Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT

A few weeks ago, my parents and I took a trip to Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT. I had heard a lot about the museum, but honestly I had no idea what to expect. I thought it would be your typical museum, a few rooms with things on display, kind of cool, worth an hour or two, you know what museums are like. We were a little shocked by the admission price of $20.00 per person, but we were already there so we just paid and went along with it. But, upon entering, it was clear why the admission price was so high. The "museum" was actually 39 buildings spread across the expansive museum grounds.

The museum grounds contain many historic buildings which have been relocated from their original place to the museum. They even have the Ticonderoga, a steamboat ferry which was transported in one piece by rail in the 1950's. Do watch the video about moving the ferry, which is shown in a small room as you enter the boat. It's just as interesting, if not more interesting than seeing the actual boat.

I look like a boat captain, right?

Another fun house to check out is the Apothecary which shows many old medicines and a general store. You really feel like you're stepping back in time 100 years.

We really enjoyed seeing the carriage house. An old barn was converted to hold all sorts of wagons and carriages. These were some interesting stage coaches, but they also had covered wagons and even a "school bus".

Here is a typical, one room school house. The wood stove reminds me a bit of my time in Georgia. And notice the flag, it's only got 26 stars, meaning it dates back to the 1830's. 

Another one of my favorites was the settler's house. This would have been a typical house for an early settler of Vermont. One large kitchen and one small bedroom.

Next time you find yourself in the Burlington, VT area, be sure to check out Shelburne Museum. Be sure to go early, because it does take a full day to see everything on the grounds. We arrived around noon and we didn't have time to see everything before they closed at 5:00pm. http://shelburnemuseum.org/

Switchback Brewery

Switchback makes one of the most popular draught beers in Vermont. They're not a big brewery, nor do they try to tons of different brews. They just make one good beer, plus one seasonal beer and as for now they pretty much only distribute in Vermont. The brewery offers free tours just one day a week. Saturday at 1:00 or 2:00, so you'd be best off making a reservation before you go.

Our tour guide seemed pretty knowlegeable about the whole beer-making thing. He is one of their actual brewers, not just some random guy they hired off the street to give tours. The nice thing about this tour is that they really bring you up and close to where they make everything. A lot of other tours I've been on just show you a window to look down on the productions, but because this brewery is small enough, they can really show you everything!

And of course, the best part about any brewery tour is the beer tasting. We got to have samples of both their normal brew, plus their seasonal brew.

Switchback has no website, but they do have a facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/SwitchbackBrewingCompany

Tours are at 1:00 and 2:00pm on Saturdays. Call for reservations.

Switchback Brewery

 160 Flynn Avenue

Burlington, VT 05401

  802-651-4114

Shelburne Farms

 Wagon ride around the farm

Two weekends ago, my friend came up from Boston to visit and we went around to a few spots I'd never been before. One stop was at Shelburne Farms. Shelburne Farms is a huge 1400 acre working farm and education center. Not to mention an absolutely beautiful place to visit on a clear summer afternoon. We arrived just in time to catch the 3:30 guided tour of the farm and so we hopped on the tour.

I purposely situated myself in the back of the wagon so that I would have a good, clear shot from behind  to take lots of photos. Some came out better than others, but here are a few I liked:

Random, awesome bus in the parking lot

Boat in Shelburne Bay

A view from a far of the farm barn

Tree-lined road

Sheep caretaker and Sheepdogs

Sheep

The first stop on the tour was a stop at the farm barn where we got to see where they make their famous cheddar cheese. Unfortunately, when we arrived, they had already finished the cheesemaking for the day, so we just got to see the equipment used through the window. I may or may not have blogged about it, but I have tried my hand at cheesemaking a few times in the past few months. I do make some nice paneer but I'd like to be able to make some hard cheese.... they made it look so easy in Georgia....

Cheesemaking equipment

Twister, anyone?

From the barns, we headed over to the Inn at Shelburne farms which was the original house of the property belonging to a member of the Vanderbilt family. That explains the size, right?

The Inn at Shelburne Farms

Inside the Inn

A guessing game for kids with a few vegetables that I couldn't even name...

The last stop was the gardens outside the Inn. The Inn is in the process of restoring the gardens to their former glory. I thought they looked quite beautiful even without the restoration....

To conclude the tour, we headed back to the welcome center and got to sample some cheddar cheese produced right there on the premise from the farm's own cows.

6-9 month cheese, 1-year, 2-year, 3-year cheese, tractor cheese, smoked cheese..... ohhh... I was in cheese heaven!!!

Next time you are in the Burlington, VT area, this is a must see... especially if you love cheese! 

