Vermont: Touring the Vermont Teddy Bear Company Shelburne

Shelburne is located in the northwestern area of Vermont.  It is a popular vacation destination for a number of reasons but for families, the Vermont Teddy Bear Company offers a  unique opportunity, not only can you watch them make and repair reddy bears, you can make your own.  

#Vermontteddy

The tour is fascinating, the bears are hand cut and stuffed by local workers. They are machine sown which makes for a bear that can take a lot of loving from your kids. To take a tour, you need to sign up when you arrive, the gift shop is very distracting so don't forget. 

 

The tour was very informative, it is a combination of listening to your guide and reading posted signs. Surprisingly, it isn't just kids on the tour, we were not the only unaccompanied adutls on the tour. 

 

Every bear is made up of 10 separate parts.  It takes ¾ of a pound of stuffing to fill a 15-inch bear. 

Vermont Teddy Bears have a lifetime guarantee. If you buy a bear and it meets with an accident, you can mail it back to the bear hospital for the necessary repair. Everyone loved this part of the tour. They can handle any sort of injury from the most simple to the catastrophic. It makes you feel really good about buying one of their bears. 

If you are going to be in the area and want to do something that is fun and inexpensive, I highly recommend this tour. While the tour is inexpensive, the gift shop is very hard to resist and with children, probably impossible. 

Vermont: Visiting Hildene in Manchester

Robert Lincoln, the only surviving son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln built Hildene in Manchester, Vt. in 1905 as a summer home. He visited the area in the 1860s with his mother and his brother Tad and found the area very attractive. He purchased 500 acres of land and had his house built in the Greek Revival style. At the time it cost $63,000.

The house remained in the Lincoln family until 1975 and in 1978 it was purchased by the Friends of Hildene who set about restoring the property. No descendants of Abraham Lincoln survive, which I found very sad.

Your visit begins at the Welcome Center, which is in the old carriage barn. An introductory video familiarizes you with the history of the house and some family history as well. Hildene is located up a very long driveway: it is a full mile. The location is very scenic and depending on the time of year, the views range from amazing to spectacular.

When we visited there is no brochure or map to guide you around and it is a self-guided tour. During the summer guided tours are offered twice a day. Additionally, your admission gets you into the farm, eight miles of walking trails and the Pullman Car.

Someone welcomed us into the house and he was more than willing to answer any questions we had. He told us a lot about the Aeolian Organ, which is in the entrance hall and was a gift to Mary Lincoln by her husband Robert. It is a pipe organ with a player attachment and 242 rolls of music. It has all been digitalized, and the organ plays on a regular schedule. We were afraid we would miss it but have no fear if you are anywhere inside the house you will hear it; it is quite amazing. Robert paid $11,500 for the organ, which is about 1/6 of what he spent to build the house.

#hildene

The 24 room house was modern from the moment it was built. It had electricity and modern plumbing and was really state of the art when the Lincolns moved in. Fifteen servants kept things running smoothly at Hildene, and of the 15, six remained here in Vermont and the other nine moved with the family to and from Chicago, where they lived the rest of the year.

It was interesting to walk into the butler’s bedroom and see how simply he lived. In the butler’s pantry, there is a call box with all the rooms marked so he would know where he was being called from. Plaques in each room give you some basic knowledge about what you are seeing.

On the second floor, a room is dedicated to Abraham Lincoln and it is here that you can see his stovepipe hat and the sculptures of his hands. They are big, and you are encouraged to touch them or compare your hands to them.

The gardens are quite spectacular and well worth a walk especially in June when the peonies are in bloom. With its setting in the Green Mountains, it is obvious that the fall leaves would make the views even more spectacular.

For anyone who has an interest in Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, this is a very interesting place to visit. You will learn some interesting facts about both Robert and his mother and their relationship. With the house’s convenient location outside of Manchester, Vt. there are plenty of places to stay, dine and especially shop in the area.

The house is decorated for Christmas time and is charming to visit. 

Vermont: Old Fashioned Charm at the Fairbanks Museum St. Johnsbury

The Fairbanks Museum traces it beginnings from the personal collections of amateur naturalist, Franklin Fairbanks. The Fairbanks Museum has been delighting the residents of St. Johnsbury for over 100 years. Franklin hired architect Lambert Packard to build a museum of natural science. The result is a sandstone Romanesque building that resembles a castle with turrets as much as a museum. It was dedicated in 1890 and, by 1894, it had to be extended to accommodate the ever-growing collection.

#fairbanksmuseumstjohnsbury

Franklin, together with taxidermist William Balch, created a collection of mounted animals that to this day is the finest in northern New England. There is street parking in the area and we didn’t have any trouble finding a spot right across the street. Just a note, in Vermont they take crosswalks very seriously and as soon as you step into it all traffic will stop, it was a very nice surprise.

