What to do in Brownsville Vermont?

[woodsman23]

We have a one week FREE condo there and would love to go there. I am not familiar with this place so if anyone knows the area please suggest things to do while there..

thanks jim

 

[peakbagger]

The American Precision Museum is nearby if you are a gearhead

http://www.americanprecision.org/

 

[Jay H]

Looking at Google maps, that appears to be close to Ascutney which you can hike up and view all the towers on the summit

http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/ascutney.htm

You can also drive up too, but that's cheating.

Jay

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Looking at Google maps, that appears to be close to Ascutney which you can hike up and view all the towers on the summit

http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/ascutney.htm

You can also drive up too, but that's cheating.

Jay

+1. I think the have a fire tower at the summit too....its a nice hike.
A little north in White River Junction/Woodstock there is a large george you can wlk down into...pretty cool...Queeche Gorge I think.
Also a little north in Bridgewater Commons, I think there is a brewery that has tours...pretty cool....if I remeber correctly there is also a place that makes hand crafted furniture, and I think you can watch them while they work...in Bridgewater, but that was years ago.
You can see Calvin Coolidge farmstead/birthplace in Plymouth which is also a little north.
My wife and I always camped at Calvin Coolidge State Forest, which is a little north of you.
We were never fond of the "Woodstock" area as its a little too hoidy toidy for us, but they do have some nice shops and restaurants downtown.
I don't think there is too much in the Brownsville area, but then again its Vermont, so you just drive slow and take in the scenery
Enjoy the trip

 

[Jay H]

VT has covered bridges. A lot of them. In fact, I think there's a patch or something klitschey if you go view them all. Kind of like a NPS Junior Ranger program for kids.

You can bicycle to them or motorcycle to them or drive to them. But it is kind of a laid back kind of tourism.

Ben and Jerrys is up in waterbury, which is probably 1.5-2hours from Ascutney?????? Sure you can google it.

If you take the condo in winter time, lots of skiing...

Raft/Kayak/Inner Tube trip down the Connecticut river? (between VT and NH)?

Jay

 

[pybyr]

The American Precision Museum is nearby if you are a gearhead

http://www.americanprecision.org/

+2- and you don't even have to be a total gearhead to like that place - there's some general history, and some of the machinery there is simply gorgeous from an aesthetic design standpoint (curving buttressed castings, knurlings, cranks, knurlings, etc.) that didn't specifically have to be a certain shape, but that are a lot more attractive because they are)

Cornish Colony Museum - Windsor, VT, especially if you like Maxfield Parrish's art : www.cornishcolonymuseum.org

Montshire Museum in Norwich VT

Dartmouth and its various cultural trappings are not far in Hanover NH (but prices are metropolitan-scale compared to the things I mention below):

VT Institute of Natural Science "(VINS") in Quechee VT, including their Raptor Center where they rehab hawks and owls, etc.

Harpoon Brewing in Windsor VT

Long Trail Brewing in Bridgewater VT

- a bit further afield from Brownsville, but also excellent:

Fairbanks Museum, St Johnsbury, VT (and while in STJ, check out the Athenaeum, which is the Town Library and has an astonishing collection of mid-to-late 18th century paintings, including the original of this, which is not only huge, but gorgeous
http://www.stjathenaeum.org/gallery_images/domes_of_yosemite.htm

Stop at Anthony's Diner on Railroad ST while in STJ for some great food, especially the WoodsmanBurger; it's next to the McDonalds by the Movie Theater at the foot of Eastern Ave.

If you feel like heading further north and east, you might want to go up US RTE 2 and cross over at Lancaster; there's a good group antique shop in the middle of nowhere called Potato Barn Antiques that has cool stuff at prices that are a fraction of what you'd see nearer to tourist areas. Then head up 26 to Colebrook NH, and turn east towards Dixville Notch, where you'll find "The Balsams" which is an amazing post-civil war Grand Hotel that is now heated by biomass via a co-generation facility that also makes electricity. This is the location of the first presidential primary results in NH, which are either the first or some of the first in the entire US, and the both the Hotel and the road/ notch are gorgeous.

on the way back from STJ and/ or Dixville Notch, a bit of a side-jog, go to Cabot Creamery in Cabot for a tour and free samples of cheese, then take VT Route 15 to Morrisville, then take VT 100 through Stowe and then to Waterbury, where you can get the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream tour.

