VERMONT STATEHOUSE
ESTIMATED LENGTH: 80 miles
ESTIMATED TIME: 2 to 3 days
HIGHLIGHTS: The Capital Region encompasses a handful of communities, including Montpelier, a capital city with a laid-back vibe, and Barre (pronounced “berry”), best known for its granite quarries and Hope Cemetery, arguably one of the state’s prettiest cemeteries. Historic covered bridges span rivers throughout the area, with five alone in Northfield, home to Norwich University, the nation’s oldest private military college. Agriculture also dominates the landscape, with a number of sugarhouses, wineries, and u-pick operations open to the public.
GETTING THERE: Take I-89 to Exit 8, and then follow Memorial Drive (US 2) a short distance to the downtown area. Take a left on Bailey Avenue and a right on State Street, where you will begin your visit at the Vermont Statehouse. From the east, take US 2 West to Montpelier or US 302 West to Barre if starting the route from there.
ON THE ROAD
When exploring the Capital Region, a logical starting point is Vermont’s capital city, Montpelier. The smallest state capital in the country, it’s a compact, walkable city with a population just shy of 8,000. It’s an unpretentious spot—the governor doesn’t even have a mansion—where back-to-the-earth types mingle with politicians and visitors on the street and in the restaurants and shops, most of which are independently owned.
The distinctive gold-domed Statehouse (802-828-2228), capped with a statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, reigns over the downtown landscape. Much of the Greek Revival building has been restored to its original 1859 appearance, including the legislative chambers, governor’s office, and the Hall of Flags, where many of the 68 different flags carried by Vermont’s Civil War regiments were once displayed prior to being stored for preservation. Many of the original furnishings remain, including the Senate Chamber’s 30 black walnut desks and chairs used by members of the 1859 Senate.
Friends of the Vermont Statehouse offer free guided tours every half hour from July through mid-October. Or stop by the Sergeant at Arms office to pick up a free audio wand for a self-guided tour on weekdays (available in English, French, German, and Spanish). Under the Dome Gift Shop hours correspond with tour hours.
VERMONT HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
Delve into the history of the Green Mountain State at the Vermont Historical Society Museum (802-828-2291) in the adjacent Pavilion Building. Its main permanent exhibit, “Freedom and Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories,” takes you from the 1600s to the present, exploring everything from the arrival of the Abenakis, Vermont in wartime, agriculture, politics, and tourism to the realities of living in the state, including how the Depression, Flood of 1927, and 1918 influenza epidemic impacted communities. Admission to the museum also provides entry to the Vermont Heritage Galleries at the Vermont History Center (802-479-8500) in Barre.
A CAPITAL EXPERIENCE
In the Statehouse’s “backyard,” stretch your legs with a 20-minute uphill hike to Hubbard’s Tower, a 54-foot stone observation tower in Hubbard Park. The 194-acre wooded property has around 7 miles of hiking and cross-country ski trails and an off-leash area for dogs. If driving, the park can be accessed via Hubbard Park Drive.
At the U.S.S. Montpelier Museum, located on the second floor of City Hall, explore the history of three naval vessels named Montpelier. Pick up the key from the City Manager’s Office (802-223-9502) during regular business hours. On weekends and evenings, ask at the Lost Nation Theater (802-229-0492), which has its office on the balcony of the third-floor auditorium. The theater stages more than 125 performances a year, including five main stage shows, cabarets, and special events such as the Edgar Allan Poe Spooktacular Halloween show.
For a small community, Montpelier has a large number of bookstores, art galleries, and shops. Check out Cocoa Bean (802-225-6670), a boutique chocolatier; Bear Pond Books (802-229-0774), a Montpelier institution; Artisans Hand Craft Gallery (802-229-9492), featuring the work of more than 100 local artisans; and T. W. Wood Gallery (802-262-6035), among Vermont’s oldest art galleries. On Saturdays from May to October, mingle with the locals at the Capital City Farmers Market (802-793-8347) on State Street to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables, local meats and cheeses, maple products, and baked goods. In winter the market moves indoors, held at various locations including Montpelier City Center (802-229-4948).
