Introduction
A very pleasant, peaceful and photographic place to visit, Vermont can be found tucked away right in the northeast of the United States. Very rural in nature, it mostly consists of verdant forests and fertile farms with charming villages and towns dotted here and there about its scenic countryside.
Part of New England, it is surrounded clockwise by New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York, with Canada and Quebec lying to the north. While the lovely Lake Champlain makes up much of its northwestern boundary and the winding Connecticut River its eastern, the Green Mountain State is defined in large part by the rugged range of the same name which runs down its center. Asides from this, almost eighty percent of its territory is coated in lush forest which looks particularly arresting in autumn when the colors of the trees are a mesmerizing mix of yellows, oranges, and reds.
Besides snapping endless photos of the fabulous fall foliage, people also come to try the state’s tasty local produce with cheese, maple syrup, and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream counting among its major exports. At quaint farms in secluded valleys you can often sample artisanal foods or buy souvenirs with pretty towns like Grafton, Shelburne, and Manchester being full of historic sites and attractive architecture with countless fields, farms, and factories lying not far away. If it is instead museums, galleries, and thriving arts and culture scenes that you are interested in, then the lively college town of Brattleboro and Burlington, its largest city, are the place to go.
While these small settlements are all endearing in their own way, Vermont’s main appeal is the great outdoors which lies on their footstep. Besides hiking along the Appalachian Trail, visitors can enjoy skiing at either Killington Resort or Stowe – the ‘Aspen of the East’ – with superb fishing, sailing, and swimming to be had out on Lake Champlain which is dotted with a handful of idyllic islands.