as well as other Summer Time Beers. John started preparing gluten free beer and food offerings after his wife and co-owner Jennifer discovered she needs to consume gluten-free products.

The food there is excellent so be sure to give it a try too. Executive Chef Jeff Lang uses a lot of locally grown fresh produce in his imaginative menu which you can look over on the website before you arrive.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

Mad River Glen moose population has grown by two this year.

One of the most frequent questions we get here at the inn is "where can we go to see a moose?" There are several areas nearby where the possibility is greater but sighting a moose is a rare occurrence even for people who live and work in the forests.

The moose photo at the top of this Vermont Travel Notes blog is a good example. It was taken by a guest in early November several years ago while he was driving on Route 100 between Warren and Granville VT, a popular place to spot moose because of the swampy areas alongside the road. It's not a particularly good photo because he quickly took the shot through the car windshield. He got some better quality photos after he stopped the car and got out but by then the moose was into the woods and walking away so the angle of the photo does not work well. But he was lucky to see it at all. If he had left here a minute earlier or a minute later he would have missed the moose entirely. That's moose spotting for you (or seeing any unusual wildlife for that matter).

I have seen two moose this year but that is very unusual. Most years I don't see any. We have one walking through our property about once a month but we never see it. He or she comes through late at night and all we see are the footprints the next day.

Last winter, we had a few skier guests tell us of seeing a moose near the trails at Mad River Glen. One of them even hit the moose after coming around a corner and seeing it standing right in front of him. He reacted fast enough to squat down so he only bumped the moose a little bit. It must not have bothered the moose too much because it merely looked at the skier for a moment and then walked slowly into the woods.

The moose above may be the same one and, as you can see, it's a female with two calves it had this year. This moose photo and other Mad River Glen photos can be seen on the Gallery page at the Mad River Glen web site.

So, if you want to go moose spotting, the best area is the most remote part of Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom as it's known. Just try the roads around the town of Island Pond. Even if you don't see a moose, it's a beautiful area to do some sight seeing. Stop in some of the local country stores and ask around about where people have seen moose lately.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn except for the moose photo by Deb Steines and Bob Rogers on the Mad River Glen website

Photo by John Hughes

We often recommend Burlington to our guests and, if they decide to go, we suggest they stay up there to watch the sunset over Lake Champlain. This photo is a good example of why. It's from my favorite photoblog, Megapickles, which has a new photo every day by St Michael's College professor John Hughes. I highly recommend bookmarking the site and checking it frequently. I've been following it for years and it consistently has great work.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn