Cumulative Official Towns Visited | Unofficial Town Count |
124 | 57 |
An east-west swath of Vermont is covered in this edition of the VT 251 exploration. Most of these towns are extremely rural with picturesque landscapes, and Brandon is a jewel among them, well worth a visit in my opinion. As it is located on route 7, which runs from Bennington to Burligton, it is a great place to stop for a meal or a night. The specific towns included here are ROCHESTER, GOSHEN, BRANDON, LEICESTER, SALISBURY, & WHITING.
ROCHESTER, VT
Rochester, VT (pop. 1,099 in 2020) is located up and over the mountain from Bethel and the drive through the gap between them (Rochester Gap), which transverses the Appalachian Trail, offers amazing views; so if you have a chance, I'd recommend the excursion. Rochester itself is a thriving, picturesque tourist destination nestled in the Green Mountains, on Route 100 (an extremely scenic byway) between Killington and Mad River Glen (2 ski areas). The gorgeous town green, a bookstore with a bakery (each room of the store is themed on Lord of The Rings!), and its proximity to good skiing/ leaf-peeping, and hiking bring in lots of folks. The very attractive country store and cafe across the street from the bookstore is 95% cafe with just a few gifts available (know before you go!), and there are also several farm stands/ farm stores just beyond of the main street of town. It's got some art, too, although the gallery which interested me the most (Big Town Gallery) is only open by appointment (unfortunately).
GOSHEN
Goshen, VT is a tiny mountain town which had a population of 172 in 2020 and was chartered in 1792. It therefore makes sense that there are only 2 buildings in the town that I could find. That said, it was named the Wild Blueberry Capital of Vermont because in August folks descend on the Blueberry Management Area of Hogback Mountain and pick buckets and buckets of wild blueberries.
BRANDON
Brandon, VT (pop. 4,129 in 2020) is a really sweet town that is well worth a visit. The downtown area is cute and has plenty of stores, a town green, and some great eats, including Cafe Provence, which offers french bistro fare with a Vermont touch. Additionally, the town has barn quilts all over town and while there used to be a map of them, I couldn't get hold of it; luckily, one of the local artists drew one for me, and I was able to find quite a few. [For the uninitiated, a barn quilt is an outdoor adornment which usually represents one square of a quilt, often pained on wood, and hung on the outside of barns (and apparently homes).] Of historical importance, Brandon is the birthplace of Stephen Douglas, an IL senator who ran against Abraham Lincoln for President in 1860, and famously debated him in his run for President.
LEICESTER
Leicester, VT is a small rural town (pop. 990 in 2020) which abuts Lake Dunsmore ( a popular recreational lake). While maps include a Satan's Kingdom town, it became clear that it is a fictitious place that no one in Leicester knows anything about (not even the town clerk, apparently). When we couldn't find Satan's Kingdom, we went for a short hike to Lana Falls, in nearby Salisbury, which was lovely.
SALISBURY
Salisbury, VT (pop. 1,221 in 2020) is a farming community near the shores of Lake Dunsmore (Branbury State Park for access) and Silver Lake. The Falls of Lana (poorly photographed by me above so I added a professional picture as well) are an easy and lovely hike should you find yourself looking for something to do in the area (other than searching for nearby Satan's Kingdom, that is, lol!).
WHITING
Whiting, VT is a small farming community without a town center (pop. 405 in 2020). But what it lacks in services (like a general or country store), it makes up for in gorgeous views and farmscapes. Still, not much to see here.
Stay tuned for more!
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