CENTRAL VERMONT “THE CROSSROADS”
SOME ATTRACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES IN THE VICINITY OF THE
KILLINGTON GRAND RESORT and CENTRAL VERMONT:

What to say, without writing a book, creates a real challenge when trying to present possible activities in a region where every turn in the road is scenic and history abounds in every rural town.  For those participants who will be looking for some activities other than riding (or to incorporate into the ride), some of the ideas below may be a starting point to planning a great vacation in Central Vermont during CCR 2010.  Bring a camera!  So little time, so much to do.

• Killington Grand Resort and Spa.  Our host hotel is beautifully situated and offers a health club, the Killington Grand Spa, an outdoor heated pool, and jacuzzis for weary curve cowboys and girls.   The Spa is putting together special CCR packages which will be described and available for pre-purchase on the CCR website.  Watch for this in January 2010. 

The Killington area and Pico Mountain Adventure Center (www.killington.com)  offer entertaining activities for kids of all ages.  The Pico Mountain Adventure Center is about 6-7 miles from the Grand Resort on a paved road.

The Climbing Wall at Pico Mountain--learn how to climb or hone your skills at rock climbing with spectacular views
K-1 Gondola Rides (located at the Base Lodge at the top of Killington Road)--scenic rides to Killington Peak. 
Alpine Slide--Pico Mountain Alpine Slide takes off from the top of Little Pico.  Ride the chair-lift to the top of Little Pico.  S-turns, banks, and straight-aways keep you moving as you plunge down 650 vertical feet.
Pico Power Jump--combination trampoline and bungee jump.
Mini-Golf--Pico Mountain offers a 19-hole mini golf course that’s a challenge.
Killington’s championship 18-hole course.

Covered Bridges are an enduring symbol of times gone by, but they continue to be both practical and functional and very photogenic.  There are nearly a dozen within a 28-mile radius east and west of Killington.  Also see Scenic Drive description below of the Northfield Falls area double bridges.

            Woodstock--Taftsville Bridge (1836) Ottauquechee River off Rt. 4
            Woodstock--Middle Bridge (1869) Ottauquechee River off Rt. 4
            Woodstock--Lincoln Bridge (1986), Ottauquechee River, south, next to Rt. 4
            Rutland--Twin Bridge (1850) East Creek, off Rt. 7, Chittenden Rd.
            Pittsford--Gorham Bridge (1841) Otter Creek.  Old Proctor/Pittsford Road
            Pittsford--Hammond Bridge (1843) Otter Creek, west off Rt 7, Florence Road
            Pittsford--Cooley Bridge (1849) Otter Creek, Elm Street
            North Pittsford--Depot Bridge (1840) Otter Creek, west off Rt 7, Depot Hill Road
            Brandon--Sanderson or Lower Bridge, Otter Creek, off Rt 7, Pearl St.         

Scenic Drive--the Green Mountains Central Area.  This is one possibility out of many.  According to the on-line “New England Vacations Guide” there is a scenic drive loop of about 150 miles that has some of the best views in the Green Mountain National Forest.  It can be done in a day but one would have to forgo some of the attractions and rambles.

