New England – Vermont

Vermont (VT) is also called “Les verts monts” in French. We simply say “The Green Mountains”. The state of Vermont was founded on March 4, 1791 as the 14th state of the United States. It is also called the Green Mountain State. The capital of Vermont is Montpelier. The largest city in the state is Burlington. The area of Vermont includes the northern Appalachian Mountains, i.e. from the Green Mountains (1338 m above sea level).

between Lake Champlain to the west and the Connecticut River valley to the east. 76% of the country’s land area is covered by forest. Vermont was discovered in 1609 by S. de Champlain. For many years, the French (Fort St. Anne, 1666) and English (Fort Dummer, 1724) fought over supremacy in the country. Vermont proclaimed independence in 1777.

We have chosen a special way to discover New England. It was supposed to be a round trip with mainly overnight stays in the wonderful Country Inns. These hotels are usually located in a historic and sometimes romantic place with a lot of atmosphere. The Country Inns are small romantic hotels with a high level of comfort in a typical New England atmosphere. They are located either in the old parts of the cities or in scenic areas.

Most of these hotels offer excellent cuisine. We can recommend every traveler in New England to stay at these hotels at least a few times. Our starting point was the city of Boston, where we spent a few days. As a travel time we had chosen the Indian Summer (leaf discoloration), i.e. autumn.

From Boston we first drove towards Rhode Island, then via Massachusetts to Vermont. Other destinations included New Hampshire and Maine, and from here back along the coast to Boston. Although New England does not have the typical huge American dimensions, such a round trip is associated with careful planning. If you have some time, you should check out Quechee Gorge State Park. It has a great gorge and has numerous beautiful hiking trails. Woodstock is particularly worth seeing with its upscale shops. It is also home to the Vermont Institute of Natural History.

In St. Johnsbury, it is worth visiting the Maple Grove Factory, the oldest and largest maple sugar factory, and the Fairbanks Museum with more than 3000 stuffed animals. Stowe is one of the most popular ski resorts on Mount Mansfield. Lake Champlain, on the other hand, is an Eldorado for water sports enthusiasts.