Entrance into the Museum was $8 for adults and $6 for children, under 5 are free with a family total of $20. The building itself is large but the museum compared to many we have visited is relatively small. Your attention is attracted right away by the magnificent bears. They are very realistic and one of them has a very ferocious snarl.

We found out right away that Brandon has been to the Natural History Museum in Boston and he was unimpressed by the fantastic collection of stuffed birds. I found the peacock to be quite outstanding and the owls were beautiful. The hummingbirds filled several cases and I had no idea that they came in that many colors and varieties. Brandon also was unimpressed by the bison; his comment was "I have seen bigger," and the moose left him cold. Rest assured however, this museum isn’t a bust, we got his attention back as soon as we got to the bald eagle and the Bengal tiger.

The second floor is reached by climbing some very steep circular stairs and is not for the faint of heart or the bad of knees. Here we enter a totally different world. Beginning near the north end on the east side we came across a fine collection of dolls and historic toys. There are over 1000 dolls and accessories. Some of them are baby dolls and others are ethnic dolls. About 750 of these dolls were donation to the museum by Marguerite White

There are small collections of items from Egypt, India, and many other countries. Being a typical boy, Brandon was enthralled by the exhibits of weapons. Daggers and sabers and also some fine guns. The second floor consists of two balconies that overlook the lower level. On the west side we have historic items. There are early maps of St. Johnsbury and also a nice exhibit of St. Johnsbury’s role during the Civil War. Among their treasures are the drumsticks of a 12-year-old named Willie Johnston who enlisted as the Company D Vermont regiment's drummer. At age 13 he was awarded the nation's highest honor.

Vermont: Planning a Visit to the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum

The St.Johnsbury Athenaeum is located on Main Street in St. Johnsbury, Vt. This magnificent Second Empire building was designed by John Davis Hatch for Horace Fairbanks in 1871 as a public library. Mr. Fairbanks gifted it to the people of St. Johnsbury. Horace was the nephew of Thaddeus Fairbanks who invented the platform scale and was a partner in the company his uncle had founded. Described by Time Magazine as "The oldest unaltered art gallery still standing in the United States," the Gallery at the Atheneum was added in 1873. 

It originally housed a number of copies of old masters that had been acquired by the Fairbanks on their various trips to Europe. The determining factor in the design of the gallery, however, was the acquisition of a monumental painting by Albert Bierstadt entitled ‘The Domes of the Yosemite”.

This painting originally graced the Rotunda of the Lockwood Mansion in Norwalk, Conn. When the owner Lagrand Lockwood died, his widow needed to sell part of his estate to meet expenses and she sold the Bierstadt to the Fairbanks. It has remained here since that time and members of the Lockwood family still come to check up on “their” painting.

A docent in the gallery answered any questions about the paintings and a guide book helps to identify the paintings. They guide books are for sale if you want to learn more about the Athenaeum. If you have the time, there is an eight-minute headphone tour if you choose to take it. It is worth listening to but do talk to the docents, they have lots of stories to tell and are more than willing to share them with you. They are also very child-friendly. 

One story that I particularly liked has to do with Mr. Fairbanks portrait which hangs in the Fiction Room, look closely at his feet I won’t tell you any more, you will just have to go to see for yourself.

Beyond the old master copies and the Bierstadt there is a very nice collection of American Hudson River paintings as well as other pictures that would have been painted contemporary with Mr. Fairbanks' life. I particularly like the painting by John George Brown “Hiding in the Old Oak” it shows three young girls hiding within the trunk of the tree. Until recently, it was thought that there were two girls but when the painting was cleaned the third one became visible deeper within the tree.

Keep in mind that this is still a public library and the book collection here is quite amazing. Originally consisting of 8,000 volumes, it now has over 45,000. Like most public libraries they also have Internet access on the second floor.

This building is worth visiting just to look at all the magnificent woodwork. When we visited the entrance was $5 for adults (children under 17 are free) to visit the gallery and none of the pictures anywhere in the Athenaeum may be photographed.

There is metered parking on the street.

Connecticut: Sunfower Maze at Lyman's Orchard in Middlefield

LYMAN'S ORCHARD

Happy Sunday

Sunflower Maze

Until August 24, 2014

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

350,000 red and yellow sunflowers

13 and over admission $10 

4-12 $5 

3 and under free

Save $1 order tickets online

Pick your own fruit while you are there and enjoy the store. 

 

Connecticut: Yummy Local Food Photos

I have been taking food pictures for years, even before I started travel writing. I think I will try to temp my readers with some of the great dishes I have sampled locally.

#chickenandwaffles

Chicken and Waffles at the Sloppy Waffle in Newington, Conn.