Locally grown foods also are featured prominently on the menu at many Montpelier restaurants, including those operated by the New England Culinary Institute (802-223-6324), which is based here. For light fare, check out NECI’s La Brioche Bakery and Café (802-229-0443), open daily except Sunday. Capitol Grounds Café (802-223-7800) is a popular gathering place for local residents to grab a bite. The café roasts its own coffee, sold under the brand name of 802 Coffee.
To head out of the city, take Main Street (a left at the end of State Street) to the rotary to pick up VT 12 North toward Worcester.
NATURE UNPLUGGED
Two miles north of downtown Montpelier on VT 12, the North Branch Nature Center (802-229-6206) introduces visitors to the state’s flora and fauna through its exhibits, kids’ activities, and citizen science programs. This 28-acre regional center of the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (802-359-5000) also maintains several trails, some of which connect with the East Montpelier Trails system and Hubbard Park. Leashed dogs are allowed on the trails, which are open daily.
Continuing north, you’ll reach Wrightsville Beach Recreation Area (802-552-3471), ideal for a quick swim or picnic near the water. In Worcester you can’t miss the yellow building that houses both the town’s post office and the Post Office Café (802-225-6687). The cozy eatery offers a generous selection of doughnuts, pastries, and other baked goods, all made on the premises, along with breakfast sandwiches, vegetarian quiche, soups, salads, and sandwiches. Just past the café, look for Worcester Town Hall, where you’ll turn right on Calais Road. If you miss the turn, you’ll end up at Elmore State Park (802-888-2982) on Lake Elmore. Heed the highway signs that caution drivers to watch out for moose.
DETOUR
Instead of taking VT 12, go right at the rotary for 2.7 miles, following Main Street until it becomes County Road (stay left at the Y) to Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks (802-223-2740). At this working farm you can view a short video on maple sugaring in a woodshed theater, purchase maple and other products, and tour the sugarhouse and outdoor farm museum. Owner Burr Morse has carved several folksy figures out of wood. Walk behind the store to view the replica of the Vermont Statehouse.
CARVED WOODEN CHARACTERS AT MORSE FARM MAPLE SUGARWORKS
Continue along County Road to Bliss Pond Road, and then hang right on Fowler to Adamant Road. A quick detour on Lightening Ridge Road, so named because farmers had to lighten their wagon’s load if they wanted to get up it, will take you to Chickering Bog Natural Area (802-229-4425) on the Calais–East Montpelier border. (The site also can be accessed from VT 14 just north of North Montpelier Pond.) The parking area is on George Road. Follow the 1-mile loop trail through the spruce, tamarack, and fir forest to the bog (misnamed, as it’s actually a fen), then keep on the boardwalk to observe wetland plants, including several species of carnivorous plants.
Or stay on Adamant Road to Adamant on the shores of Sodom Pond. The hamlet’s quirky Black Fly Festival each May is a favorite with visitors, although the town is also home to Adamant Co-op (802-223-5760) and the Adamant Music School (802-223-3347), which offers summer concerts. Center Road takes you through East Montpelier back to Montpelier, where you can pick up VT 12.
At the point where Calais Road turns to gravel and becomes Worcester Road, continue straight. Alternatively, take Collar Hill Road on the right, which feeds into this route farther along. It’s a pretty drive, especially in fall foliage season. As you near Maple Corner you’ll see a sign for Curtis Pond Recreation Area, a great spot to launch a canoe or kayak or take a swim. At the stop sign just past the pond, you have two options. Head left on the dirt road to Woodbury, which bills itself as the “Land of Lakes and Ponds,” an apt nickname as there are at least two dozen bodies of water within its borders, or our preference, a right-hand turn on County Road through Maple Corner, an unincorporated village in Calais.
The Maple Corner Store (802-229-4329), which shares the building with the Calais post office, offers pizza, wings, and sandwiches named for local places such as Gospel Hollow and Curtis Pond. Local musicians play at the Whammy Bar, located inside the store, several nights a week, with open mic night every Wednesday.
