Burlington, Vermont. What else could you need?

Hey all!

So to ring in August (it's August?) my family made the 5 hour trek from New Jersey to visit me. It was gorgeous weather and we had a lot of fun just catching up, eating, and partaking in all that Burlington and the area has to offer. So, I thought, what a great time for a little post about Burlington, ESPECIALLY for all of you coming up to visit this summer, or looking forward to move in day, just a few weeks away.

We started out our weekend on Friday afternoon, with a stop downtown to church street to browse the sidewalk sale. While we were there, we got a little hungry (after all, none of us really had lunch). My parents stopped at one of the outdoor stands near the top of church street for dumplings, but I knew just what I wanted for a snack. I dragged my brother and sister through the crowds to The Skinny Pancake's outdoor cart, where we indulged in a lumberjack and a heartbreaker (nutella. strawberries. can we go wrong?).

After that, we picked up Erick and headed over to the Magic Hat Artifactory. While you might not think so, the brewery is open to all ages, since there is a free tour of the process and a lot of fun swag to buy. And of course, for those of us 21 and older, free samples and a chance to bring home some growlers (a gallon of beer).

We returned back to Burlington for a scrumptious dinner at American Flatbread. They've got flatbread pizza that's to die for (as well as their own brewery, so I continued to have my parents try delicious beer). We got 3 flatbreads, with everything from sausage and organic pepperoni to peppers, caramelized onions, and sun dried tomatoes, and housed them all.

After work the next morning, we traveled down to Stowe for, what else, a tour at the Ben and Jerry's factory. We left after a fun tour and a taste of a delicious new flavor, chocowlate chip. We headed from there to the Cabot Cheese outlet store (we wouldn't have made it to the factory tour before close) and tried tons of cheeses and other treats before choosing some to take home.

For the ride back, we decided to go the long way through the notch road instead of taking the interstate back. We're long-time lovers of Smuggler's Notch (the same place where all SMC students get a $30 season pass) and wanted to swing by and see what was up. The Notch Road winds through the mountain from one side to the other, and it's so curvy that it's closed every winter.

We returned to church street and had an amazing dinner at Leunig's Bistro, one of the restaurants in Burlington that is definitely better for me to go to when my parents are paying. We had a cheese plate and some sweet potato fries as a started, and then I stuffed myself with Cavatappi Carbonara, my favorite Leunig's dish, complete with chicken and sun dried tomatoes.

After Leunig's, the family went back to the hotel and I spent the night out with some friends for one person's birthday. We met back up with my family in the morning for breakfast at Henry's Diner, a classic, delicious diner right off of church street. Once we were all satisfactorily full, my family headed back home.

Yes, it was a short visit, but not to worry, Erick and I are going down to NJ next weekend for the Yankees vs. Sox game, and to spend his dad's birthday in CT at his beach house. It should be a fun time.

Things I still want to do this summer? Pick blueberries at Sam Mazza's and try a chocolate milkshake from Lake Champlain Chocolates.

So that's it for me right now. Check back soon and keep up the great formspring questions, I love answering them!

-Christine