For prices, tours and events, check their website: http://www.shelburnefarms.org/

Penny Cluse Cafe, Burlington, VT

Since I've been back in the Burlington, VT area, I've already been back to my favorite breakfast joint twice. For me to review a breakfast restaurant is kind of a big deal because I'm not big on American style style breakfast (you know, comfort food like eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes etc.) When I moved to Korea I kind of gave up on it completely, happily replacing it with kimchi jjigae, doenjang jjigae or just plain yogurt and cereal (And for the longest time I thought it was totally normal to eat jjigae for breakfast until I realized that even my Korean students were disgusted by eating something so spicy for breakfast... it's just me and my boyfriend that like jjigae for breakfast). But, I can say that Penny Cluse Cafe is one of my favorite breakfast places because they don't serve just your typical American breakfast. They've done a few awesome things that you rarely see outside of Vermont. They pride themselves on their organic and local ingredients. They take various styles (Southwestern, Asian, traditional, organic)  and make a fusion that is all their own. Not only that, but it's vegan, vegetarian and meat-lover friendly. I can go to Penny Cluse Cafe and know that I'm not going to get a typical, dripping in grease breakfast but something that I feel good about eating.

They've got a good menu that's not too long, not too short, but it's always important to remember to check the specials board because they've got lots of good stuff up there which is always changing. Here are the photos of my food from my last two visits. 

Breakfast burrito ($9.75) ~ 3 scrambled eggs with choice of cheddar, jack, feta or Swiss cheese in a flour tortilla — served with black beans, salsa & sour cream. You may start to notice that black beans are a reoccurring theme here... but only if you get the southwestern style dishes. If you're not into that, they've got plenty of other stuff here for you, too.

Huevos Verdes (Spanish for "Green Eggs") ~  Eggs topped in guacamole with black beans and tortillas. Personally, I would recommend getting the tortillas on the side so that they don't get soaked by the beans... not sure how other people eat this dish, but if I get tortillas, I want to put stuff in them and eat it like a taco and not get covered with black beans. (My only complaint about this restaurant)

Mama Cruz’s Huevos Rancheros ($10.25) ~ 2 eggs any style served on corn tortillas with jack cheese, salsa ranchero & black beans. My old favorite, used to be the only thing I ever ordered here when I actually lived around here. Again, same tip as above for the Huevos Verdes... ask for the tortillas on the side to avoid getting them completely doused in beans and salsa. 

 
Tofu Scram ($9) ~ Choice of pesto, peanut-ginger or salsa ranchero - served with home fries, choice of toast, biscuts, corn muffins or grilled baguette. I was kind of confused about what this would be when I saw it on the menu as it's "just tofu". Fortunately, the peanut-ginger sauce was so good that every bite made me a little tingly inside. This is definately my new favorite. I also added tomatoes and basil on top for an extra 0.50 cents each to give the tofu a little umph. 

I love the ambiance of this restaurant too, the hardwood floors and pale yellow walls make you feel like you're in some one's farmhouse kitchen (surrounded by 50 other people).

 If you're planning on going for the first time, be aware, this is one of the most popular breakfast places in Burlington, so go early on weekends! An hour wait for breakfast here is normal! We were really lucky both times we went and got seats right away. First time because we got there at 8:30 am and second time because we were willing to sit at the bar so we got shortlisted even though there was a 25 min waiting list at 9:30 am.

Penny Cluse Café

169 Cherry Street

PO Box 8422

Burlington, VT 05402

(802) 651–8834

http://www.pennycluse.com/

Lake Champlain Cruise

While my mom was in town we took a cruise on Lake Champlain from the waterfront near the ECHO center in Burlington. The boat ride is nice because it gives you a good history of the lake and the region. I've always been a history nerd..

On board there is a fully stocked bar plus you can order some small meals as well. We didn't order anything, but most people were enjoying a glass of wine or beer for the ride. 

Boats at the dock

A view of Burlington from the boat

Rain clouds in the distance....

Cliff jumping at Red Rocks

Here is the information, as advertised on their website:

Cruise Dates:	May 19 - October 14
Cruise Duration:	1 1/2 Hour Cruise
Departure Times:	10:00, 12:00, 2:00, 4:00
Notes:	Snack Bar Service and Cash Bar Available
Price:	1 1/12 hr: 15.49 Adults 7.49 Children (3-11) * Taxes and Fees are additional

A Covered Bridge in Vermont

I bought a bunch of post cards a week ago with the idea that I would send them out as thank you cards to those who gave us nice gifts for our housewarming party. All the prettiest post cards had covered bridges on them so I wound up getting four post cards with photos of different covered bridges in Vermont. Then I realized that I had never seen one for myself and started to wonder where all these bridges were hiding. But, today, in a quest to find the home of the officiant for my friend's wedding way far out in the countryside of Vermont we actually had to cross a covered bridge to get to the house. So, of course, being me, I shouted for my friend to pull over so I could take a few photos because I may never get this opportunity again... So, for those of you who have never seen or heard of a covered bridge, here is a real live (photo of) one for you to see: 

 Just a typical New England covered bridge

 Inside the covered bridge. Yes, it is completely made of wood. 

The officiant's mailbox was actually built into the bridge.  Wish I could tell people to leave my mail at the bridge....

View from the other side...