Weekend on the Green Mountain

While Vermont is most definitely a splash with color in the fall, it's also beautiful when it sports the color of its namesake: "vert mont" (French deriviation) or green mountain.

Upon crossing onto Route 89, my family was greeted with an awe-inspiring natural canvas - ubiquitous green in the form of plush trees and sprawling fields contrasted with the dark silhouette of distant mountains.

 

The natural beauty made us sigh as we travelled, and things only got better when we reached Quechee Gorge where we discovered white water flowing 165 feet below us, a smaller scale grand-canyon-like view! We tossed a rock and counted to 15 before we saw it land. We later learned that the Gorge is home to Quechee's Hot Air Balloon Festival in June (quecheeballoonfestival.com). It was easy to picture multi-colored vessels hovering over the rumbling river.

Final destination - Woodstock, population 2,500. Perhaps one of the most picturesque New England towns I have ever seen. Buildings adorned with Doric columns, houses decked out in bold historic colors, picket fences, quaint shops, a village green and a covered bridge add to the charm.

Our stay at the Woodstock Inn and Resort was nothing short of perfect. The Inn boasts a beautiful outdoor garden with an inviting interior. My children lounged in the fully-stocked library, played ping-pong in the game room and swam in the Olympic-sized pool ¼ mile down the road. There, the inn houses an (excellent) health center which includes both indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a racquetball court, gym, golf course and croquet course. We ate well but slept even better in spacious rooms with down comforters and feather-filled pillows.

Our trip included a visit to Billings Farm & Museum where we were catapulted back in time. While my kids particularly enjoyed petting the dairy cows and calves, stenciling and sampling the homemade ice cream, my husband and I marveled at the intricate architecture and décor of the restored 1890 farmhouse and the wellconstructed museum exhibits that allowed us to imagine what life was like in days past. We left the farm with a renewed sense of conservation and preservation, caring for the land and protecting our natural resources.

Next, we took a hike up Tom's Mountain across the street in the Marsh-Billings- Rockefeller National Park, the country's oldest cared-for forest. We stood silent as a deer grazed 100 feet in front of us, heard the call of an oven bird, learned that the best place to keep dry during a storm is under a hemlock and stopped to smell the exquisite flowers in a garden maintained by four generations of dedicated stewardship.

Later in the day, we found a pocket of respite from the Jsummer rain and kayaked along a tranquil lake. Beaching our boats, we trekked up a trail to see a waterfall. The view was so breath-taking that it made skirting the narrow, poison ivy -lined path worthwhile.

Woodstock provided a blend of history and natural beauty that made me proud to be a New Englander, proud not only of the natural landmarks and nooks and crannies of our land, but of ancestors, whose pride and perseverance allowed me to view the same beauty, intact, some hundred years later. Woodstock, Vermont Chamber of Commerce: 802-457-3555 or woodstockvermont.com

Woodstock Inn & Resort: 800-448-7900, woodstockinn.com

Billings Farm & Museum: 802-457-2355, billingsfarm.org. Open daily May 1 - October 31, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; November - February Weekends, 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Christmas and Vacation Weeks - 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 2009 Admission: A $11, 62 and up, $10, C (5-15) $6, C (3-4) $3.

Fall 2009 Events on the Farm:

August 1: - Opening of the 23rd annual juried quilt exhibition. Runs through Sept/ 27. See 50 colorful quilts, demonstrations,and activities for the children.

August 9: Antique Tractor Day. See tractors form the 1930-1960s. Tractor-drawn wagon rides and activities for children. 1 p.m. tractor parade.

September 5, 12, 19, 26: Meet Vermont crafters and hands-on learning demonstrations.

October 3 and 4: Pumpkin and Apple Celebration. Apple and pumpkin displays, hands-on activities and educational programs highlight these two fall crops. Annual pumpkin sale begins.

October 10 and 11: Harvest Weekend. Experience a traditional husking bee, lively barn dance, cider pressing, harvesting root vegetables, historic games, and more.

October 17 and 18: Wagon Ride Weekend. Experience fall's foliage on a narrated wagon ride. Enjoy programs and activities.

October 25: A Family Halloween. Children in costume accompanied by an adult admitted free. A not-so-scary family celebration including doughnuts on a string, pumpkin carving and a 12 p.m. costume parade.