Goat cheese, watermelon and pecan salad at Sadler's Ordinary in Marlborough, Conn.

Omelet at O'Rourke's Diner in Middletown, Conn.

Fried banana cheesecake at Morning Glory Cafe, Old Lyme, Conn.

Lobster Roll from Jessica's Garden in Marlborough, Conn.

Is there are better way to begin and end than with a lobster roll?

Massachusetts: The Old Manse Concord

The Old Manse is a historic house located in the town of Concord, Mass. It was the home of literary greats Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Many of the famous Transcendental philosophers of the time would have gathered here to discuss the issues of the day. The house is located just a short distance from the Old North Bridge where the Revolutionary War began.

#theoldmanse

We visited here with our son Jason and daughter-in-law Jen. It was not our first visit to the area but it was our first with them and we had never been inside The Old Manse. We arrived in time to take the last tour of the day. The house must be visited on a guided tour. You need to be able to climb stairs to visit here. 

You get to visit both the first floor and the upper floor of the home. On the window upstairs you will find a poem that the Sophia Hawthorn wrote to her husband etched into the window panes. Our guide was very well informed and we came away knowing a lot about not only the building but its rather famous residents. 

 The Old Manse was built by Reverend William Emerson who was the grandfather of Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1770. William was a Unitarian minister and also a patriot. When you consider that the Old North Bridge can be viewed from the upstairs windows of the house, you realize just how strategic its location was at the time of the American Revolution. 

Most of the tour however, centers on the famous writers who found their muse while living here. You will see the desk where Emerson wrote his essay “Nature” and learn about the great love of Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorn. All and all, The Old Manse is a very interesting place to visit and one that should not be missed if you are in the area.

British Columbia: Spinnaker's Brewpub Victoria

"Spinnaker's is Canada’s oldest brewpub and was a pioneer of the North American craft-brewing renaissance" states their brochure.

For our first dinner in Victoria, we decided that a brewpub would be an excellent choice given all of our different preferences, our one common denominator being the love of a good beer. Spinnaker's calls itself a gastro brewpub, and one look at their menu will fortify this impression. In their own words, a gastro brewpub means "gastronomically amazing fare". I am here to tell you that they don’t exaggerate.

#spinnakersbrewpub

There are two dining options. Families will want to choose the dining room since minors aren’t allowed in the taproom. Located on the second floor, the taproom is dominated by a large, well-stocked bar. The room is all rich woods, with a corner for the dart-throwing enthusiast. Whichever room you choose, you will have a least a fleeting view of the inner harbor, and, if you are lucky, a constant, stunning view.

 

Your first and most important choices are which of their wonderful artisan brews will you be trying. If you are me, you will be delighted that they offer a tasting size so that you can experiment without falling under the table. I had four tasters (equal to a pint): India Pale Ale, King Tut’s Tipple, Honey Pale Ale, and Raspberry Ale. Why I always think that fruit and beer will make a good combination escapes me at the moment, but the Raspberry Ale was the only one that I found quite hard to finish. Honey pale is my favorite, but the other two are very enjoyable. These are the cold beers. There is a full selection of English style ales and stout as well.

    "Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world."

    -Kaiser Wilhelm

All of their food is prepared on the premises, including their artisan bread and pastries. I chose the BBQ pizza for my dinner and Al and Chris both chose fish and chips, one cod and one halibut. For once in my life, I didn’t actually taste their food. I was much too busy with my unbelievable pizza. It had the thinnest crust you can imagine and was covered with chicken, blue cheese, BBQ sauce, and blackberries. Yes, I said blackberries. It was without a doubt the most delicious pizza I have ever eaten. The combination of the pungent cheese with the sweet sauce and the texture of the berries is an inspired pairing. The chicken was just a bonus.

 

For dessert, we shared a chocolate tart. It proved to be the perfect dessert to share, richly chocolate and served with whipped cream. Washed down with fresh coffee, it was the perfect ending it a perfect meal

    "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."

    Dave Barry

Additional reading:

Butchart Gardens

British Columbia: Sophie's Cosmic Cafe Vancouver

My search for the best breakfast in Vancouver kept coming up with one name, Sophies Cosmic Café. After a visit to their website, I was tempted with the promise of a fabulous dish of waffles with fruit and whipped cream. How could I resist?

The four or seven buses from Granville will get you to Sophies. If you are coming on a weekend, come early. The line has been known to snake around the building by 9 a.m. We arrived at 8 a.m. and had no wait. After you get off the bus, take the time to enjoy the view down the side street, as it is quite spectacular.

Sophie's is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. The walls are covered with an eclectic collection of memorabilia: pennants, lunch boxes, and coke advertisements all clamor for your attention. My attention, however, was not to be diverted. I was here to try the waffles I had seen on their website.

