Burlington, Vermont is one of my top 3 happy places! I have lived in New York and California, I've…read moreseen some really beautiful places in those states, but this spot has my heart forever. The beautiful mountains and the lake just make me smile! This college town has a fairly liberal vibe and most residents love Vermont's Senator Bernie Sanders, who used to be the mayor of this city. Church Street is always a must do, this is Burlington's pedestrian friendly shopping and dining district. It's a bit like Santa Monica's Third St Promenade in Los Angeles. This area is quite lively most of the time, but if you wander a block or two away, you will find some better priced restaurants. For a small city in a mostly rural state, I'd consider this a foodie town. One of my more recent discoveries up here is the delicious hard cider! I highly recommend visiting Citizen's Cider, so tasty! If you love the outdoors, this is the place to be! This region features skiing, hiking, water sports and a host of other outdoor activities. They have some great biking trails here as well! In my opinion, one of the top notch east coast ski resorts (Stowe) is located within 1 hour of here. Heck, even if it's not ski season, it's nice to head over there for a gondola ride, hard cider breweries, cheese tastings, hikes and more. I love to end my day down by the lake watching the sunset! Grab a drink at Splash at the Boathouse or just chill near the rocks and watch the sun go down behind the mountains. I currently live in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area, a location packed with too many angry people, so now it's even more of a treat to come to serene Burlington! This place is amazing, so many friendly faces and a nice laid back vibe.

I am from Boston, Massachusetts but I will say that I love the charming city of Burlington because…read morethey are both in New England, but also because Burlington is a smaller, more quaint and friendlier version of Boston. Every time I talk to someone from Burlington, they are always friendly and willing to help in any way that they can. You wouldn't think so with the weather they get here in the winter, but it doesn't seem like the bitter cold makes anyone here bitter or mean. University of Vermont makes up a lot of this city and I am glad it does, it encourages people living in the area to go to a great school despite the surburban feel of Vermont. Burlington, don't lose your charm.