The Swamp

We're looking to spend our September birthdays somewhere up in that area. We've really only looked at Vermont so far, so thought I'd ask the board if there are any places they'd recommend as a base camp for several days while we check out the area.

Are you really going to stare at trees or are you looking for activities or something else?

When we were in Asheville in 2020 we did a lot of driving and a couple hikes. Anywhere close to nice drives, hikes, good food and breweries/cideries would be great.

Gotcha. This definitely sounds like a Rush question.

Ryan/Carwash as well, yeah.

Stowe (slightly more touristy but my favorite) or Woodstock VT (quainter) at the top of the list
The North Conway area of NH would be next but it always feels a little busier and it's not quite as brew-happy. Couple theme parks geared towards kids in that area if you're bringing the girls.

Just find a town you like and you can drive to 15 other recommended corridors within an hour or two.

"Peak season" can vary greatly even within our tiny states. Do some research as to average peak weeks and be prepared to be disappointed when you miss it by a week (although in a good season it will be good enough for foreigners like yourselves).

I love Franconia Notch. Not too far from the Kacamagus Highway and Mount Washington. And near the Schilling Brewery. (No, not that Schilling)

The above guys are natives so their answers are going to be more comprehensive than mine. I'm in Portsmouth which definitely checks the boxes for the food/brewery scene and draws the hipster crowd (the Austin of NH, I guess?) It's in the southeast corner of the state so it's a ways away from the other places, but worth seeing its own right if you want to see a New England seacoast.

That's why I walked away. I know the cities up the coast (Boston -> Portsmouth -> Portland) but aside from I think two trips to Burlington, we really didn't do much else.

#KatetheGreat

It's been years since I've been, but I loved Burlington. Kind of a hippy vibe, with beautiful scenery on Lake Champlain. Had a strong college town vibe with UVM. I stopped at Stowe as a teenager during the summer or fall, and they had a rollerblading park (complete with hockey rink and a pickup game!), gondola ride to the top of the mountain where you could hike, alpine slide and other activities. I doubt the rollerblade park is still going, but I'd bet they still use the resort and mountain to make money in the off-season.

We used to stop at North Conway on the way to my father's cousin's house in Maine. I just remember tons of outlet malls, and an awesome wood carving shop that made sweet totem poles and statues of bears.

Mystic Seaport in Connecticut is a cute olde tymey seaport town to walk around with the kids, if you are bringing the kids. Never been, but I hear the pizza sucks.

Tons of good breweries, and a handful of the best breweries in the country. Definitely check back in for a list to visit or beers to buy.

If you come for "New England Fall Foliage" and go anywhere near Connecticut or Rhode Island, I will quite simply die.

Boston will be as far south as we'll go.

If you're traveling that far, you owe it to yourself to head a little bit more south and check out the best brewery in the whole damn world. I haven't been to Treehouse on the Cape yet, but the one in Charlton is under an hour if you're smart about traffic.

You want to check peak foliage times (Burlington will turn a couple weeks sooner than say, Portland, for example).

There aren’t many wrong answers, so long as you time it right.

I was in Bennington, Vermont for work during the 2005 fall foliage season. Unfortunately for them, they had the worst foliage season in 50 years that year. But Bennington is a decent little town with some things to do. There's Bennington Battle Memorial, which is a monument to the Battle of Bennington during the Revolutionary War. They also have a couple of small museums, including one about covered bridges. Madison Brewing Company in town is very good, both for beer and food.

If you go north a bit, you can visit Manchester Center. Nearby is the headquarters for Orvis. If you like touring mansions and such, Hildene Estate is very nice. It's the home of Robert Todd Lincoln, who was the son of President Lincoln and the CEO of Pullman Car Company.

It's a beautiful area to drive around as long as you like mountains and bucolic settings. I remember the drive between Benningon and Brattleboro being very pretty.

Burlington is a great base. Stowe is a cute little town and there are lots of high-level breweries within striking distance of both... Just depends on what speed you're looking for in terms of being around ppl and having dining choices. (They are relatively close to each other, as the crow flies.)

I just became a HUGE fan of Portland after a trip up there this Fall, but that is much more about serious foody stuff and great breweries, and I can't really speak to the city's proximity to quality foliage action. (Though, I distinctly remember seeing a mountain range to the west that couldn't be all that far from the city.)

Sabo wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:37 pm I was in Bennington, Vermont for work during the 2005 fall foliage season. Unfortunately for them, they had the worst foliage season in 50 years that year.

This sounds like you gave them what they deserved. The first two lines to a sinister book.

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:52 pm

Sabo wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:37 pm I was in Bennington, Vermont for work during the 2005 fall foliage season. Unfortunately for them, they had the worst foliage season in 50 years that year.

This sounds like you gave them what they deserved. The first two lines to a sinister book.

Take it to the New England Fall Foilage thread!

Not quite what you asked but a suggestion. If you start in Montpelier or Stowe, hop on the 302 and take it all the way into Portland. That will take you take you through the White Mountains in NH, the ski region in ME, followed by the lakes region. Portland has an abundance of great restaurants, breweries, and bars. One way without stopping is about four hours, but you would have tons of options for stopping for either quaint New England shopping or hiking.

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:52 pm

Sabo wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:37 pm I was in Bennington, Vermont for work during the 2005 fall foliage season. Unfortunately for them, they had the worst foliage season in 50 years that year.

This sounds like you gave them what they deserved. The first two lines to a sinister book.

ooohhh, I really want to read that book! Sabo must have torn shit up in Bennington!

