Vermont's most peaceful spot: stunning grounds, drive into forest for more history. Friendly staff…read moreshared Joseph Smith's upbringing story. Ideal for history, quiet reflection, nature's beauty.

I'm not an LDS member and I don't know a whole lot about their Church, but I was passing through…read moreand decided that I'd like to see the largest polished granite shaft in the world. So here it is, a total of 50 feet tall with the stone obelisk itself at 38.5 feet (one for each year of Smith's life). It is a beautiful facility and the stone itself is impressive. The center is quiet and peaceful and a lovely tribute to the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is also a full visitors' center here and a meeting house. Admission to the center and tours of the memorial site are free.

I had seen the other sculpture on the interstate but I made it a point to stop at this one because…read moreI love how the tails are curved around. Makes for a great shot.

We stumbled on this beautiful landmark getting gas. I felt so lucky to see something so cool and…read morebeautiful out in a distance! If you're ever in Vermont Google directions to see this in person. I don't think anyone would be disappointed.

The Old Round Church is worth a side trip if you happen to be in the area. Richmond is a very nice…read moreold New England town. It is pretty lively for how small it is. We went in winter and it was beautiful with snow and ice everywhere, but I believe it would be equally pretty when it's warmer and one could wander about a bit more. There is a pretty library nearby as well and a nice truss bridge. It is closed in winter (after October?) so we'll have to back for a better look.

The Old Round Church in Richmond is a scenic spot for a wedding-- and everyone seems to know it…read more In the summer, if you drive through Richmond between 10am and 4pm you will nearly always see vestiges of wedding. Because the Church is not a practicing church (there are no weekly services) they do as many as three weddings there a day on Saturdays and Sundays May-October. The up side of this is that your date is unlikely to be fully blocked out. The down side to this is that you have little buffer on either side of the ceremony to decorate and un-decorate the building. The inside of the church is well-restored and if you're into a super-new-england-yankee aesthetic, you're in for a treat. It's unique inside and out and the views of the surrounding mountains outside add to the ambiance. Another tiny set-back (but not enough to knock a star off in my opinion, there are too many great things about the space) is that those Yankee Protestants of the early 1800s were by an large a lot smaller than we are today, so the pews can be a little tight for larger (or pregnant) guests. Also, it's BYO - officiant-- so you can have the scenic, yankee, vermonty setting in a church and you can have your ceremony be any denomination you want...or none. Fab.

It's perfect for driving over... it's great on a bike or in a car, works the same, I cross the…read moreriver without getting wet! It's a bridge.

Easy little hike to the tower and the payoff is nice and peaceful. Great for kids and dogs.read more

Cool little park with an easy walk/hike up to the historic Ethan Allen Tower. It's pretty easy to…read moreget up to the top of the tower and has a great view once you're there!

"Unzipping The Earth" by Chris Miller, billed as the largest zipper in North America. It's 74'…read morelong, situated in an alley next to the Studio Arts Building. Lion and I went to check it out recently on a clear day. I am a lover of the oddball and kitschy. This meets the bill. It's made of granite, stretches down a narrow alleyway. It was pretty cool, really looks like a zipper. Simple but effective. Definitely worth a stop when visiting Barre.

This is a sculpture--a cool piece of public art as nice as others in much larger…read morecities--confusingly sounding like a roadside attraction as it appears as "Largest Zipper in North America" if you're lucky enough to notice it by accident on Google maps. I found this on the map that way when passing through Barre, so we stopped to check it out. The surprise of seeing what it is when we got to it, and sharing the experience with other visitors to town was all well worth it. Plus, we parked the car and got to some local spots, and visited the very nice library. It was a good little visit to town. So, if you're in the vicinity of Barre, definitely don't miss this. I was thinking maybe not worth it to drive more than an hour out of your way... but then again, if it's worth it to you, why not?

Wilson's Castle is worth a visit. It's currently going through renovations which it needs. I will…read morehave to visit when the renovations are finished. Smaller than it looks. It is kinda spooky and is located in beautiful Vermont. I visited in October, went through a short tour and we were free to explore on our own. I would recommend

Hidden gem well worth the trip! The castle is full of intricate trinkets and oddities, especially…read moresince we visited around Halloween time. We especially loved the painted ceilings and stained glass. And the tour guides showed us such hospitality! They even let us play the antique organ

I'm a lover of the hard to find on my trips across the states, and this was something I'd read…read moreabout in my art history classes but never dreamed I'm stumble across on my journey up to Canada. It's quite a sight to see - two giant whale's tails emerging from the ground next to the interstate! I didn't get a chance to stop over and explore it up close unfortunately due to time, but there's directions on the artist's website if you want to get a closer look (and it's encouraged!). A real roadside treat for any driver. Plus I find it funny that it's now the cover of the book I used in art history class... full circle, full circle.

Along a boring stretch of State Road 14 that parallels the White River, this small historical…read moremonument remembers a darker time in colonial history. "The Royalton Raid, October 16, 1780. To terrorize the valley from Tunbridge to Royalton, nearly 300 Indians led by a British officer fell on these defenseless frontier settlements, killing 4, taking 26 prisoners and reducing Royalton to ashes. The captives were hauled back to Canada were sold for $8.00 a head. This was the most calamitous of Vermont's many Indian raids."

This small and very unassuming bridge located in Stowe is actually said to be haunted !! The name…read moreof this covered bridge, the Gold Brook, is also known as Emily's Bridge. It was built in 1844, and the most famous of the (many) stories about this bridge is that back in the 1800's, a farmer's daughter, Emily, fell in love with a young man from a rich family, but his parents refused to allow their wedding to occur. The young man told Emily to wait on the bridge at midnight, but he didn't show, and she was so distraught, she is said to have taken her own life. Allegedly, her ghost appears during the nighttime around Halloween, haunting those who come to the bridge. We drove over the quiet bridge during a summer day, but we saw no sightings of Emily !!

If you are already in Stowe, you might as well make your way over to this bridge and take a photo…read more Luckily it wasn't raining when we went.