            Starting in Killington:  Killington is a famous ski area that covers six mountains.  At over 4200’ it offers spectacular views from the summit. 
                        Take route 100 as it borders the Green Mountain National Forest.  You’ll pass through the towns of Pittsfield, Hancock, Granville, and Waitsfield as you cover perhaps the most scenic views and diverse terrain on the entire 150 miles.
            Just north of Hancock and close to route 100 on route 125 is Texas Falls.  The trail to the falls is an easy hike and offers marvelous views. 
            The larger of the two waterfalls is Moss Glen Falls, just north of Granville, a few miles up from Hancock.  The drive from Hancock towards the falls is a two-lane winding road that passes through a seven-mile stretch of untouched wilderness.  
            North of Granville on route 100 is Waterbury and the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory Tours and also home to Green Mountain Coffee Visitor Center & Cafe. 
            Southeast of Waterbury on route 89 is Middlesex and the State Capitol Montpelier.  Take route 12 out of Montpelier and head south to Northfield Falls.  At Northfield Falls there are four covered bridges and the famous Falls General Store.  At Northfield Falls there are two of the finest examples of covered bridges anywhere in New England and they can be seen at once, as you look through one to the other.  This is unique in New England and definitely worth taking out the camera.
            Continue on route 12 to Bethel which is home to the White River National Fish Hatchery.  It is open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. From Bethel continue to Woodstock.
            The Woodstock area offers many attractions, including Billings Farm and Museum and the Quechee Gorge. (see “Attractions” below)  Woodstock is one of those picture-perfect Vermont villages that’s fun just to stroll around checking out the boutiques, galleries,   and restaurants.   
            From Woodstock, continue on route 4 for 20 miles of beautiful scenery to return to Killington.

• Resources. Backroads of New England by Kim Knox Beckius and Scenic Driving New England by Stewart M. Green.

Other Attractions in the Woodstock area: 

            Just outside Woodstock on route 12 is the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park.  The visit includes the National Park Carriage Barn Visitor Center built in 1895 and rehabilitated in 1999, which serves as the National Park Service Visitor Center.  Some 20 miles of carriage roads and ski trails crisscross Mount Tom for pleasant walking and birdwatching in the summer and fall (802-457-3368 for information).  No bicycles or motorized vehicles are allowed.  Guests are invited to tour the Gardens and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller-Mansion which was built in 1805-07 for Charles Marsh, Sr., and contains an extensive art collection of American landscape paintings by renowned artists, and 1800’s furnishings and architecture.
            Also, in association with the Park is the Billings Farm & Museum, a working dairy farm and a museum of agricultural and rural life.  It is a private non-profit educational institution by the Woodstock Foundation. The park and the museum work in partnership to carry on the Billings tradition of land stewardship. 
            What would a trip to Vermont be without Maple Syrup and Cheese.  On route 4, 3-1/2 miles east of Woodstock at the small village of Taftsville, cross the red covered bridge to the 550 acre Sugarbush Farm, another 3 miles.  Free samples, free admission, free education.
            Continuing east on route 4, from Taftsville toward Quechee Gorge is the Vermont Institute of Natural Science whose purpose is bird rescue and rehabilitation, wildlife education and services to the community.  The Center has permanent exhibits, such as the songbird aviary and raptor center.  www.vinsweb.org
            On Quechee’s Main Street, one high recommendation is to shop at Simon Pearce for original designs in glass and pottery (www.SimonPearce.com).   Continue on to Vermont’s little Grand Canyon, the Quechee Gorge.  There is a picnic area overlooking the falls.  Then, Quechee Gorge Village is just beyond the bridge and offers an antique mall and stores that reflect the arts of the region for those who are interested in collecting and antiquing.
            The beautiful town of Rutland is about 25 minutes west of Killington on route 4.  Downtown Rutland is considered one of the most historically significant in Vermont with a beautiful Italianate-style county courthouse and numerous Queen Anne-style residences.  The historic district, built during Rutland’s railroad era, includes 19th century commercial buildings often decorated with marble.

Shopping:

            Rutland serves the “Crossroads” area as the major shopping mecca for the geographical area that encompasses approximately 30 towns, and approximately 150,000 people.  Rutland is about 13 miles, and 25 minutes, west of Killington. 
            In the communities surrounding Killington, you won’t find shopping malls, just craftsmanship true to the heritage of this heartland of Vermont.  Going east of Killington 20 miles one finds interesting shops and galleries in the charming Village of Woodstock, and in another 8 miles is the Quechee Gorge Village offering antiques, furniture, pewter, glass and pottery.  It is written that Vermont is not about Neiman-Marcus, Tiffany’s or Sak’s 5th Avenue.  It’s about a simpler and less expensive lifestyle, and luxury items for purchase here are more apt to be items of art and virtue produced by local artists and aritsans. 
            For a more up-scale shopping experience, a scenic 1-1/2 hours distance from Killington is the town of Manchester, VT.  In the center of Manchester there is an “outlet” mall probably like no other you have seen. You will recognize all the stores from every other outlet center across the nation, but the store fronts are charmingly New England architecture and are situated facing the main street.