While I haven't been to Treehouse, I've had plenty of beers friends brought back, and they are phenomenal, best NEIPAs anywhere. Everyone says the Charleton brewery is the greatest experience, but I heard the Cape Cod one was a huge dropoff. That was one man's opinion, but I generally trust his beer opinions. If you go to Boston, Trillium brewery is a must. They have another brewery in Canton, MA. I haven't been to that location, but the beer is the best I've ever had, across styles.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 2:08 pm

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:52 pm

Sabo wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:37 pm I was in Bennington, Vermont for work during the 2005 fall foliage season. Unfortunately for them, they had the worst foliage season in 50 years that year.

This sounds like you gave them what they deserved. The first two lines to a sinister book.

ooohhh, I really want to read that book! Sabo must have torn shit up in Bennington!

While I haven't been to Treehouse, I've had plenty of beers friends brought back, and they are phenomenal, best NEIPAs anywhere. Everyone says the Charleton brewery is the greatest experience, but I heard the Cape Cod one was a huge dropoff. That was one man's opinion, but I generally trust his beer opinions. If you go to Boston, Trillium brewery is a must. They have another brewery in Canton, MA. I haven't been to that location, but the beer is the best I've ever had, across styles.

Good fucking luck. Line around the block twice for me.

Go to beautiful Waltham for some Mighty Squirrel beer. Just as good as Trillium and Treehouse without the crowds of out of state beer hipsters.

Also DMB plays in NH lakes region in the summer usually if you don't mind seeing green leaves instead.

I'd go central Vermont. Stowe is cool, but you can find a place that'll save you coin by looking in the area rather than Stowe proper. Montpelier/Waterbury/Jeffersonville are all good areas to look at. You can then venture out on where the foliage map tells you to go. The NEK of Vermont is gorgeous and the trip up to Newport is beautiful (and there's a great BBQ restaurant (BIg Fatty's) and brewery (River Roost) right off the highway in WRJ.

Burlington has the 'urban' stuff (malls, theater, etc.) also some great restaurants and breweries (Foam, Burlington Beer, Fiddlehead) but there are great farm-to-table-like places all over. Pearl Street Beverage has a great selection of local beers. In Waterbury, there's Prohibition Pig which has great smoked meat and sandwiches, Montpelier has a number of restaurants that are run by students of the culinary college so great eats cheap, also home of the Three Penny Taproom that has great food and a better beer list, the new distillery in town is pretty good as well. The co-op in the middle of Montpelier has great food and a fantastic wine and beer selection. Stowe has ski town restaurants and activities and there's Ben & Jerry's nearby. Also, I had the best sandwich of my life in Stowe (will update the name once my buddy gets back to me with it.) The Butchery it's called, but my buddy also recommends Stowe sandwich.

There's also a number of better than run of the mill breweries in this area (Otter Creek, Long Trail) and then the granddaddies of The Alchemist and Hill Farmstead (considered by some to be the best in the world, just plan an afternoon as it's 20 miles from nowhere.) You can stop at most markets and find some pretty good libations but Hill Farmstead is a must-visit if you want their beer (and you do.)

and I second Ed's Might Squirrel rec. Great beers.

Greater Good (and the Armsby Abbey taproom) in Worcester are also recommended.

While we're doing breweries, I'd add Lamplighter in Cambridge, MA and Belleflower (started by Trillium alums) and Goodfire in Portland, ME. Bissell is the name Portland brewery but we've liked those other two better.

Deciduous in Newmarket NH is phenomenal. Tried to get to Fiden's in Albany over the holiday but it was closed both days I was in Albany.

You can do a drinking tour of New England whenever you want. Like our license plates famously say, peep leaves with clear eyes

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:18 pm Deciduous ... is phenomenal.

Yeah, that's the point of the thread.

Dammit!

Evergreen post!

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:44 pm

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:18 pm Deciduous ... is phenomenal.

Yeah, that's the point of the thread.

Lol.

So plans have changed a tad and we're going to fly into Newark and spend the first two nights in NYC before renting a car and heading north for a week. So, maybe a Swamp meetup when the time comes?

Newark Swamp meet! Yeah!

rass wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 11:01 pm Newark Swamp meet! Yeah!

Hope you like authentic spanish or brazialin cuisine paired the conspiuous absence of mr. d, but offset by the possibility of being able to experience the premier league by taking in a match-viewing in the basement of a random Spanish social club (to
Which none of us belong) in the ironbound section where you’re likely to get coughed at by a sicky syb.and heckled by Rass who had no dog in that particular fight. Good times.

serrano wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 11:31 pm

rass wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 11:01 pm Newark Swamp meet! Yeah!

Hope you like authentic spanish or brazialin cuisine paired the conspiuous absence of mr. d, but offset by the possibility of being able to experience the premier league by taking in a match-viewing in the basement of a random Spanish social club (to
Which none of us belong) in the ironbound section where you’re likely to get coughed at by a sicky syb.and heckled by Rass who had no dog in that particular fight. Good times.

Feijoada!

Maybe the giff-sters should come later in the year.

Snow in the Ironbound >>>> some leaves in Vermont

and catch a NYRB game!

I feel compelled to point out that cerrano's Portuguese erasure is unacceptable.


And want it noted that this time giff was personally responsible for the NJ theadjack.

Is that the explanation?

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Feb 10, 2022 8:47 am Is that the explanation?

You know what you did.