Cider, Icecream and Chilli: Vermont to Cape Cod MA: Day Five of The New England Road Trip

Starting off in the beautiful Waterbury, VT, this day begins in The Old Stage Coach Inn, a charming Bed and Breakfast with friendly owners and a dog you'll want to keep. (The previous night one of the staff had been dressed up as a Christmas Tree for Halloween. Great costume.)

Outside looking in. The beautiful Old Stagecoach Inn from the 1820's.

With 11 different rooms to choose from; some big enough to accommodate families; there is great choice for varying budgets. Most come with private bathroom and all come with free wi-fi. And of course there is a fantastic breakfast, both buffet and hot from the al la carte menu. 

 The breakfast buffet and dining room.

Another great thing about this as a place to stay is how close it is to lots of Waterbury/Stowe and further afield attractions. It is a fantastic base to explore more of Vermont and is a wonderfully cosy place to do it.

We had a big food day planned as we took the Waterbury to Stowe road (Route 100) to Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Now just to clarify for those Brits out there; cider is non alcoholic in America. It is amazing pressed apple juice. Hard cider is the alcoholic stuff. But don't let that put you off because once you taste it you could quite happily leave the hard stuff behind forever. http://www.coldhollow.com/

 Cold Hollow is open all year 8am-6pm and has longer opening in the Summer to late October. There are tours available depending on when you go. There is also a calendar on the website for the pressing days. If you miss pressing days, don't worry, you are free to wander around and see the press in motion and watch little videos explaining what is happening. There is a kick ass shop, bakery, free samples and also 100% Vermont Maple syrup for sale. Yum yum! Check out the Cider doughnuts as well. And promise me you'll take some maple syrup and Fresh Cider with you because it is almost a crime not to.

                           This was our drink for the journey. Oh my. I've never tasted juice this good.

 They have amazing gifts and no one was disappointed with their Cider Jelly, Maple Syrup and cook books, or biscuit cutters. We also received free Cold Hollow Cider Mill tote bags because we spent over a certain amount and we use them to do our shopping with here. It always makes me think of that day and that delicious Cider. If only it was available in Britain. We'll just have to come back for more. Thank you Cold Hollow. A delicious start to the day in Vermont.

On the way to our next destination we stopped off at Danforth Pewter shop which was joined to a chocolate shop, still on the Waterbury to Stowe road. www.danforthpewter.com More gifts bought and they had a sale on Halloween things so I treated myself to a Witches Hat that sits above my writing desk. I can see it right now. And this passed the time beautifully before our next destination which was the Vermont Institution: Ben and Jerry. http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/factory-tours

We arrived as it opened at 10am and were on the first tour by ourselves. Whoop! We had a personal tour by two guides, one of which was in training, but they were great and I love the Vermont sense of humour. It's pretty similar to mine - probably why I like it.

The building is colourful and quirky and almost exactly how you would expect it to be. And the whole time you're thinking: Is it too early for ice cream because I could eat a bucket load. The tour takes you behind the scenes. You see a hilarious video about Ben and Jerry; the origins of the brand and where it stands now. Then you are shown the whole process of making the ice cream. We had ages to talk and ask questions, being the only ones there which was great. I highly recommend going as it opens and later in the year.

Then you go to: The Tasting Room. Oh my. You are given a sample, often of a flavour that isn't available in stores and when I say sample I mean huge ice cream in a cone. Ours had Vermont maple syrup in it. Drooling just thinking about it. We had another good chin wag with the delightful guides before exiting along the Top Ten flavour wall (Cookie Dough was 2nd. My favourite!) and out into the gift shop.

8, 9, 10 on the flavour wall.

Our Ben and Jerry's ice cream scoop gets a lot of use and lives in it's box after use. Sad. I know. Then there is a scoop shop where you can sample a few flavours; again some of which are no longer available . My partner tried Coffee coffee buzz buzz buzz and we both really enjoyed the blueberry, vanilla, graham cracker Greek yoghurt thing. Which we subsequently bought a tub off and substituted it as lunch.

    The scoop shop. Sample them if you dare....you may just want to sample them all. Muhahahahahahaha.

 Heading back outside for final pics.

 Even the cows like it.

                                 Everyone wants one of these vans, especially if it's fully stocked.

Our final calling before the car is the incredibly macabre, Flavour Graveyard. This is where the failed flavours go to rest. When they are no longer demanded or when they become a huge puddle of melted ice cream, they reside here for the rest of their days; never completely forgotten. Follow the signs and you will see.

