I don’t live in Vermont anymore because nature genuinely freaks me out and I would rather avoid stepping in piles of vomit in the city then be surrounded by quiet. But I will ALWAYS love Vermont and will scream it from the mountaintops. And also tattoo the state outline on my leg. And drag a bunch of tri-staters to the northernmost reaches of Vermont for my wedding.
Most of these are in northern Vermont because that’s where I’m from and spent my formative years tooling around. I’m sure there are lovely things to see and do in southern Vermont as well.
GET A CREEMEE
If you are going, WTAF is a creemee (or cree-mee)? I am not surprised. Let me enhance your life.
Some people would call a creemee a “soft serve”. They would be wrong. Creemees are way better than soft serve. They are more delicious, creamier, and most of the time, much bigger then average soft serve you would get.
Why is it called a creemee? Well, according to Delishably:
In the past, ice cream in Vermont was made with a higher butterfat content, which gave it a creamier texture, so creamy=creemee.
I DON’T CARE IF YOU CALL IT SOFT SERVE EVERYWHERE ELSE. In Vermont, it’s called a creemee, and you will EMBRACE IT. Maple is arguably the best flavor, but you really can’t go wrong.
My personal favorite creemee stand is Devyn’s, in Enosburg. They serve HUGE creemees. Like, a small creemee is the size of a large NYC soft serve. It’s amazing. And the drive there is beautiful.
This is a real life, authentic ad for a creemee. Taken by me.
DRINK ALL THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
In my humble opinion, you can’t go to a better state on the east coast for beer. Most people will say North Carolina, but I’m writing the article dammit, so I say Vermont.
Vermont has 55 breweries to its name. That is 11.5 breweries per 100,000 adults. That is a LOT of beer. You’ve probably heard of some Vermont beer – Long Trail, Switchback, Magic Hat, and Harpoon to name a few. Vermont also has what is considered the world’s rarest/most desired beer – Heady Topper, brewed by The Alchemist. If you have a beer snob in your life and you say “Heady Topper” to them, odds are they will freak out. People literally line up outside the brewery in the morning waiting for it to open, and there is a limit on how much you can purchase. Heady Topper is also only distributed within a 25 mile radius of The Alchemist…soooo can’t really get it anywhere else but VT.
*insert choral singing* HEADY TOPPPPERRRRRR
It’s not just beer, either. Vermont has awesome cider – my personal absolute favorite best ever you have to go there is Citizen Cider. Seriously. It’s the best. Get a Dirty Mayor, your life will be changed.
We’ve also got distilleries, if you want to go for the hard stuff. Basically Vermont is a drinker’s paradise. GET LIT.
GO SEE THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD
Ok, so it’s not REALLY the eighth wonder of the world, but it’s my favorite quirky thing to tell people about.
Vermont is home to…drum roll…THE WORLD’S TALLEST FILING CABINET!
Coming in at 38 feet tall, the filing cabinet is across the street from a grocery store in a vacant lot. It was originally created as an art installation in 2002, but has since become a weird, cool, roadside attraction. Go see it – it’s a great Instagram post and will take maybe ten minutes of your time.
You can find the world’s tallest filing cabinet at 208 Flynn Ave in Burlington, VT.
HEAD FOR THE WATER
Fun fact not many people from the tri-state area seem to know – there is a giant lake in between Vermont and New York! Really! It’s huge! And beautiful! You can swim in it, boat on it, sit by it…there are fish to kill in it, fireworks over it…SO MANY THINGS TO DO.
All sarcasm aside, spend some time on Lake Champlain. You can even do it in the winter – walk out on the ice and take in the view of the snowy shoreline. IF YOU DO THIS THEN MAKE SURE THE STATE TROOPERS HAVE OKAY’D GOING OUT ON THE ICE BECAUSE I DON’T WANT ANYONE FALLING THROUGH THE ICE AND SAYING SOME BLOG SAID GO OUT ON THE ICE.
If you don’t want to go towards a lake, we have an abundance of other cool water sources, like swimming holes! If you haven’t been to a swimming hole, you’re missing out. The water will be freaking freezing at all of them, but you’re gonna get some TRUE NATURE AND SHIT. OUTDOORS. AIR. BIRDS. PLANTS. THINGS THAT PEOPLE LIKE (besides me). Here’s a great list of some you can find in Vermont.
This is my favorite swimming hole. Sorry, locals only.