From there, or as a separate jaunt, hit Jericho VT
http://snowflakebentley.com/museum2.htm

Rock of Ages' granite quarries and visitors center in Barre VT are very impressive, and I hear that the VT Granite Museum is good; Hope Cemetary contains some truly remarkable monuments that the stonecutters have made for themselves and their families. DO lock your car there, as unfortunately some local neer-do-wells apparently hide in the bushes and grab valuables if you're out strolling among the stones.

Montpelier is the smallest capital in the US, but a great place to visit

Fairlee VT has a drive in with motel

Lake Willoughby is gorgeous and offers a great moderately challenging but highly rewarding hike up Mt. Pisgah on its eastern side.

Jay Peak is an interesting place to see and I think that they have a tram (so does Stowe, but IMO it's touristy/ spendy, less authentic); Great Falls is near there and really worth a visit if you are in the vicinity (see mention of waterfalls below)

As long as you and your companions don't get car sick, Smugglers Notch on VT 108 near Stowe, the Appalachian Gap on VT 117 near Waitsfield, and Lincoln Gap

Some really good waterfalls are here there and everywhere around VT, and you can find some more info on

www.northeastwaterfalls.com

Any of the minor highways to and fro between any of the above and back to Brownsville are likely to take you through some nice villages and farmland.

Down more to the south/ west
www.vermont-marble.com

Last but very definitely not least, in the heart of northern VT is Adamant, which is tiny in size but brimming with some good stuff, including some tasty Friday night cookouts with great food and some really eclectic company [loggers to artists who all get along and relate] starting soon after July 4:

http://www.adamantcoop.org/
http://www.adamant.org/
http://www.adamant.org/quarryworks.htm

You could accuse me of bias about Adamant, but it's sort of the other way around, 20 years ago, the place drew me in as if it had a force field, and you couldn't drag me away with a log skidder.

 

[woodsman23]

Thanks everyone, we are going at the end of the month of june. It is Ascutney mountain resort where we have a 3 bedroom condo for 6 days for free. i am not looking for to much to do maybe just relax and even drive to the coast for some deep sea fishing, any recomendations for fishing???

 

[firefighterjake]

Well I can't believe anyone would not mention this . . . or maybe they did and I missed it.

Isn't the Woodstock Soapstone Company in West Lebanon, NH . . . a hop, skip and jump away from Brownsville, VT? Seems to me that any woodstove burner worth a cord of oak would want to stop there no matter what they have for a woodstove.

Oh yeah . . . my wife and I have always liked the Calvin Coolidge homestead . . . neat place . . . be sure to buy some cheese and check out CC's gravesite . . . it really exemplified his character as the stone is quite modest and not what one would think the gravesite for a President would be like . . . no large monuments, no huge stones.

 

[gpcollen1]

Well, you are right in the middle of one of the most beautiful places in the northeast. You have the lower section of the Green Mountains to the southwest and the upper section to the northwest. You will have to do some research on the Long Trail to find some great simple hikes or some longer ones. Some of the best views west and east from some Green Mountain Peaks.

Speaking of Long Trail, VT has a few breweries you could probably visit for a sample or two and some beer to go. Long Trail, Otter Creek, Harpoon and Magic Hat are the bigger names along with Rock Art and Trout River. I think you are very near to Harpoon but not sure what they do for tours or anything else.

Take some time to sample local views, food beer - - - do not forget the cheese. Some very good small farm cheese production in Vt if that interests you.

Here is a listing of VT breweries on BeerAdvocate. I guess now you know one of my other hobbies...
http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/list?c_id=US&s_id=VT&brewery=Y

 

[Delta-T]

I've enjoyed the Bennington Battle Monument, also in VT, in Bennington I thinks.

