Vermont Things to Do Tips by traveldave

Designed in 1857 and completed in 1859, the Vermont State Capitol Building was constructed in the Greek Revival style of architecture, and was made from Vermont granite, quarried in nearby Barre.

The dome is sheathed in copper and is covered with a layer of gold leaf. A statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, stands at the top of the dome.

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Directions: The State Capitol Building is located at 115 State Street, in downtown Montpelier.

The Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium was founded in 1889 by Saint Johnsbury industrialist Franklin Fairbanks. The Romanesque-style building which houses the museum was completed in 1891.

The museum is the largest natural history museum in northern New England, with 18,000 square feet (1,672 square meters) of exhibit space and over 150,000 objects from nature and cultures around the world. The museum's planetarium is the only public planetarium in the State of Vermont.

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Directions: The Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium is located at 1302 Main Street, in downtown Saint Johnsbury.

Tours of Maple Grove Farms in Saint Johnsbury show how maple candy is made. Costing only one dollar, the tour is one of the greatest travel bargains anywhere.

Visitors watch as maple syrup is boiled down to leave maple sugar, which is then poured into molds to set. At the end of the tour, free samples are available in the gift shop. Visitors can also sample pure Vermont maple syrup and taste the different grades: Fancy, Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C.

Maple Grove Farms is the world's largest packager and distributor of pure maple syrup. In addition to maple syrup, they also market maple candy, gourmet cheeses, gourmet meats, desserts and snacks, and dressings and marinades.

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Directions: Maple Grove Farms is located at 1052 Portland Street, just east of Saint Johnsbury.

On the grounds of Maple Grove Farms is an authentic sugarhouse museum, which has exhibits and photographs that explain how sap is collected and boiled down to make pure Vermont maple syrup. There is also an extensive collection of modern and antique implements used in the sugaring process.

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Directions: Maple Grove Farms is located at 1052 Portland Street, just east of Saint Johnsbury.

Because of the large number of sugar maples growing in the state, Vermont is the world's largest producer of maple syrup, and nothing beats the taste of freshly made Vermont maple syrup.

Sugaring, as the process is called, starts in early spring, usually in March. The trees are tapped for their sap which starts to run as the days become warmer. The sap is clear and tastes sweet like sugarwater. In March throughout Vermont, it is common to see clouds of steam rising from maple groves as the sap is being boiled and transformed into maple syrup in sugarhouses. Some of the sugarhouses are open to the public so people can see how the sap is boiled down and becomes maple syrup. Although it is relatively expensive, visitors should not leave Vermont without buying some maple syrup for their pancakes and waffles.

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Peacham was established in 1776, and most of the historic houses along the main intersection in Peacham Village date from the early 1800s. Architectural styles that can be seen in Peacham Village include Federalist, Georgian, and Greek Revival.

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The Peacham General Store is the focal point of Peacham Village. Since I left, some of the rooms above the store have been made into a bed and breakfast, and the store has been converted from a general store to a gift shop offering Vermont products and souvenirs. Anyone familiar with The Spitfire Grill will recognize this as the Spitfire Grill as depicted in the movie.

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Directions: The Peacham General Store is located at the intersection of Bailey Hazen Road, Church Street, and Old Cemetery Road, in Peacham Village.

The Peacham Congregational Church is typical of the churches seen throughout New England. The church not only serves as a place of worship, but is also used as a place where town meetings, venison suppers, Boy Scout meetings, school programs, and other civic events are held. The church was featured in several scenes from the movie Ethan Frome starring Liam Neeson and Patricia Arquette.

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Directions: The Peacham Congregational Church is located on Church Street, in Peacham Village.