Vermont Travel Notes

Copyright © 2010 Billings Farm & Museum

As mentioned below, if you are visiting the Quechee Balloon Festival today or tomorrow, I recommend a trip over to nearby Woodstock. It's one of my favorite towns in Vermont. And one of my favorite places in Woodstock is the Billings Farm and Museum, a beautiful facility.

This weekend, Billings Farm is holding Draft Horse Days from 10:00 to 5:00 both days. There will be demonstrations and activities showcasing Billings Farm's draft horses, including traditional fieldwork, horse shoeing, horse-drawn wagon rides. Draft horses teams will demonstrate plowing, planting, cultivating, and mowing in the farm fields during narrated programs at 11:00 a.m., 1:00, and 3:00 p.m. each day.

Each morning will begin with braiding the horse's mane and tails. There will also be shoeing demonstrations on the farm's Percheron, making horseshoes, and rope making. Children can learn how to make clothespin horses, take part in hobby horse races, and play Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Horse.

Billings Farm is well worth the visit not only for the Draft Horse Days but also for their everyday displays plus work that goes on the farm such as cow milking. It's a great place for children and for adults who would like to witness and learn about farm life.

Admission: adults: $12.00; 62 and over: $11.00; children 5-15: $6.00; 3-4: $3.00; under 3: free.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

One of central Vermont's most popular events is taking place this weekend. The 31st annual Quechee Balloon Festival features about 20 hot air balloons which launch twice a day at 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. In some cases, they can accommodate passengers and there will also be tethered balloon flights. About 60 craft vendors are there and there is music, food, and children's activities.

The deepest gorge in Vermont is located in Quechee and the town is known for its antique stores and shopping opportunities.

While you are in the area, I recommend a visit to Woodstock VT, one of the most picturesque villages in New England. Woodstock is located a short drive west on Route 4 from Quechee.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

As a follow-up to last week's posting about the Burlington VT Discover Jazz Festival, I wanted to add that the festival has a Facebook page and a Twitter account. They are a great way to keep up to date and discuss what's happening with the festival as it moves to its June debut.

Jeff Connor, Grunberg Haus

If it's not the world's first Twitter Pub Crawl, it definitely is Burlington VT's first. And who else but Magic Hat would put on such an event.

It's scheduled for April 22, 2010 at 7:00 pm and it is structured as a team event. Throughout the night each four person team will receive clues from Magic Hat via Twitter on which pub to go to. At the end of the night, Magic Hat will check each team to see if they made it to each pub. The names of all the successful teams will be put in a drawing to determine the overall winner. Each person on the winning team gets the top prize of a round trip ticket from JetBlue to wherever the airline flies.

All proceeds will go to The Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS). The cost to each team is just $5 per person. Also,the entry price includes one of the coolest looking T-shirts I have seen in a long time. That alone has to be worth a lot more than $5.

Round up three other drinkers, er, friends, and help Magic Hat, JetBlue, and COTS with this first of its kind event. Who knows, maybe years from now it will the equivalent of saying you were at Woodstock.

Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus

The line up for this year's annual Burlington Discover Jazz Festival has been announced and ticket sales are available at the Flynn Center ticket website. This year's jazz performances start June 4 and go through June 13.

Now in its 27th year, the Discover Jazz Festival has been called "One of the top ten festivals in the world!" by the The Music Festival Guide (Chicago Review Press, Inc.), named an "Editor’s Pick — Local Secret, Big Find" by Travelocity and IgoUgo, and described as “laid back and hospitable: with its brewpubs, boating, biking and big Green Mountains adding a nice edge to the scene,”
according to DownBeat Magazine. New England Jazz News simply summed it up as “This is the way a Festival should be run…”

It's a good idea to order tickets well in advance because this is a very popular event.

Jeff Connor, Grunberg Haus

Approximately 100 quilts will be on display at the 12th annual Franklin County Quilt Show this weekend. You can find the show at the St. Albans City Hall, 100 North Main. St Albans is about 30 miles north of Burlington and close to Interstate 89 (exit 19).

There will be special exhibit quilts including Purple Hearts Quilts, Breast Cancer Quilts, and local charity quilts.

In addition to the quilt displays, there will be vendors, a silent auction, door prizes, demonstrations and a raffle. Admission is FREE. The quilt show's web page has contact information.

The show will run from 9:00 to 4:00 Saturday, April 10 and 10:00 to 3:00 Sunday, Arpil 11.

Jeff Connor
Grunberg Haus Inn