 

[woodsman23]

Thanks everyone we will make it a great time for sure vermont is a beautiful place...

 

[Adios Pantalones]

If I was there, I'd visit http://www.beccavanfleetpottery.com/

Becca Van Fleet's work ROCKS.

but, I'm a pottery person.

 

[homebrewz]

There will be some repeats, but here is my "list":

Hike Quechee Gorge, along Route 4 near Woodstock, VT.
Hike a section of the Long Trail.
Go panning for gold in the streams. There are placer/glacial deposits of gold in several of the streams in VT. I used to go panning in a stream somewhere a few miles south or east of Bridgewater. There are places along Route 4 where you can get a decent gravity pan and some supplies.
Check out Woodstock, VT.. cool little village.
If there is a day you just want to go for a drive, drive north along Route 100 until you feel like turning around. Beautiful drive.
Take a day and head north and check out Burlington. I'm not much for cities, but its a nice, laid back one along the east side of Lake Champlain.
Go next door to NH and stock up on some tax-free alcohol.
If you are so inclined or interested, do the VT beer trail: http://brewersvt.com/tours
There is Long Trail in Bridgewater, Otter Creek/Wolavers in Middlebury (who now own Long Trail, btw).
If you are in fact a beer enthusiast, my two must see/taste places are the Alchemist in Waterbury, and McNeil's in Brattleboro. Both are brew pubs.
Look for "Champy", the Loch Ness monster of Lake Chaplain.

 

[webbie]

Yes, Woodstock Soapstone is close by there - I was just up to visit them last week. They are having a shindig on Fathers Day weekend in case you are up then.

If it was not mentioned already, you MUST see the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site! It is right near where you are staying.
So is a famous Shaker village and a bunch of other stuff - this is in NH, but that NH is right there as soon as you cross the river.

If you want to see the clean wood boilers, Bioheat is right there - in Lyme, NH - they have a showroom.

If you feel like driving a bit, you can go north to the Mad River Valley for a day trip - that's Sugarbush (ski area) and lots of stuff around it. It is quite spectacular in the summer....the mountains are bigger there! Lots to do - a really cool thing if you are up for it is to take a glider ride at the airport there!

Some of the VT mts have alpine slides (summer rides)...I really liked doing them.

Luckily for you, there are great online guides to a lot of this stuff - make sure you look at the NH web pages since you will be right there (Hanover, Dartmouth, Lebanon, and White River Jct, VT are all right near each other).

 

[pybyr]

And, don't know why I did not think of it sooner, as I am acquainted with some of the people that run these:

http://www.vermontvacation.com/

www.511vt.com/

 

[woodsman23]

Well i am back from Vermont and we had a great time. the resort was a great place and we did hiking, whitewater rafting and went up and down more mountains than i knew ever exsisted!!. What a great place Vermont is, those who live there are truly blessed by nature. We did not have cell phone coverage most places and some spots the satt radio would not work. I enjoyed it very much and then we went to hampton beach for a couple days also very nice along with some deep sea fiahing where we caught mackeral, pollock and 1 or 2 haddock. The ocean was dam cold does it ever get warm?? . all in all a great time

PS the vermont swimming holes were a great find and clothing optional was NICE

 

[Delta-T]

Well i am back from Vermont and we had a great time. the resort was a great place and we did hiking, whitewater rafting and went up and down more mountains than i knew ever exsisted!!. What a great place Vermont is, those who live there are truly blessed by nature. We did not have cell phone coverage most places and some spots the satt radio would not work. I enjoyed it very much and then we went to hampton beach for a couple days also very nice along with some deep sea fiahing where we caught mackeral, pollock and 1 or 2 haddock. The ocean was dam cold does it ever get warm?? . all in all a great time

PS the vermont swimming holes were a great find and clothing optional was NICE

Yes, the water at Hampton Beach gets warmer....once saw it get to 52 °F , like swimming in urine. Not very refreshing.