As we sipped our coffee, we perused the extensive breakfast selections. Bear in mind that custom dishes are not an alternative. You must choose one of their many choices. We began with a glass of grapefruit juice. It is fresh-squeezed and so chunky that you will be tempted to chew it. It is worth the cost of admission even if the rest of the food was terrible. Rest easy, the rest of the food was good, but not terrific.

I ordered the waffles with cream and fruit. I could have chosen butter and syrup. I also ordered a side of bacon. The side of bacon was the biggest I have ever seen, but it wasn’t even warm and the taste was just okay. The waffles themselves were flawless, but, frankly, I was expecting better than frozen fruit and canned whipped cream.

#sophiescosmiccafe

Al had scrambled eggs and bacon with marble-rye bread. The toast was cut thick and half the plate was covered with homefries. Good eggs, but undercooked, and uninspired homefries.

The special of the day was a smoked salmon benny. All around us, people were obviously enjoying their meals and, truly, I did too. The service was wonderful and when I told the server I had come all the way from Connecticut. to eat breakfast here, she brought me butter and syrup for my waffles in addition to the fruit and cream.

Would I come here again? Yes, I would. It is a friendly place, and I would love to try their French toast. Would I have the homefries again, no, they were not worth it? But keep in mind, Al and I have very high expectations of homefries. Everyone else seemed to be eating and enjoying theirs.

One problem with planning where I am going to eat is that I have preconceived notions about the restaurant. Sophie’s fell short of my expectations, but, as breakfasts go, it was quite exceptional; I had just hoped for fantastic.

New York: Flowers from FDR Historic Site Hyde Park

Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt are buried in the rose garden on his estate, Springwood, in Hyde Park, New York We visited there on July 28, 2014 and the flowers were in bloom. I hope you will enjoy them as much as we did.

#gardenspringwoodestate

British Columbia: Cupcake on DenMan Vancouver

What drew me to Cupcakes was the line snaking out the door. What could possibly be attracting all these people? I soon found out. The window was piled high with the most delectable cupcakes you can imagine. Cake plates full of chocolate cupcakes with mocha frosting and a coffee bean on top, yellow cupcakes with white frosting covered with coconut, blue frosted, yellow frosted and pink frosted. Soo many choices, too little time.

I had to let several people pass me in line, as I walked back and forth trying to decide which cake to order. Did I want to carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and nuts, should I get several of the mini-cakes or just two of the regular size? Finally, I had to make a decision. I’ll have one classic chocolate and a Koo Koo. Soon I had my box in my hand, and, as I passed all the others waiting in line I wondered, had I made the right decision, should I get more, could I come back tomorrow? And all this before I had even tasted a morsel.

#cupcakesonDenman

Did they taste as good as they looked? Oh my yes, they did. These definitely are your mother’s cupcakes, well at least my mother’s cupcakes since my mother is one fine baker. They even have a website. You don’t suppose they will mail cupcakes to Connecticut do you? Hmm, I may just have to check that out! Cupcakesonline.com When you visit their website you will be able to read the story of Heather and Lori, two girls from Victoria who decided to change careers after 9/11, somehow they got the inspiration to try their hand at baking, and, luckily for us, they did. They are to cupcakes what Mrs. Fields is to cookies.

 

We took the no. 1 bus to the end of Davie and then walked north along Denman. They have now expanded to lots of other locations!!

Tennessee: Grub Crawl in Nashville

Bon Appétit Grub Crawl

October 25, 2014

Throughout Nashville
Tickets available July 28

Nashville's food scene is booming, and October 25 you will have the chance to experience it all. Take part in this amazing culinary adventure in Music City that gives you the opportunity to meet the artists behind their culinary masterpieces. In addition, there will be some great live music, and specialty drinks to enjoy along the way. See for yourself why Nashville has stolen the hearts of food and culture lovers during Bon Appétit's Grub Crawl in Music City.

The Grub Crawls

Guests can choose from two different crawls, both of which include a kickoff, and closing party with multiple stops along the way. Each crawl selection includes specialty dishes, live music, chef meet-n-greets, handcrafted cocktails, and more. 

Downtown Crawl
11am-3:30pm includes kickoff party at Pinewood Social plus Etch, and 2 other stops Gulch Crawl
4:30-9pm includes kickoff party at Adele's plus Peg Leg Porker, and 2 other stops Closing Party
9pm everyone from both crawls gathers to eat, drink, and dance the night away

How to Get to the grub crawl

There are three ways to get your tickets for the Bon Appétit's Grub Crawl happening October 25 in Music City. Choose an option and start planning your trip!

GET TICKETS ONLY
You can purchase your tickets July 28 at: www.bagrubcrawl.com. 

Post provided courtesy of Visit Music City