LESSONS IN HISTORY
Just past the store, take a left on Kent Hill Road and travel 0.7 mile to a four-way intersection. Historic Kent Tavern, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will be directly ahead. The brick tavern was built by Abdiel Kent in the 1930s and is now owned by the Vermont Historical Society. It is open periodically for events and exhibits or by appointment (802-828-3051) from late May to mid-October.
Take Robinson Cemetery Road to the left to view the historic post-and-beam Robinson Saw Mill and waterfall. One of the state’s only remaining water-powered sawmills, the 1803 mill is undergoing restoration by a group of dedicated volunteers. If you head past the tavern in the opposite direction for 0.8 mile you will come to the Old West Church, unchanged since it was erected in 1823. The door is never locked, so peek inside to see the original wooden box pews. Although the church last was open for weekly services in Civil War times, its annual Christmas Eve service is always well attended.
Back at the tavern, take a right on Kent Hill Road, following this to North Calais Road, then Moscow Wood Road to East Calais, where you will pick up VT 14. A left on Max L. Gray Road (which becomes East Hill Road) for 5 miles will bring you to Unadilla Theater (802-456-8968), launched by nonagenarian Bill Blachy in 1979. Cows graze in pastures behind this quirky repertory theater with dual venues for plays. Theatergoers are welcome to picnic before the performance, and a perpetual used book sale and homemade cookies fill the intermissions.
OLD WEST CHURCH, KENT’S CORNER
VT 14 continues south through North Montpelier, where you can catch VT 214, which meanders past Goddard College (802-454-8311), a private liberal arts school in Plainfield. The campus, established in the 1930s on a former gentleman’s farm, is on the National Register of Historic Places for its Tudor Revival architecture and formal estate gardens designed by American landscape architect Arthur Surcliff. The public is welcome to tour the restored Greatwood Gardens at Goddard and take part in seasonal Tea and Tour events.
Just past Goddard, head east on US 2 to the village of Plainfield. Browse the extensive array of old books, vintage postcards, and other ephemera at Country Bookshop (802-454-8439) before popping across the street to Positive Pie (802-454-0133), popular with locals for its hand-tossed thin-crust pizza and large selection of craft beers.
OLD SCHOOL
Follow US 2 to East Montpelier, taking a quick jaunt north on VT 14 to Bragg Farm Sugarhouse and Gift Shop (802-223-5757) to sample maple syrup, maple creemees, and other maple products and watch a short video on maple sugaring. The farm is old school, preferring to gather sap with buckets—2,200 of them—instead of the more modern pipeline systems. If you call ahead during sugaring season, you may be able to arrange to accompany the sap gatherers to the sugarbush.
Reverse direction and stay on VT 14 South to Barre. Once there, park your car to explore the city’s many architectural treasures on foot, starting at the Vermont History Center (802-479-8500), housed in the former Spaulding School. The Victorian building alone is worth a visit for its beautiful stained-glass windows and pressed tin ceilings. The center includes the Vermont Heritage Galleries, with rotating exhibits on various aspects of the state’s history, and a research library. The bulk of the collection is Vermont history books and pamphlets dating from the 1770s to the present, although the library also is an excellent resource for New England genealogy information.
DETOURS
From Plainfield, continue east on US 2 to Marshfield. It’s worth the detour for a stop at Rainbow Sweets Bakery (802-426-3531). For more than 40 years, Bill Tecosky and his wife, Trish Halloran, have prepared Engadiner nusstorte, Linzertorte, and other exquisite European sweet and savory pastries at their village location. The Marshfield Village Store (802-426-4321) has pizza and sandwiches. Or enjoy a generous scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone while relaxing on the front porch next to the wooden Indian and vintage Coca-Cola machine.
