Leaf-Peepers in Central Vermont
Drives and Tours in Central Vermont
By Allison Flint | May 12, 2015
Fall and its changing foliage come every year to the Green Mountains of Vermont. Allison Biederman suggests some of the better ways to see the stunning sights.
Even though we expect the colorful display each September, there is still a sense of awe, of surprise, when the tree in the front yard suddenly, seemingly overnight, slips from green to orange. When the burning bush near the mailbox, quietly green all summer, bursts to deep red.
Despite the ingrained stoicism from deep within the Vermont soil, we are not blasé about the regularity of the leaves changing color before falling. We celebrate our own natural beauty with Harvest Festivals, cider pressing, corn mazes, and anything else we can think of on a Saturday afternoon.
In addition to the brilliant colors every September and October, we expect the cars and buses filled with “leaf-peepers” on our mountain roads. Wide-eyed and appreciative, the visitors take in the views, the crisp air, and usually carry home some apples, pumpkins and jugs of maple syrup. Sometimes their slow drive down the mountain can make us late for work, but for some, we have our jobs because they come, so who’s complaining?
There are many independently owned Vermont stores to gather your goods. For those unable to make the trek to Vermont this fall, The Field Farm in East Middlebury carries all things Vermont and will ship to you. Those specifically interested in fudge can visit Phenomenal Fudge in Shoreham, near Lake Champlain, taking a short drive out of the mountains.
Driving on Route 100 through the center of the Green Mountains will fill you with views and rural scenes, yet there is more. Take any “gap” road to cross the mountain chain and find another world on top of the mountain pass, as well as leading down the other side. To further explore the mountains and small towns of Vermont in the fall, you can choose from several conveyances through tour companies, including bus, train and bike.
With an air of pompous self-righteousness, we Vermonters may scoff at these visitors who drive slowly on mountain roads and often stand in the middle of a street to get just the right photo of a tree or hillside. But they are here to marvel at the beauty, our renewable resource, our painted mountains, and to support our economy. With pride, we are happy to see them each fall.
We need this annual reminder that while many visit this amazing place, we get to live here.
