Burlington, Vermont and discovering Lake Champlain Chocolates

During our stay in Barnard, Vermont, we took a day trip up to Burlington.  It was about 2 hours away---there is a GREAT deal to do in Burlington; we barely scraped the surface.  From a natural perspective, Burlington is home to Lake Champlain- a gorgeous lake that is mainly within the borders of the US; however, some of it is within Canada's borders in the province of Quebec. It is a freshwater body of water and is connected to the Hudson River by the Champlain canal.  There are a variety of water activities in this area- but our visit was short and we wanted to get to a few places before dark. Burlington is a college town, much like Colorado's Boulder- in fact, their 'downtown' area was so similar, it was quite strange.  This town is much more eclectic than the rest of Vermont- it had a new-age 'hippy' feel to it, in fact. 

Burlington is also home to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, The University of Vermont, and Lake Champlain Chocolates! College students were everywhere, especially in the quaint downtown area.  We missed the teddy bear factory, but we DID make it to the chocolate store.....

We made it!!

and here's where all the 'makin'' takes place!

It looks rather industrial....

The story of their chocolate

inside the store

The Lake Champlain Chocolate insignia

Loved this Metal and Light building in Burlington---the rhino w/ the pumpkins!

Burlington's City Hall

The quaint downtown district

Bicycles were everywhere...again, like Boulder!

Loved the menu of this delightful little cafe'

Don't you just love the word BISTRO?  I do!

I SO wanted to take this 'kitty' rug home w/ me!

Some of the architecture of Burlington

Loved the little 'flat' pumpkin on the tree stump

The colors of Burlington

In my opinion, Burlington was more 'city' than I needed in my trip- but we did love our trip to the chocolate store.  We also had a yummy little meal at City Market- Burlington's version of Whole Foods....we headed back to Barnard and our wonderful inn...it had begun to rain.....stay tuned!!

Barnard, Vermont and the Maple Leaf INN

The Brick Store

Some of the covered bridges look pretty rough

some areas were so so green...

the backroads of New England

I KNOW I saw this same church in Kennebunk!

Talk about lawn ornaments!

Steeples and clocks

I see some pumpkins!!

I LOVED this- I haven't seen a five and dime store since I was a kid!

lots of leaves down here, but green grass prevails

And....after the drive, we arrive in Barnard, Vermont and the doorsteps to our INN- the Maple Leaf INN!

The Maple Leaf Inn sits on approximately 14 acres and it's absolutely beautiful!

THE MAPLE LEAF INN is owned by a wonderful couple!! The structure is new, compared to the victorian mansion around New England, but it is made to 'look' old.  Inside, rooms are lovely, the food is delicious, and the library has a computer to use and books to borrow.  There is hot tea and coffee always available and a chocolate dish for those with a sweet tooth.  Breakfast was incredibly delicious, and on our second morning there, we had SNOW!  More on that later!  I don't typically recommend places to go.  I'll mention that I've been there, that we enjoyed it, that the food was yummy, or that the beds were cozy, but I would DEFINITELY go back here----we loved the area and its close proximity to other towns that we wanted to see, and it was just splendid to be there!!  If any of my readers are more interested and would like to ask me questions, I am more than happy to oblige.  Click on the link I've provided for more information, their rates, and photographs of the rooms.  We stayed there for two nights and wished we could have stayed at least two more......

Next up?  What did we do in Vermont?  Hint:  Simon Pearce, Lake Champlain Chocolates, a Maple Syrup Farm, and Cabot Cheese for starters!!  

Well, I'm off to get on my Vermont flannel shirt and start my day! See you next blog!!