Take a 5-mile side trip on VT 215 to the Cabot Creamery Visitor Center (800-837-4261). It’s a good place to stock up on cheese and other Vermont products, sample cheeses, and view a video to learn about the cheese-making process. Continue past the creamery to Cabot Village, with its inviting town green and white-steepled church. Visit Harry’s Hardware (802-563-2291), Vermont’s first hardware store with a liquor license. The Den, open Wednesday through Sunday, has Vermont craft beers and hard cider on tap. Its 12-foot granite-topped bar is set among the paint, tools, and fishing and hunting supplies for sale in this operating hardware store. On live music nights, the bar serves chicken wings and other appetizers from Sarah’s Country Diner (802-563-2422), located at the back of the hardware store.
Returning to Marshfield, take US 2 to Plainfield, making a quick stop first at Martin Bridge Park. The park’s single-lane, century-old covered bridge makes a great photo op. You can launch a canoe or kayak here, or stroll through the 44-foot-long bridge to the picnic area and trails. Picnic tables overlook the water.
Barre Opera House (1899), Aldrich Public Library (1908), and the many magnificent sculptures and monuments scattered throughout this blue-collar community are all testaments to the skill and artistry of the early stone carver residents. Among the city’s most significant sculptures is Youth Triumphant, designed by C. Paul Jennewein, who won a nationwide competition in 1921.
In Dente Park on North Main Street, a 23-foot-high statue of a sculptor holding a chisel and hammer was erected in 1985 to pay homage to Carlo Abate. The Italian craftsman opened a school around 1900 to teach design, sculpting, and other skills to workers in the granite industry. Modern-day sculptors can learn the trade at the Stone Arts School at the Vermont Granite Museum (802-476-4605).
A SHRINE TO STONECUTTERS’ LIVES
Hope Cemetery (802-476-6245) on Maple Avenue on a hill high above Barre is a veritable showcase of memorial art. This is no ordinary cemetery. Every headstone and crypt is made of local granite, with many sculpted in unusual shapes or intricately carved with elaborate designs, everything from floral patterns to bas-reliefs of people, angels, and personal mementos. Among the 10,500 grave markers are a full-size armchair, a race car with the number 61, and a loving older couple dressed in nightclothes reclining in bed for all eternity.
Vermont Granite Museum (802-476-4605), 7 Jones Brothers Way, Barre. Open June–Oct., Tues.–Sat. 10 AM–4 PM. The museum, in the former Jones Brothers Granite Shed, tells the story of Vermont’s granite industry through photos, vintage equipment, sculptures, and interactive exhibits on history, geology, and technology. Visitors can try their hand at freehand sculpting or create their own sandblasted or etched tiles. Through workshops at the Stone Arts School, students have an opportunity to work side-by-side with experienced sculptors and stone workers to learn stone-carving techniques, sandblasting, and stonewall construction.
STATUES AT THE VERMONT GRANITE MUSEUM
Established in 1895, the 65-acre cemetery is the final resting place for many of the stoneworkers and their families. It became tradition for these men to create their own memorials before retiring. If they passed away early, as many did from silicosis or other lung diseases before the mandate for ventilation systems in the cutting sheds was enforced in the 1930s, then a relative or co-worker would do the honors. A life-sized, lifelike figure of Elia Corti, carved from a single block of granite, marks the grave of the Italian stonecutter considered among the very best in the country in the early 1900s. He died after being accidentally shot during an argument between the anarchists and socialists at Barre’s Socialist Labor Hall (802-331-0013), now a National Historic Landmark, in 1903.
Lesser known but equally intriguing is Elmwood Cemetery (802-476-6245) on Washington and Hill Streets. Many of Barre’s earliest residents are buried here, including the city’s first settlers, John and Rebeckah Goldsbury; its first doctor; and former Vermont governor Deane C. Davis.
Before leaving the downtown area, visit Studio Place Arts (802-479-7069) on North Main. This working art center gives visitors access to contemporary art galleries and the resident artists who have studios in the historic three-story building.
Head south on VT 14, turning left on Middle Road to visit the Rock of Ages Quarry (802-476-3119). Located in the appropriately named village of Graniteville, at nearly 600 feet deep, it is the world’s largest deep-hole granite quarry. At the visitor center, view exhibits and a video on the granite industry and its history, which will make it clear why Barre is considered the Granite Capital of the World.
