When it gets really hot in Chittenden County, the locals head for the Bolton Potholes. Running alongside the road up to Bolton Valley Resort, Joiner Brook tumbles downstream to make five separate waterfalls. The stream’s curviness, and distance between individual potholes, makes the swimming area seem bigger and more private than it is. You can hang upstream, far from the madding crowd, or watch adolescent boys diving through an impossibly narrow chute of rock into a deep pool.

(Published in 7 Nights 2009-10)

It’s not easy to get the recipe right in small but sophisticated Montpelier. The capital city is both crunchy and world-wise, localvore and price-sensitive. 

Pam Root satisfies all the constituencies at That’s Life Soup, a cozy café on Elm Street that serves up soothing, steaming bowls to state workers, townies and tourists — not to mention the hungry lawmakers who take over Montpelier for four-plus months a year. 

(Published in 7 Nights 2009-10)

Only a few Vermont restaurants consistently deliver exquisite food and gracious service. Michael’s on the Hill, located on a scenic stretch of Route 100 between Waterbury and Stowe, is one of them. There, in an intimate farmhouse setting, Michael and Laura Kloeti reign over the kitchen and dining room, respectively. When it’s warm enough, seating extends to an enclosed wrap-around porch with views of the surrounding countryside. 

(Published in 7 Nights 2009-10)

Franklin County is meat-and-potatoes country. But if you happen to be a vegetarian — or a whole-foods aficionado — your best option is tiny Foothills Bakery, located right across from the entrepreneurial Food Venture Center. 

Pleasantly cluttered with homey décor, the restaurant has a lived-in vibe. Going there for a meal is like stopping in on friends.

The Burlington Bike Path runs for miles along the city’s shoreline, north through Colchester and out onto a narrow old railroad causeway that connects Chittenden County with the Champlain Islands. The Island Line Trail ends at “the cut” — except on certain weekends when there’s ferry service across the water. Be sure to stop for “penny candy” at the historic Auer Family Boathouse, where the Winooski River flows into the lake.

(Published in 7 Nights 2007-08)

(Published in 7 Nights 2006-07)

(Published in 7 Nights 2005-06)

Everybody wants a seat on the front porch at the North Hero House Inn and Restaurant — and it's not just for the winning waterfront view. The cheery, flower-filled dining room is a window on Champlain Islands history that has been perfectly preserved here, on a scenic stretch of Route 7. Along with the post office, courthouse, library and general store, the North Hero House is part of the town's "old and improved" 19th-century strip.

(Published in 7 Nights 2006-07)

The Mad River Valley has plenty of historic inns, but few go beyond bed and breakfast to pamper walk-in gourmands with first-class dinners. 1824 House, a lovingly restored, white-clapboard farmhouse in Waitsfield, serves cozy, candlelit meals in its eight-table dining room and large-scale banquets in a newly renovated barn. John Lumbra and Karl Klein run the place. Klein is the carpenter/wine steward; his partner Lumbra, a professional chef, presides in the kitchen.

(Published in 7 Nights 2006-07)

A nine-foot wooden canoe suspended over the bar captures the spirit of South Hero's Blue Paddle Bistro: local flavor with a sense of fun. In an historic white house that has been a parsonage, a post office and, most recently, a chocolate factory, co-owners Mandy Hotchkiss and Phoebe Bright have created a cozy, unpretentious spot where upscale dining pulls up a chair alongside down-home comfort food.