Staytripper, March 2021
Sugarhouse Sweets Worth the Drive; Book a Night in a Backcountry Hut; Winter Dipping in Lake Champlain
The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, February 25 to March 3
1. On a Wing Whooo’s there? Birder and teacher-naturalist Zac Cota swoops in with “Owls of Vermont,” a virtual presentation cohosted by the Green Mountain Audubon Society and Montpelier’s North Branch Nature Center. In this free online talk starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 26, Cota looks at common barred owls, nocturnal Eastern screech…
Four Quarters Brewing Opens New Main Street Taproom
Winooski’s only brewery, Four Quarters Brewing, opened its long-awaited new taproom and outdoor patio at 70 Main Street on Saturday February 27, founder and co-owner Brian Eckert said. It will be another month or two before production moves from the brewery’s original West Canal Street home to the new site. Due largely to pandemic-related delays, the…
‘Staytripper’ Is Your Road Map to Early Springtime in Vermont
Springtime is just around the corner, on March 20. That’s not the only turning point in sight: Effective this week, people who are fully vaccinated and at least 14 days out from their final vaccine dose can now travel to and from Vermont without quarantine restrictions. As more folks are able to explore the state,…
Three Wintry Ways to Get Outside in Vermont
Winter Dipping in Lake Champlain In January, the UK’s Guardian wrote about “the exhilarating joy of outdoor ice-bathing,” a centuries-old practice that has “soared during lockdown” as a much-needed pandemic stress reliever and endorphin releaser. “It’s pretty normal if you’re in Sweden or Denmark or Finland,” said Burlington painter Katharine Montstream of the pastime. “In…
The 251 Club Encourages Vermonters to Explore Roads Less Traveled
Montpelier resident Brenda Greika has settled into a weekend routine during the pandemic. She packs up her car with ample food and drinks, pops a Starline Rhythm Boys or Patti Casey CD into her player, and drives to a Vermont town she’s never been to before. To celebrate Halloween, Greika visited Evergreen Cemetery in New…
Vermont Huts Association Offers Remote and Pandemic-Safe Lodgings
Even before the pandemic, getting into the woods and staying there for days at a time was the ultimate form of social distancing. The Green Mountain State is blessed with miles of backcountry trails for hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing and skiing. But until recently, people who wanted to turn a one-day outing into an overnight…
Five Unexpected Vermont Maple Treats Worth the Drive
Here’s a totally unsurprising piece of trivia: In 2020, Vermont was the top maple-producing state in America — again. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, our maple trees pumped out more than half of the country’s crop, resulting in a record-breaking 2.22 million gallons of syrup. The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association has canceled…
From Firepits to Igloos, How to Dine Outside in Chilly Vermont
On a 9 degree day in Burlington, Dan Bornstein and his girlfriend took a seat on the patio at Zero Gravity Craft Brewery to drink a couple of beers. The Pine Street brewery has installed electric heaters above the tables in the outdoor space it shares with the Great Northern restaurant. “I have no problem…