The only way to observe the working quarry is on a 40-minute guided tour that departs from the visitor center several times daily, except Sunday, from Memorial Day through mid-October. From the observation area you can watch steel derricks slowly hoisting gargantuan blocks of gray granite from the yawning pit, later to be cut, sculpted, sandblasted, and polished for headstones, statues, countertops, and numerous other items. Keep in mind that quarry workers have weekends and holidays off, so you won’t see much activity on those days.
ROCK OF AGES QUARRY, GRANITEVILLE
The self-guided factory tour in the building adjacent to the visitor center will let you watch stonecutters and artisans at work. Many of them are descendants of the early Italian, northern European, and French Canadian immigrants who traveled here in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Facing economic hardship in their own countries, they saw Barre’s then fledgling granite industry as a lifeline for a new start.
Upon exiting the building, you’ll find an outdoor granite bowling lane tucked away behind the hedges. Although Rock of Ages planned to manufacture these for commercial bowling alleys in the 1950s, their marketing efforts were unsuccessful. Try your hand at knocking down the pins. You may find that it’s not as easy as it looks. For a glimpse of some of the Barre area’s abandoned quarries, head to Millstone Hill, where more than 70 miles of trails, maintained by the Millstone Trails Association, wind past quarry ponds, grout piles, and rusting, forgotten mining equipment. Mountain bikers are charged a nominal fee for a day-use pass. Walkers, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers can go for free.
SOCKS, SOLDIERS, AND BRIDGES
Back on VT 14 South, at Williamstown go west on VT 64 then VT 12 to Northfield Center, where a short detour on VT 12A brings you to Stony Brook Covered Bridge. Built in 1899, it was the last kingpost-truss covered bridge constructed on a public highway in the state. Retrace your steps and head north on VT 12 to Northfield. Although Norwich University (802-485-2000), founded in 1819, put it on the map, the annual sock sale at Cabot Hosiery Mills (802-485-6066), New England’s last remaining sock mill, brings thousands of shoppers to this town of 6,200 for two weekends in November.
To reach the Sullivan Museum and History Center (802-485-2183) on the Norwich University campus, take University Drive and watch for signs for visitor parking. The museum, in a rotunda-like building, showcases the university’s 200-year history. Exhibits of war memorabilia are changed out occasionally, with new temporary exhibits installed throughout the year. The university hosts a free summer concert series with guest carillonneurs from throughout the world. Following each performance, concertgoers are invited to meet the musician and go inside the bell tower for a peek at the carillon bells.
Just past the campus you’ll encounter the Northfield Historical Society (802-485-4792) at 75 South Main Street. The building was once the home of Vermont’s fifth governor, Charles Paine.
If ready for a lunch break, check out O’Maddi’s Deli and Café (802-485-4700) on Depot Square with its locally made desserts and local art on the walls, or Cornerstone Burger Co. (802-485-4300) on East Street, which has an inventive burger menu. Order the Vermonter (New England beef, cheddar cheese, smoked bacon, Granny Smith apples, and peanut butter) or the poutine burger (cheddar cheese curds, house gravy, and french fries on Angus beef) for a taste of regional fare.
EXHIBITS AT SULLIVAN MUSEUM AND HISTORY CENTER, NORWICH UNIVERSITY
Continuing north on VT 12, stop at the Falls General Store (802-485-4551) in Northfield Falls on the corner of Cox Brook Road. The specialty food store and café, housed in a recently renovated 1892 building, carries a number of Vermont products along with grab-and-go cuisine. Proprietors Vincent and Norma Rooney, who studied at the International Culinary Center in New York, bake their own bread for their signature sandwiches and use locally sourced ingredients whenever possible on their menu, which features grass-fed beef burgers, pizza by the slice, and salads. All bakery items, including the Italian pastries, cookies, and fruit muffins, are freshly prepared on site.
Two covered bridges are visible from the store’s parking area, the first of which, the Northfield Falls Covered Bridge, was built in 1872. The next two bridges, located on a quarter-mile stretch of Cox Brook Road, are both queenpost-truss construction, as is a fourth bridge, the Slaughter House Bridge, which crosses the Dog River on Slaughter House Road nearby.
