Places to visit...
On Site
You can have a very pleasant and relaxing day simply staying around the property and in the vicinity:
All below are seasonal
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Cook-out facility, a charcoal grill or fire-pit. The charcoal grill is on the deck and fire pit on lawn. Wood for fire pit and charcoal for grill are provided.
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Nature shed (being built, not yet ready) arts and crafts, paints, tools
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Snowshoes
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Two kayaks and a canoe
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Stream-side deck at waterfall for picnics (for cabin guests)
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Strolls in the woods, where there are marked short hiking trails and seating at view points
 Take a stroll in the nature |
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 Relax and have a cup of coffee! |
 Stream-side deck |
 Picnic table on the deck |
 Enjoy the sunset after dinner at Nature's Retreat |
 A canoe and two kayaks available for guests |
Close By (within 2 to 5 miles, 3 to 7 Km)
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Half Moon State Park in Hubbardton – great for hiking, canoeing/kayaking, picnic.
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Lake Bomoseen Country store (at southern end of lake)
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Rambles Taconic State Park and Japanese Garden, with scenic hiking
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Nature Conservancy land close by, including High Pond Trail (be cautious of bears and moose when on this trail)
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Swimming and picnicking at Hubbardton ‘s Crystal Beach
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Lake Bomoseen State Park for swimming and picnicking
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Castleton Country Store
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Bike path, Castleton to Poultney
A bit further away...
Just a small sample of interesting places to visit on a half-day or full day trip (the times are very approximate from Nature's Retreat):
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Marble Works and Visitor Centre (1/2 hour drive) at Proctor near Rutland.
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Silver Lake at Lake Dunmore – a beautiful but quite easy hike up to a clear mountain lake (45 mins drive away). Hike takes about an hour one way, lovely views.
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Lake George (hour drive) a picturesque village on the shores of Lake George. Steamer trips on the lake (seasonal).
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Lake Champlain with boat trip at Fort Ticonderoga (30 mins from house).
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Ticonderoga ferry and Fort Ticonderoga/King’s Gardens. Ferry leaves from Larrabee’s Point, Shoreham (1/2 hour drive away). Ferry takes about 10 or 15 mins to NY State.
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Mt Killington and Appalachian Trail (one hour from house). There is a gondola up the mountain (seasonal) from the car park on Rte 4
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Middlebury (25 mins drive from Nature's Retreat), interesting shops, marble works, waterfalls and pubs
Texas Falls
Photo credit: www.atlasobscura.com
Further afield (one-way approximate times):
Just a small sample of interesting places to visit on a day trip:
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Texas Falls and Robert Frost Trail in Hancock Vt on Rte 125 (about 1 ½ hours)
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Stowe recreational bike path (about 2 hours from house)
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Mt Mansfield and auto road (about 2 hours)
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Burlington, Vt (about 1 ¼ hours). If you cycle, the lake Champlain bike path is excellent, goes from Rockledge Park through Burlington and out into the lake on a causeway, then bike ferry, and causeway to South Hero Island.
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Woodstock (about 1 ¼ hours) and Quechee Falls (about 1 ½ hours)
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Montreal, Quebec Province (about 3 hours, time depends on border crossing)
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Mt Washington, NH auto road (about 2 hours)
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Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory and Visitor Centre, Waterbury Vt (about 2 hours). Stop at Warren Falls on the way!
Places to eat...
There are lots of local places to eat, but here is a sample:
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Lakeside Inn in Bomoseen on Rte 30, only about 8 mins drive from Nature's Retreat
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Birdseye Diner in Castleton, about 15 mins drive from Nature's Retreat
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Taproom in Castleton on Rte 30, about 15 mins drive from Nature's Retreat
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Two Brothers Pub in Middlebury, about 25 mins drive from Nature's Retreat
Groceries
Closest supermarket is Hannafords in Brandon, if you take the dirt roads (High Pond Road) through the woods off Monument Hill Road. There is a Price Chopper in Rutland and another Hannafords in Middlebury. The country stores in Castleton and Bomoseen are also stocked with basic groceries.