As we travel the United States, one of our “goals” is to find places that we could happily call home. While we don’t think we’ll ever be in one place for too long, we would like to establish residency or a place we can call home. St. Pete and Orlando will always be one home, but ideally we would like to have a few small homes (1 – 2 bedrooms) with just the things we need that we can visit and enjoy in optimal seasons and times. Burlington, Vermont was one of them. A pin on the map. A place we could easily call home (for the summer at least). We parked there because of an easy commute to the airport. Liz was having a small procedure done with her doc in Orlando. Dennis was lucky enough to get 5 extra days of exploring this beautiful place before we met up with Liz’s best friend Grace who was staying there for the summer. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there and will be back.

There are a TON of breweries in the greater Burlington area. For being a rather small city, just above 200,000 people in the greater Burlington VT area, it really had a lot to offer in the arena of beer. Dennis took full advantage of Liz being gone and explored as many breweries as possible. His favorites were Zero Gravity and Switchback, although 14th Star was worth a notable mention. Zero Gravity didn’t just have good beers, but their staff and ambiance was inviting and fun. So much so, he went there a few times during his stay!  14th Star shares space Smokin’ Butt’s Barbecue who’s ribs are pretty darn good! 14th star Brewery wasn’t spectacular, they did have one beer that was very creative and well worth a try, Maple Brown Session Ale. If you see any beers by Lawson’s finest liquids order it! You can’t go to the brewery but you must try them! We later went to the Von Trapp Brewery in Stowe, Vermont about an hour and half drive from Burlington. It’s a gorgeous area to begin with (known for the famous ski resorts), their beers were true to German/Vienna brewing standards and delicious!

After Liz returned we moved our RV to Liz’s best friend Grace’s family house in South Burlington. They were kind enough to let us park Mo’ on the street. We enjoyed getting to know her family more and spending time with Grace of course. One day we went to Warren Falls, about an hour outside of Burlington. It’s a local water/swimming hole that boasts beautiful “mini waterfalls” and rocks of all sizes to jump off of. Dennis and the rest of the crew were brave enough to dive into the water, although no one stayed in too long. It was freezing. Warren Falls as a whole was incredible! I would love to go back here and definitely recommend it if your in the area.

On the drive home, we stopped at a lovely ice cream shop which had a variety of odd and original flavors. Liz opted for the curry which had a nice spice to it. Dennis went for the earl grey tea and lavender. We could have also gone to Ben & Jerry’s headquarters which is in Burlington, VT but I think they have enough customers. We like to support the smaller players and were glad we did, their odd ball flavors were scrumptious! Our last stop for the day before going home was a marsh? Coming from Florida I would have NEVER guessed that mountainous areas can also have marshes? Nonetheless, it was a nice spot to stop and take some pictures and take in the beauty of this incredible state.

Another night Grace took us out into town, but unfortunately the night ended sooner than expected after she started to get a migraine. Before she left we were able to enjoy the sunset over the Marina, which was breathtaking. It felt like a perfect summer night. People docking their boats after a nice day on the water, drinks flowing on the outdoor deck and restaurant, and the sky bright with orange, pink, and purple hews. Yeah, we could get used to this! Dennis and I didn’t eat yet, so we walked into downtown and had a pizza at Burlington Hearth, which has stone baked pizza in a real wood oven. Mm mmm! We loved getting to explore this city, especially during the summer. The motorcycle got put to good use. It won’t be our lost visit here!