Do you keep a list of places you want to visit? I do, it makes planning our vacations or day trips a lot easier. This past weekend I was able to cross two things off that list as we spent the day exploring the eastern part of Vermont.
We started the morning out by taking a foliage train ride out of Chester through the Green Mountain Railroad. You need to buy tickets online ahead of time to ensure your seats. The train cars are from the 1930’s so they are older, not super comfortable and not a lot of room. If the train is full they do expect you to sit two to a seat. It was kind of fun to feel like you were back in early 1900’s. There were some decent views of a river, two covered bridges, a gorge and some hill sides.
I was hoping for more views of the landscape than we had. There were bathrooms and a snack and drink bar, but we did not visit either. One of the staff members did give some information as we were going along which was nice so we knew what we were looking at. I’m glad we did the train ride, but if I were to do it again I would pick a different location.
Our next stop was for lunch at Harpoon Brewery in Windsor. They were having an Octoberfest with various venders, beers and activities. The good thing was that the restaurant was not too busy so we did not have to wait. My husband enjoyed the beer selection. The food was fresh and flavorful. We enjoyed walking around the grounds and enjoying the festivities.
After lunch we headed to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee. This summer when we were heading up to Lake Willoboughby I saw a sign for the institute. When I did some research I saw that they were opening a Forest Canopy in the fall so I put it on my to do list. Fortunately the Forest Canopy opened up this weekend and we were able to go explore it. It opened Columbus Day weekend 2019. There is a fee to get in, but it was worth the admission cost. The institute has a lot to offer and you can spend a few hours exploring the grounds. There are walking paths throughout the forest.
Several raptor enclosures and programs, with some pretty cool birds.
There are various outdoor playgrounds, and the best part is their new Forest Canopy .
There are various with outlooks along the canopy.
Our ten year old thought the best part was the human spider web which is several feet off the ground and could hold several thousand pounds. All ages could climb around on it.
They had staff members throughout the canopy answering questions. I overhead them say that there is not another tree canopy like this in New England. If you are in the area I highly recommend you checking it out.
Vermont has become one of our favorite states to visit. This day trip just added to the reasons we love Vermont. So much outdoor fun to be explored.
