USA

Lake Placid, New York: Olympic Ski Jumping, Whiteface Mountain & Mirror Lake

July 7, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2026

Lake Placid is a beautiful mountain town no matter what the season. Tucked into the Adirondacks of upstate New York, it’s best known for hosting the Winter Olympics twice — in 1932 and 1980 — and the legacy of those games is visible everywhere you look, from the speed skating oval to the bobsled run to the ski jump towers that still dominate the skyline. We happened to be here in early June, and between the lupine blooming along every roadside and the summer training programs in full swing at the Olympic facilities, the timing couldn’t have been better.

Lupine wildflowers in bloom along a roadside near Lake Placid New York in June

Stowe, Vermont: Ben & Jerry’s, Bingham Falls & the Trapp Family Lodge

June 23, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2026

Stowe is Vermont at its most postcard-perfect — a classic New England village flanked by Mount Mansfield (the state’s highest peak), threaded with trails and brewery stops, and anchored by one of the most interesting back stories in American hospitality. We came for Ben & Jerry’s and Bingham Falls, and stayed for a deep dive into Smugglers’ Notch, the Von Trapp family, and more Vermont craft beer than was strictly wise.

Bingham Falls waterfall on the West Branch of the Little River in Stowe Vermont

Burlington, Vermont: Church Street Jazz Festival, Lake Champlain & the Grand Isle Ferry

June 14, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2026

Burlington is Vermont’s largest city, which by most states’ standards would still count as a small town — and that’s precisely its charm. Perched on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain with the Adirondacks visible across the water on a clear day, Burlington manages to feel genuinely cosmopolitan without losing the easy friendliness of the Vermont countryside. We arrived during the Church Street Jazz Festival, which turned out to be perfect timing.

Elvis mural on Church Street pedestrian marketplace Burlington Vermont during jazz festival

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St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Cabot Creamery, Dog Mountain Chapel & Flume Gorge

June 13, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2026

St. Johnsbury sits at the southern gateway to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, a small city with an outsized cultural legacy — the Fairbanks Museum, the Athenaeum art gallery, and some of the best cheddar cheese in America all within a few blocks of each other. Our days here ranged from industrial curiosity (watching granite get quarried and turned into bowling balls) to genuine emotion (a hilltop chapel built in memory of a beloved dog), and from the verdant Vermont countryside to the dramatic gorge carved into the granite of New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

Vermont countryside scenery near St. Johnsbury in early summer

Barton, Vermont: Lake Willoughby, Northeast Kingdom & a New Puppy Named Sadie

June 12, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2026

Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom is the state’s best-kept secret — a vast, largely undeveloped stretch of forests, farms, and glacial lakes that feels like it was left behind by time in the best possible way. We based ourselves in Barton to visit Sandy’s parents Rich and Sylvia, explore the stunning Lake Willoughby, and meet the newest member of their family: Sadie, an eight-week-old chocolate Labrador who immediately stole the show.

Vermont Northeast Kingdom countryside near Barton in early summer

Quechee, Vermont: Simon Pearce, Covered Bridges & Quechee Gorge

June 6, 2017 by Michael Huntley

Last Updated: May 2026

Vermont has a way of slowing you down, and Quechee was no exception. We spent several days exploring the Upper Valley region — watching molten glass transformed into art at Simon Pearce, crossing four of Vermont’s iconic covered bridges, peering into the dramatic Quechee Gorge, tasting farmhouse cheese at Billings Farm, and wandering through some of the most extravagant spring wildflower scenery we’d seen anywhere. It was the kind of trip that makes you want to move here.