Stephen Jermanok, travel writer and father of two young children, reveals his favorite family adventure spots. Get ready for New England’s best adventures in rafting and biking in Massachusetts, mountain biking in Vermont, sea kayaking in Rhode Island, camping in Maine, and canoeing in New Hampshire.
The opening of the Lake Champlain Bridge in 1929 inspired cheering crowds, marching bands, and grinning politicians. Everyone understood the potential that this long span brought with it: For the first time, the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains were connected, uniting the region and spurring tourism and development. Age has taken its toll on this […]
What could be simpler? A few eggs, some old bread, and maple syrup — voila! Yes, French toast. This morning stalwart most likely got its name from the French dish pain perdu — “lost bread” — a poetic way to say “stale bread.” And slightly stale bread is one of the keys to good French […]
Queenie came into my life in March 1953, when she was 9 months old and I was 8 years old, living in Orfordville, New Hampshire. My father bought her in New York for his zoo, which he opened when we moved to Vermont in 1954. Queenie and I grew up together. She could sense my […]
In northern New England there are really five seasons. Some would say Indian summer and January thaw, too, which add to the rhythm of most years, but they’re inconsistent and ethereal. Mud season, though, is real, its own thing. The roads around here have been posted with a six-ton limit for a few weeks now, […]
A few years ago, I went through a pizza phase — a significant pizza phase. I was cooking and eating pizza a lot. Thin-crusted, brick-oven, Margherita-style — fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil. From Boston to New York to New Haven to Naples to Nantucket (favorites in order of location mentioned: Figs, Pizza Napoletana, […]
Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks 1168 County Rd. Montpelier, VT 800-242-2740; morsefarm.com Local lore has it that the more e’s in the word creemie (or creemee), the better the soft-serve ice cream is. Many places offer maple-flavored ice cream, but Morse has a lock on true maple flavor: a gallon of syrup per container of creemie […]
Grafton Village Cheese 533 Townshend Rd.Grafton, VT 800-472-3866; graftonvillagecheese.com You know what they say: “Apple pie without cheese is like a hug without a squeeze.” The best topping for apple pie is a slice of cheddar — a savory, creamy contrast to the apples and spices. Grafton uses only Vermont Jersey milk in its award-winning […]
Making maple syrup is tough business — so tough that the Howrigans of Fairfield, Vermont, don’t share secrets even with their own family. March 1998: It is just after noon and the air is bright with more than just a hint of warmth to it. Shelley Howrigan pulls on her high-top rubber boots and sets out […]
From Yankee Magazine October 1981 (Also, read about the Ira Allen House, Yankee‘s House for Sale this month.) Vermonters have always been proud of the fact that their state was an independent republic before it joined the United States. Ethan and Ira Allen are justly famed as the leaders who steered that independent course. But […]
I am from upstate New York. And not the upstate that is one to two hours from Manhattan. No, no. I grew up north of Albany, New York State’s capital, about 8 hours from Buffalo, NY and three hours from NYC. Of course, those who live north of Syracuse also refer to themselves as “upstaters” […]