Just a selection from the Flavour Graveyard. (Yes I've used British spelling. Sorry.) Don't be too sad, you can still get some of them in the scoop shop.

I like that the old flavours are remembered. It's part of the history of Ben and Jerry.

 My partner sampled some in the scoop shop and as a coffee lover was very happy.

It is only here that they gain their wings.

Thank you Ben and Jerry Factory for our tour and great mornings. And our lunch in the form of Greek yoghurt ice cream type stuff. Delicious and unforgettable. 

So then sadly it was time to start winding our way to Cape Cod (MA) with a few detours along the way. The first of which was to the longest covered bridge in the US, in Windsor Vermont. http://www.windsorvt.org/

 Driving through Windsor

As you drive through the beautiful wooden bridge you pass from Vermont to New Hampshire. Nothing like a bit of state hopping to finish the morning off. http://www.nh.gov/nhdhr/bridges/p39.html

From the New Hampshire side you can see the sign: Walk your horses, or pay two dollars fine. So be warned! And from this side there is a little car park to get a great vantage point of the whole bridge and a look from NH to VT. There is even a plaque on the history of it. Well worth a detour. 

Heading back through the bridge, walking our horses of course, back to Vermont and back through Windsor, which is actually an extremely important little town. http://www.windsorvt.org/history/

This is constitution house in Windsor Vermont where in 1777 the Constitution of the Vermont Republic was signed for Independence from those horrible Brits. A very important place for the state and the Country.

Already quite close to the New Hampshire border we hopped over took the I-89 and powered on towards Concord, the Capitol of New Hampshire and our next stop. The great thing was we arrived at lunch time and so we wouldn't have to run around the State House in five minutes (see Day 3 and 4 of the Road Trip). We even went for lunch first. Yes I know we said the ice cream would substitute lunch but we lied. All this road tripping and state hopping and bridges and excitement really rumbles the tummy.

On the way to Concord NH  http://www.concordnh.gov/

Lunch at Tandy's top Shelf, tucked away in Eagle Square in the centre of Concord, just across the road from the State House. They boasted 'The Best Chilli in New Hampshire and at lunch time have an all you can eat buffet for $6.99. And the chilli is included in that. Oh yes!  https://www.facebook.com/TandysTopShelf

 Head through to Eagle Square and Tandy's is to the left.

Mmmmm. Best Chilli in New Hampshire, amongst other things. Cheap, cheerful and tasty!

With stomachs full, it was time for another state house. And with actual time to look around we managed to see The House of Representatives; The Senate House and the Hall of Flags. We were allowed up on the Gallery too.

Concord is a lovely little detour and it was nice to venture back into New Hampshire.

As we trundled down the 101 towards Massachusetts we thought we should have one more detour and we chose Lowell MA. Sadly we lived to regret this and I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe try Concord MA or one of the National Parks close by. We didn't spend long in Lowell, just a quick wander around and a coffee in a rather unique and bizarre coffee shop.

We saw this on the drive out of Lowell. Enough to make you giggle.

Then it was the final long leg down to Sandwich at the start of the cape and our accommodation for the night: Quince Tree House Bed and Breakfast. http://www.quincetreehouse.com/

 Our beautiful Room, with steps up to the bed. 

Fancy port or sherry in the Drawing Room? Well you can. Don't mind if we do.

Living in the lap of luxury in Quince Tree House. A beautiful, well thought out Bed and Breakfast with only three rooms, only two of which were taken when we were there. You get first class service from owners Cecily and Richard, with water and hot drinks available all day and night, as well as the sherry and port. And we sampled a cheeky Port before heading out to The Belfry for our evening meal. http://www.belfryinn.com/

Set in an old church, there are high ceilings and stained glass windows. Still, it has a cosy, romantic atmosphere and whilst it's menu is quite pricey, they do have a lighter bites section which is much more reasonable and not particularly light anyhow. They have a great wine selection and desserts to drool over.

 Ahhhhhhhhh! It's The Sarky Traveller.

 Amazing food. Chicken and Asparagus with roasted potatoes. Followed by an Apple Upside Down Cake with Cinnamon Ice Cream and an Apple Crisp.

If going to The Belfry in the latter part of the year, just be aware that the kitchen will probably close around 8/8.30. We arrived at 8.10 and they had to check they could accommodate us. The East Coasters do generally take their evening meal a little earlier. So don't be caught out especially when the food is this good.

Join me next time for the famous Sandwich Boardwalk and the rest of Cape Cod, including wineries and light houses, beaches and monuments to climb.

The Sarky Traveller