Burlington Vermont fun?

[HSinNH]

Good morning,

 

We are tagging along with DH on a recruiting trip tomorrow to Burlington, VT. What are some fun things for tweens to do while we are there?

 

TIA!!

[Melinda in VT]

Tweens are probably too old for ECHO (the science museum on the waterfront). Shopping and people-watching on Church Street is often fun for tweens. It looks like the weather should be good.

 

(If you were here during the week, I'd suggest going on a tour at Lake Champlain Chocolates, but that's a Monday through Friday only thing.)

 

I recommend the Shelburne Museum (the museum, not Shelburne Farms). It's not right in Burlington proper, but it's not that far away, and it will keep you occupied for hours.

 

 

[shanvan]

Tweens are probably too old for ECHO (the science museum on the waterfront). Shopping and people-watching on Church Street is often fun for tweens. It looks like the weather should be good.

 

(If you were here during the week, I'd suggest going on a tour at Lake Champlain Chocolates, but that's a Monday through Friday only thing.)

 

I recommend the Shelburne Museum (the museum, not Shelburne Farms). It's not right in Burlington proper, but it's not that far away, and it will keep you occupied for hours.

That's funny b/c I was going to recommend Shelburne Farms.  Whenever we are in the area my kids always want to go, even if all we do is walk around for several hours.  But, I also like the Shelburne Museum.  I guess it depends on your teens and their interest.

[Murmer]

Ben and Jerry's factory is between Burlington and Montpelier and is super yummy lol

[Cosmos]

Crepes at the Skinny Pancake!

 

I think a tween would enjoy ECHO, especially if they haven't been there before. I don't remember it being babyish, just kind of small.

 

What's at Shelburne Farms? I've only been to Shelburne Museum.

[Melinda in VT]

Shelburne Farms is fun, and my kids have enjoyed it as tweens, but if I only had tweens, I'd pick Shelburne Museum over Shelburne Farms. (At Shelburne Farms, you can pet/feed/milk animals. They also have walking trails in a beautiful setting.)

 

If you decide to stop at Ben & Jerry's (it's only about three minutes off I-89, so you'll probably go right past it on your way to and from Burlington), consider driving an additional 10 minutes north on Route 100 to go to Cold Hollow Cider Mill. The cider doughnuts are great.

[shanvan]

Shelburne Farms is fun, and my kids have enjoyed it as tweens, but if I only had tweens, I'd pick Shelburne Museum over Shelburne Farms. (At Shelburne Farms, you can pet/feed/milk animals. They also have walking trails in a beautiful setting.)

 

If you decide to stop at Ben & Jerry's (it's only about three minutes off I-89, so you'll probably go right past it on your way to and from Burlington), consider driving an additional 10 minutes north on Route 100 to go to Cold Hollow Cider Mill. The cider doughnuts are great.

You forgot to mention that they show the cheese making process and you can sample the cheeses they make.  For anyone who is a history buff, the tour of the house/inn is interesting too.  The lake almost claimed it at one point.  Last time we went they were working on restoring the gardens.  We took the house tour and they even let my daughter play the grand piano.  She was little an I think the expected something like "twinkle twinkle".  She played Fandango beautifully and even the guests at the inn stopped to listen and applaud.  Anyone with an interest in architecture would want to consider the barn tour/talk.  It's not your average barn.

 

http://www.shelburnefarms.org/staydine

 

[Melinda in VT]

You forgot to mention that they show the cheese making process and you can sample the cheeses they make.  For anyone who is a history buff, the tour of the house/inn is interesting too.  The lake almost claimed it at one point.  Last time we went they were working on restoring the gardens.  We took the house tour and they even let my daughter play the grand piano.  She was little an I think the expected something like "twinkle twinkle".  She played Fandango beautifully and even the guests at the inn stopped to listen and applaud.  Anyone with an interest in architecture would want to consider the barn tour/talk.  

 

http://www.shelburnefarms.org/staydine

 

Sorry, yes, I did forget about the cheese.

 

I didn't know the house was available to tour! Maybe I need to take another visit now that my littlest is older. :-)

[shanvan]

Sorry, yes, I did forget about the cheese.

 

I didn't know the house was available to tour! Maybe I need to take another visit now that my littlest is older. :-)

We are history/garden/architecture buffs, so I don't know if other would find it interesting.  I have't done all of the tours, but I hope to take a new tour each time.  Ideally visiting both Shelburne museum and Shalburne Farms is best b/c the people involved fromt heir beginnings are connected.  

 

Take a look at all of the tours.  I would really like to see/hear about the Coach barn and Old Dairy barn and the horses that were raised there.

[AmandaVT]

Ooh yes - Echo is fun! There's a dino exhibit right now, so if you have any dinosaur fans, they'll like that. The rest of the center is focused on Lake Champlain. Ben and Jerrys, Cold Hollow Cider Mill and Cabot cheese are all pretty close to each other off of exit 10. It's probably a little early still, but at the cider mill, you can watch cider being pressed and drink it straight from the press. yum! Oh and the apple cider donuts....

 

Tomorrow looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day, so if you like outdoorsy stuff, there are a bunch of shorter hikes that would be fun. I think you can probably rent a canoe and paddle on the lake too. I'm down near Montpelier, so I'm a more familiar with activities this way. 

 

Skinny Pancake is delicious for lunch and our favorite dinner spot is Farmhouse Tap and Grill. A Single Pebble (Chinese)  is always amazing too.