As you head back to Montpelier, cap off the day with a wine tasting at Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard and Winery (802-223-1151) in Berlin, established in 2002 by Christina Castegren and her husband Kris Tootle. The farm, which grows all its own grapes for its wines and taps 1,000 maple trees for syrup and its maple dessert wine, prides itself on its sustainable agricultural practices.
Best Places to Sleep
THE INN AT MONTPELIER (802-223-2727), 147 Main Street, Montpelier. The inn, owned by John and Karel Underwood, offers accommodations in two adjacent Federal-style homes, both beautifully restored and decorated with antiques and Oriental rugs. Each of the 19 well-appointed rooms has a private bath—some also have a fireplace—and comes with a continental breakfast. A 24-hour guest pantry provides hot beverages and cookies, which can be enjoyed on the wraparound veranda at the brick Lamb-Langdon house, one of the inn’s two buildings. $$–$$$.
FIREHOUSE INN (802-476-2167), 8 South Main Street, Barre. Located in the heart of the city, this boutique hotel in a restored 1904 Queen Anne–style firehouse has two 1-bedroom suites and two studio suites with firehouse memorabilia. A sign in each room describes the room’s original purpose. The hotel retains much of its original character with firefighter lockers, a vintage telephone switchboard, and other artifacts. Owners Richard Beaudet and Valerie White-Beaudet also run the Ladder 1 Grill and Pub (see Best Places to Eat). $$–$$$.
THE ELIZABETHAN INN (802-552-4791), 965 South Main Street, Northfield. Convenient to Norwich University, this charming B&B with an English flair features three well-appointed guest rooms, all with private bath. Each room is named after a famous author, including the nautically themed Herman Melville Room with its king-sized bed and a copy of Moby Dick for bedtime reading. Hosts Tom and Rita Clifford, both artists, have filled their home with their own original art. Continental breakfast is included in the room rate, with afternoon tea available upon request. $.
Best Places to Eat
SARDUCCI’S (802-223-0229), 3 Main Street, Montpelier. Open Mon.–Thurs. 11:30 AM–9 PM, Fri.–Sat. 11:30 AM–9:30 PM, Sun. 4–9 PM. This Mediterranean-style Italian restaurant overlooking the Winooski River is renowned for its wood-fired pizzas and pasta dishes, including Linguine al Pescatore (sea scallops, mussels, and shrimp in a white-wine tomato sauce) and Ravioli di Spinaci (baked spinach ravioli in a garlic and mushroom cream sauce). Gluten-free options are available. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends. $–$$.
KISMET (802-223-8646), 52 State Street, Montpelier. Open Wed.–Sat. 5–9 PM; brunch Sat. 8 AM–2 PM, Sun. 9 AM–2 PM. This farm-to-table restaurant pulls out all the stops when it comes to its menu and presentation. Dishes are prepared with local and organic meats and produce with a focus on in-season, fresh whole foods. The fish is regional and sustainably harvested. Check out the seasonal craft cocktails, and don’t say “no” to dessert. Chef-owner Crystal Maderia is accommodating when it comes to special diets, including vegan, paleo, and gluten-free. $–$$.
LADDER 1 GRILL AND PUB (802-883-2000), 8 South Main Street, Barre. Open Tues.–Sat. 11 AM–9 PM. It’s all about firefighters past and present at this casual-dress restaurant with firehouse memorabilia and photos as the decor. Many of the dishes are named in honor of local firefighters. The eclectic menu offers a range of choices, from brick-oven pizzas, calzones, and pasta to steak, seafood, and comfort food such as shepherd’s pie and fish-and-chips. For smaller appetites, there are soups, hero sandwiches, and wraps. Wednesday is Mexican Night. Before dining, the over-21 crowd can head downstairs for drinks and appetizers at Moruzzi’s (802-479-2100), a Gatsby-style lounge. Drinks are named after mobsters, and 1920s attire is encouraged. Open Wed.–Fri. 5–10 PM. $–$$.
