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 Northeast Kingdom kids love the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury, with its interactive exhibits, cases of preserved wild animals, and real weather station. In the summertime the museum also offers a great nature corner with critters to see, touch, and explore, and an eager staff of young assistants. On Saturday afternoons there are planetarium shows, too.
Another favorite is the maple sugaring tour at Maple Grove on Portland Street (Route 2) at the east side of St. Johnsbury, where the story of tapping trees, boiling the sap into syrup, and turning the syrup into maple sugar candy gets shown on video and in real life, watching the candy makers at work. The seconds in the gift shop are a great bargain.
A third treat for kids of all ages is Stephen Huneck's Gallery at Dog Mountain, in St. Johnsbury. Or, venture up to Brownington's Old Stone House Museum to find out how people lived long ago.
Take a fishing adventure: Start at St. Jay Hardware to get a basic fishing rod and fishing license. Pick up a container of worms at any country store. Let the local folks give you tips on where to dip your line.
Ramble through the Mt Pleasant Cemetery in St. Johnsbury, for amazing stones and historical teasers. Then go back to the Fairbanks Museum and ask questions about what you've seen.
In Lyndonville, visit the Caledonia County Fairgrounds; chances are that on a summer or fall weekend there will be something happening, whether it's a race, a tractor pull, a crafts show, or a fair.
Visit a covered bridge, like the ones in Lyndonville, or the one in Coventry that offers such great fishing on the Black River. Take a hike on the trails around Lake Willoughby (local bookstores have great trail guidebooks and maps).
Visit Boxcar & Caboose Bookshop on Railroad Street in St. Johnbsury, where there are oodles of kids' books and play sets, and then go next door to Moose River Lodge to see the moose heads and antlers on the walls. Play miniature golf in Danville at Sugar Ridge. Rent a bicycle to explore the Kingdom Trails network around Burke, starting at East Burke Sports.
These are some of the things my own kids and the neighbors' kids love to do. One final suggestion: Pick up a disposable camera at a supermarket or drugstore and let your child make a personal record of the fun adventures of the Northeast Kingdom.
By Elizabeth L. Dugger Kannell, author of Adventure Guide to Vermont
Drawings courtesy of Northeast Kingdom artists:
Stephen Huneck, author of "Sally Goes to the Ocean", and "Sally Goes to the Mountains" www.huneck.com
Reeve Lindbergh, Author and Tracy Campbell Pearson, Illustrator of "The Awful Ardvarks go to School" |
