Vermont

I haven't spent a ton of time in Vermont, but driving through the state is absolutely gorgeous.     We were on our way to New Hampshire from Ohio.  Just past Syracuse, New York, the GPS suggested a diagonal route across Vermont and we were amazed! "So this is Vermont! Remarkable!"   

I would love to return to Vermont in the wintertime and I'd love to ski Vermont.  I have heard and seen so much about the Vermont skiing in brochures, in ski magazines, and on map listings.  

Meanwhile, as a kid growing up in the '80s, my parents watched the Newhart sitcom religiously.    Every night after dinner, we’d gather in the living room, turn on the TV, and let the show transport us to that quaint Vermont bed-and-breakfast. 

You can watch the Newhart trailer here:

The Newhart show is supposed to take place in Vermont. 

Now, as Clevelanders growing up in the 80s, with our steel mills belching smoke and fire, we would be transported to this mythical place in the mountains for an hour by means of television.

I can tell you from my own firsthand experience: Vermont actually looks every bit as charming in real life as it does in the Newhart opening scenes. 

On our way to New Hampshire, we sat there in Wilmington, Vermont enjoying a nice lunch in a non-chain restaurant.   In other words, the town had someplace that was really unique to Vermont — and the food was delicious.

Then, I thought about the famous people from Vermont.    I thought about the Newhart show.   

We strolled down the road and made our way though a few of Vermont's curiousity shops.  

In one shop, there was a worker who was preparing blocks of fresh fudge for purchase that you could take with you. 

Now, I know they have these fudge shops in other places across America.   In Ohio, it seems to me as if we have a few fudge shops out on our Lake Erie Islands.     There might be a few fudge shops on Mackinac Island over in Lake Michigan, too.

However, I can tell you that the overall vibe of this fudge shoppe was different from say —a  Buc-ees — which has one of the most elaborite fudge shops setups that I've even seen.     This particular Vermont fudge shop was small and quaint and nestled up in the mountains on a winding mountain road.   It was just like the Newhart opening trailor.  

Go check out Vermont for yourself.    We really enjoyed our time there.