New England...Vermont

Burlington, VT. Where it all began.

I recently went on a fabulous biking tour of the Lake Champlain area of Vermont.  The company is Vermont Biking Tours and they put on an unforgettable tour.  The guides make sure that every detail is taken care of.  I highly recommend them...how else can you see beautiful scenery, enjoy the great outdoors, and burn off enough calories to eat ice cream without feeling guilty?  Here are several of the ice cream highlights:


Ben and Jerry's.  First started up by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in Burlington, VT, you can now tour their factory in Waterbury. See how the ice cream is made, grab a scoop, and learn everything you ever wanted to know about the business. What's your favorite flavor?

 

 

 

 

Ben and Jerry's may have originated in Vermont, but Creemees are the ice cream of choice in the Green Mountain State.  Here in CA, we call 'em soft serve cones.  Little shops are everywhere and the flavors are endless.  This snack shop in Vergennes was serving chocolate and strawberry the day I was there, but Vermonters love the maple syrup version. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creemees at the Basin Harbor Club, Vergennes.

chocolate torte and black pepper ice cream.

Ok, this was my one disappointment. Dinner in the formal dining room at the Basin Harbor Club is quite an experience.Picture the Kellerman's Resort from Dirty Dancing and you'll get some idea of the place.  I was trying to be adventurous and tried the black pepper ice cream.  It was so wrong in so many ways! Sob.  Imagine taking a spoonful of what looks like innocent vanilla ice cream. It was akin to eating a mouthful of cold, creamy black pepper.  One bite was enough to convince me to stick to the basics.

By the way, if you're interested, here are some of the places I visited.

The Basin Harbor Club

Ben and Jerry's

Vermont Biking Tours