Stowe and Burlington VT

My fiance and I stayed here mid-week at the beginning of the summer (off-season in VT). For the low price that we were paying I didn't expect much. When I stepped into our cabin, though, I was so impressed! There was tons of room (2 bedrooms, one with a full bed and one with bunk bed), a very large living/dining room (stocked with magazines and books), and a kitchen that was supplied with all the cooking utensils one could need. The front porch was lovely and boasted a grill where we cooked most of our food.

Because we stayed in the off season, we were the only two there. It made for a very secluded, very romantic experience.

The New York Times called this restaurant "The World's Most Decadent Breakfast", and I'd have to agree. First off, the menu is huge. They offer Dutch pancakes stuffed/topped with any sweet or savory ingredient you can imagine. They also serve more traditional breakfast fare, but if you pass up the opportunity to have one of their Dutch pancakes, you're really missing out!

The pancakes were huge, falling off the plate huge! I couldn't come close to finishing mine, and my fiance just barely got through three quarters of his (and believe me, he has a very hearty appetite!)

What was most surprising and pleasing to me was the wide variety of options for vegetarians. They had veggie substitutes for every breakfast meat that they offered. I was able to get a huge Dutch pancake stuffed with tons of cheese and veggie bacon.

The food was delicious--seriously, it was so good that it had me considering moving to Vermont just so I could eat there whenever I felt the urge! The coffee was delicious and from a local company, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.

The service was friendly and fast. I'm sure that the servers are always amused by the faces of the patrons who gasp (like we did) when they see the size of the portions!

If you are anywhere in the vicinity of Stowe, I highly recommend stopping by this very family-friendly place for breakfast! I still wake up some mornings thinking about the breakfast I ate there!

After wandering around Church Street for the afternoon, my fiance and I strolled towards the water and saw the aquarium. It didn't take much of a debate before we decided to go in - we love learning about animals, and watching aquatic life sounded like fun. When we entered the aquarium, though, it became clear that this place was more suited for children than adults. The exhibits, though very informative and focused on the changing face of Lake Champlain, included many child-size hands-on demonstrations. Certainly great if you've got little ones in tow, but we soon grew tired of bending over to try things for ourselves.

There aren't as many types of fish on display here as there are at other aquariums I've visited. The focus is mainly on the local environment and the inhabitants of its local waters - not only fish, but also plant life and even tribes of people who have lived along the shores. I learned a good deal, but was a little disappointed, if only because it wasn't quite what I expected.

At the end of our visit, we found the "Grossology" exhibit, which is on display at the aquarium until September 4th. At this point, we succumbed to the child-like atmosphere and played a giant operation game (yes, like you remember from when you were a kid, with the red nose that lights up when your tools hit the sides), guessed the smells trapped in bottles, and played a quiz game that taught us about gross bodily functions.

Capping off the day this way made it a little more fun. All in all, I'd recommend the aquarium wholeheartedly to those with children, but not so much to those without.

I had such high hopes for the Ben & Jerry's factory tour. I love the ice- cream, love the philosophy, love Vermont, etc. I didn't, however, love the factory tour.

We were first brought into the small movie theater to see a film about Ben and Jerry's beginnings. It was entertaining and informative, but I already knew most of the information in the film, so it was a bit of a let down. From there, we were taken to a spot above the factory where we could view the ice-cream being made. Unfortunately, we were packed so tightly into the space that unless you were one of the lucky few who got the spots by the windows, you couldn't really see what was happening in the factory. To compensate for this, they do have two televisions that show the machinery being described, but it's not really the same thing—I'm in the factory, I want to see the factory, not a pre-made film.

We moved from this room to the final part of the tour—the free ice-cream. It's a nice sized sample, and of course it's quality, but by this point I just kept thinking to myself "this is it? this is the whole tour?" In the end, I wished I could have my $3 back so I could buy a cone of ice-cream which would have been far more enjoyable.

There was one good thing about the tour, though. You're free to pretty much roam about the area as you like. We walked over to the flavor graveyard, where there are tombstones set up to honor retired flavors. This was a fun trip down memory lane that we were able to do at our own pace. The land is beautiful, and there is a small playground set up for the kids. My advice to those who are thinking about taking this tour is save your money, buy some of the ice cream, and spend the time walking around the grounds. You'll have a full tummy and a nice walk in beautiful Vermont.