If you're in the Mad River Valley, don't miss American Flatbread on the Lareau Farm in Waitsfield. It’s the original restaurant — two other versions are in Middlebury and Burlington — and would definitely be a stop on a “localvore” tour of Vermont, if such a thing existed. The Bread-and-Puppet décor is topped only by fabulous flatbread pizza festooned with fresh, local ingredients.

If you're in the Mad River Valley, don't miss American Flatbread on the Lareau Farm in Waitsfield. It’s the original restaurant — two other versions are in Middlebury and Burlington — and would definitely be a stop on a “localvore” tour of Vermont, if such a thing existed. The Bread-and-Puppet décor is topped only by fabulous flatbread pizza festooned with fresh, local ingredients.

In winter, the road to Stowe sees a lot of slope-seeking Saabs and Subarus. The summer crowd tends to be driven by ice cream: The Ben & Jerry's Factory in Waterbury is one of the top tourist destinations in Vermont. If your visitors have heard of one thing in the Green Mountain State, sadly, this is probably it. The guided tour doesn’t dwell on the company’s founding entrepreneurs — you have to search high and low for signs of Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield — but it maintains their “If it’s not fun, why do it?” philosophy.

The Saturday market is among the top 10 in the country, according to EatingWell magazine. The 2008 market season lasts from May 3 until October 25. Opens at 9 a.m. Closes at 1 p.m.

(Published in 7 Nights 2008-2009)

Anyone who thinks of White River Junction as a place to hop off the highway for a bathroom break and a quick burger hasn't been there lately. Over the past decade, the old railroad town at the intersection of interstates 89 and 91 has experienced a renaissance. A theater company, a cartoon-art school and a tapas bar have all taken up residence in this burg that's seeing better days.

(Published in 7 Nights 2008-2009)

Anyone who thinks of White River Junction as a place to hop off the highway for a bathroom break and a quick burger hasn't been there lately. Over the past decade, the old railroad town at the intersection of interstates 89 and 91 has experienced a renaissance. A theater company, a cartoon-art school and a tapas bar have all taken up residence in this burg that's seeing better days.

(Published in 7 Nights 2005-06)

(Published in 7 Nights 2005-06)