You can spend all the livelong day looking up reviews and recommendations on travel sites, but no one knows how to have fun in a city like Burlington, Vermont, as well as the locals.
Want to learn how to have a good time like real Burlington folk? Okay, but this is just between you and me.
Eating…
Despite Vermont’s reputation for snowy winters, the people who live here actually enjoy very fruitful springs and summers. I mean “fruitful” literally, by the way. For years, the state has ranked number one in making locally sourced food available to the locals.
That heavy emphasis on homegrown ingredients has become the calling card of Farmers and Foragers, whose food truck is a staple at all the big local events. FF’s menu includes po’boys made with perch caught in Lake Champlain and poutine made with cheese from nearby Maplebrook Farm, plus a cheesesteak so good, it’ll tempt even hardcore Philadelphia natives into seeking out Burlington houses for sale.
Of course, folks in Burlington don’t just like to eat locally sourced food; we like to make it, too. As a result, the Burlington Farmers’ Market has become something many folks look forward to all year long. Every summer Saturday since 1980, the market has continued bringing together an eclectic assortment of vendors selling fresh produce, as well as delicious homemade baked goods and wines, as well as one-of-a-kind arts and crafts.
Drinking…
With all the eating Burlington’s foodie population indulges in, it’s no surprise that we need an occasional adult beverage to wash things down and lift us up. Good thing that Vermont is home to the highest number of craft breweries per capita in the country.
With so many brewhouses to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. Many locals’ first choice is Switchback Brewing Co. and its always popular signature Switchback Ale, a classic amber beer made from traditional ingredients mixed with impeccable balance. Even better, the company has proven itself a true-blue Burlington pioneer by becoming the first completely employee-owned brewery in the state.
One Switchback employee, however, set out to do his own thing and ended up founding another beloved Burlington brewhouse. With a prime location right on the waterfront Foam Brewers and a constantly rotating line-up of beers on tap, hops-and-barley connoisseurs might be split on who makes a better beverage, but most of know that the real winners are the area natives who know that delicious craft beer is never more than a hop, skip, and a jump away.
…and Being Merry!
When Burlington’s residents aren’t eating or drinking, we’re probably off somewhere being merry. There’s plenty of fun activities and attractions throughout the city. From live music venues to locally owned boutique shops, and even an annual Mardi Gras celebration. That gives NOLA a run for its money.
What most of the people in Burlington really enjoy, though, is getting out and exploring the great outdoors. In that department. We’re spoiled rotten, with the surrounding Burlington countryside providing some of the most scenic views. And stimulating hiking trails in the state. Above all else, nothing can beat a day spent picnicking on the sunny shore or sailing the bright blue waters of Lake Champaign, so large it stretches across the US-Canada border.
As relaxing as that sounds, Burlington folks aren’t afraid to get weird sometimes, too. If we didn’t, then one of Burlington’s most popular tourist attractions probably wouldn’t end up being a filing cabinet. Not any filing cabinet, of course; this is the Tallest Filing Cabinet in the World. Made from 38 separate cabinets welded together, it stands at a height of 50 feet. It may be odd and it may be quirky, but that’s okay; everyone around these parts is a bit odd and quirky.