 Places to Visit of Historical Significance, and distance from the Resort area:

            Coolidge Homestead (route 100 S)                       23 minutes   
            Historic Rutland                                                     25 minutes   
            Historic Woodstock                                                30 minutes
            Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
                        and Billings Farm and Museum                35 minutes   
            Robert Todd Lincoln Home in Manchester           40 minutes
            Middlebury College                                              45 minutes
            The Morgan Horse Farm Middlebury                   45 minutes
            Hubbardton Battlefield (Castleton)                       60 minutes
            Shelburne Museum                                              70 minutes
            Bennington College and Battle Monument           70 minutes   
            Mt. Independence Historic Site (Orwell)                80 minutes
            Fort Ticonderoga (Ticonderoga, NY)                     2 hours

Historic and Scenic Drive or Ride:

            Consider a round-trip, loop journey from the Resort to Fort Ticonderoga located in the Adirondack Park Preserve, NY.   No matter your interest--history, just the ride, the scenery, the beautiful gardens--this is a wonderful destination and day-trip.  To whet your appetite, this introduction is from their website--
            The Fort is much more than a restored military fortress. Your visit will include rich and varied offerings including costumed interpreters, 30-minute guided tours, a world class museum, daily musket demonstrations, and self-guided tours of the Fort.
Visit the Fort Ticonderoga National Historic Landmark and come away with a deeper understanding of American history from the French and Indian War and Revolutionary War periods of the 18th century.
            You'll experience the meanings of freedom, personal sacrifice, and public responsibility – as the stories of the men, women, and children whose lives became entwined in the colonial wars unfold through the Fort's collections, educational programs, and reenactments.
            The Fort was originally built as Fort Carillon by the French military between 1755 and 1759; one of a series built to control Lake Champlain.  Control of this strategic narrows meant control of the north-south water “highway.”  France’s great victory in the Seven Years’ War took place at the Fort; however, victory was taken by the British in 1759.  At the outset of the American Revolution a small company of British soldiers still manned Fort Ticonderoga.  The first American victory of the Revolutionary War took place with the capture of the Fort and served as an important staging area for the American Army against the British forces. 
            The gardens and grounds at the Fort have been an important part of the Fort landscape for centuries.  Why is there a garden at Fort Ticonderoga? Every garden has a purpose, and whether for sustenance or simple enjoyment, gardens have flourished on the Ticonderoga peninsula.
            A garden's type, style, size and use are a reflection of the people who constructed and cared for it. Today the King's Garden maintains features from each era that shaped it; a time capsule of history and horticulture.
            The round-trip loop begins from Killington Grand Resort heads west on US 4W to Rutland.  US 7N to Brandon. VT 73W to VT 74W to the Ticonderoga-Larrabees Ferry crossing.  NY 74W takes you to the entrance of Fort Ticonderoga on the left.  (The first Fort Road after the ferry is unpaved, so continue on to the entrance another mile on the left.)  This trip is about 67 miles and takes about 2 hours.         
            After the visit to Fort Ticonderoga, to complete the loop from the State Park, take NY 74 W to Mountain Rd/NY 22S to Whitehall NY, go left on US 4E entering Vermont.  Continue on to Rutland on US4E/VT 7N, then US 4E to Killington Road and to the Resort.  This return is about 69 miles and 2 hours. 

Combine a few of these destinations to make a wonderful all-day adventure.