Beautiful quiet grounds that give you a lovely vista to look at as well as a piece of North…read moreAmerican history. Lots of grass to have a picnic or hang around in with a beautiful view of the lake and that gorgeous bridge. Free parking. I didn't check out the fort, just the grounds and the views as a break after a few hours of driving and it's totally worth the small detour.

A beautiful piece of history to see…read more.. Well maintained. Located right on the shore of Lake Champlain and right by the lighthouse. There's a museum inside. The museum cost money, but the site is free. There are bathrooms outside, but they are only open during office hours. The site is still open to see after hours, until dusk. There's a pavilion, tables and grills. There's a parking lot structure. The museum is wheel chair accessible, the site is all grass. You can see the champlain bridge from here and there's also a restaurant right over there bridge.

I am so glad my daughter discovered this historic site. It was a great experience!…read more Yes, originally I thought to myself...why did I have to pay $8 per person to visit the site and walked the trail....Well, after the experience, I did not regret paying the $8. The visitor center was well kept. There was a 10 minute video, and so many items discovered from the war displayed neatly inside the museum. We took the green/Baldwin trail. On this beautiful cool breezy day, my daughter and I walked around and saw all the special locations marked along the trail. The trail was well kept. The views were stunning. Highly recommend!

Lived in Vermont most of my life and this place was always on my lists of places to visit: every…read morething is extremely well maintained and the actual visitors center was extremely clean: they do have one unisex bathroom with a changing table in the back stall area. We really enjoyed the extremely informative staff member we spoke with and gave excellent suggestions for hiking with little ones. The views from the top was extremely beautiful. The trail we hiked provided shade most of the way so even on an extremely hot morning we enjoyed our visit

This small marker remembers a time in recent history that sounds really cool. It reads:…read more "Smuggler's Notch. The southern gateway to Mount Mansfield and Smugglers Notch is via Route 100, once a plank road, the bed for Mt. Mansfield Electric Rail Road, and one of the earliest concrete roads. From the village of Stowe, Route 108 meanders past the base of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak at 4393 feet, and climbs through Smugglers North, the reputed route for cattle smugglers and hiding place for Lake Champlain pirates. The BIG SPRING has been popular since the 19th century when its waters were claimed to have curative powers. The caves, which retain ice until July, the ski resort and the many trails attract hikers and travelers in all seasons. " - Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, 2005

I stopped by on the way back from Burlington to New York to stretch my legs and I'm so glad I did!…read more When I stopped by they were having an international contest of atlatl, an ancient hunting weapon, a wooden handle to help launch spears. I have never heard of it, but the mechanics of it made sense to me when explained - it works a lot better than throwing spears with bare hands. Apple trees in front of the museum was loaded with nice apples. I was so surprised to see them, because in Central New York we had a terrible apple year this year, producing something like only under 10% of the usual year. Our local orchard that usually have their stands full of apples had none this year, and they were selling vegetables instead. I asked and I was told that it's because Lake Chaplain protected those trees from frost damage at a wrong time of year. Whoa! I am so glad that I feel like I learned quite a bit at the museum about the history of Vermont in this quick visit. For example, I learned that Burlington where my son is at was under water many thousands of years ago. The history of Native Americans (Abenakis), the French, the British and Americans were nicely organized and displayed. I loved looking at the preserved tavern, and explanations about period clothings that were displayed upstairs. Loved photographs and paintings of local birds, also upstairs, in the hallway. I also enjoyed reading bout Olmsted and looking at the carved canoe. I had no idea they burn the wood to hollow out the wood to make those canoes - it makes complete sense but somehow I used to imagine they must have carved the woods out by hands. It was cool to look up at the bridge from below, too! It's definitely a great place to make a stop to stretch your legs during your drive.

What a fantastic not-so-hidden gem with about 9000 years of history, some of which is on display…read more And for $5 admission....what a bargain. This description form their website tells it better than I can: "Chimney Point on Lake Champlain in Vermont is one of the earliest, most intensely settled, and most strategic sites in the Champlain Valley, with human habitation dating back as far as 9,000 years ago. Exhibits and special events present the story of the three early cultures in the Chimney Point area - Native American, French Colonial and early American." The 18 photos I've posted only scratch the surface and begin to tell this marvelous story. Please check the calendar. Hours and dates are limited: (2018) OPEN: May 26, 2018 - October 14, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Open Wednesday through Sunday and Monday holidays

It is rare to see a two-lane covered bridge but this one between Middlebury and Weybridge spans…read moreOtter Creek. It is a Burr arch design that is of an indeterminate age. The sign on the bridge states it was built between 1808 and 1820 though contemporary research suggests it was built in approximately 1850. There is a pedestrian walkway on the outside which is useful as the lanes inside are narrow and there is no room for pedestrians. The bridge has 8' clearance and capacity of 8000 pounds. That's pretty close to my van's height and weight, so I opted not to drive the bridge. [Review 18491 overall - 90 in Vermont - 2013 of 2022.]

No longer used for vehicular traffic, the Hammon Covered Bridge was caught up by a flood in 1927…read morewhich sent the bridge about 1.5 miles downstream but miraculously left the structure intact. Since it was still functional, it was returned to its original location. Since then, the bridge was bypassed by a (BORING!) steel and concrete bridge and this has been turned into a tourist attraction and small park. The bridge is a is a Town lattice design and spans Otter Creek. It was built in 1842 by Asa Nourse and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. [Review 18483 overall - 82 in Vermont - 2005 of 2022.]

This Civil War monument is located in the main traffic island at the center of Brandon where Park…read moreStreet meets Franklin Street. Like other such monuments, it features a soldier in Union uniform of cap and boots with hands clasped on an upturned monument. At the bas, it simply says "1861-1865. Brandon. To her fallen soldiers." And the monument lists the many (too many) from the Brandon area who fought in the Civil War and did not return. No poems, no scripture, just a long list of names on all four sides with reliefs of crossed cannon and crossed swords. [Review 18485 overall - 84 in Vermont - 2007 of 2022.]

The monument commemorates one of the oldest documented homesteads in Vermont and the only of…read moreVermont's oldest documented homesteads, and the only surviving site of a military fortification of the American Revolutionary War. The stone was placed in 1873 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. To attack Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Crown Point on Lake Champlain during the American Revolution in 1777, British General John Burgoyne led a sizable army from Montreal south. He eventually met British forces from New York City and with the intention of splitting the Colonies in half. Early in 1780, Fort Vengeance was constructed to defend the region following a series of such assaults, during which male settlers were captured and their male settlers' fields were pillaged and torched. A garrison of 150 men was deployed under the leadership of Major Ebenezer Allen. The independent Vermont Republic government authorized the construction of Fort Vengeance, a palisaded structure, as part of its northern line of defense, and it was built on Hendee's property in 1780. The fort, which was in service until 1782, had a barracks, a powder magazine, and other amenities. There are some archaeological digs here but much of the fort's property may be under highway US-7. I'm not able to determine if the HMS Vengeance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Vengeance was named for the fort or it's just reuse of the word. [Review 18484 overall - 83 in Vermont - 2006 of 2022.]