Taste Your Way Along Vermont’s Byways
VERMONT’S STUNNING VIEWS PAIR PERFECTLY WITH ITS VIBRANT CULINARY CULTURE
Vermont is home to the country’s highest concentration of craft breweries per capita, a thriving agricultural economy and a hyper-local farm-to-table dining scene—all of which are accessible via Vermont’s designated state byways.
Our state byways—a network of 10 well-signed and well-mapped scenic routes—wind around Vermont’s mountain peaks and travel through valley towns. They range in length from 14 to more than 400 miles, meandering along rivers, bisecting forests and opening up to rolling farmland. Farmers, restaurateurs and food producers of all varieties dot the byway system ready to share their offerings—they know that a fun day of exploration works up a hunger and thirst.
You might arrive in Vermont via the interstate, but discovering Vermont’s rich food flavors, aromas and textures requires travel off the beaten path. But the inspired palate that gets off the main highways and onto Vermont’s byways will be uniquely rewarded, so bring your sense of adventure and your appetite.
Visitors can get a jump start on finding their favorite flavors or discovering new delicacies through a smorgasbord of culinary themed itineraries, trails, events and challenges covering all corners of Vermont’s foodie scene.
Resources to Guide You
The Explore Vermont Byways guide offers themed itineraries along each of the 10 routes to help guests explore the state’s hidden gems based on their interests. The Chews & Brews itineraries recommend farms to visit, farmers markets, vineyards, breweries, maple sugar houses, cheesemakers and tasting tours of all kinds. Many of these attractions are small, family-run operations, and some operate on a larger scale, but most offer a closer look at production processes and delicious samples. Chews & Brews itineraries can be followed in conjunction with any —or all—of the other themed recommendations for travel along the byways including Arts & Culture, History & Heritage and Outdoor Recreation. Find these itineraries online or request a brochure.
Those interested in combining farm visits with artist studio tours will enjoy Palate to Palette recommendations. This map provides 134 recommendations for food-, farm- and arts-centric exploration from U.S. Route 4 southward along byways, local roads and main thoroughfares. Southern Vermont has a diverse artisan culture of local foods and artistic exposition. Points of interest on this map highlight the region’s producers of Vermont-grown products, farms where the production takes place, performance and visual art venues and farmers markets—where arts, crafts, specialty products, produce and live performances often merge. Plan a farm stay or attend a workshop to maximize your time on the land. Find the map at Visitors Centers and businesses in Southern Vermont, or view it online.
Looking for more variety? Create custom itineraries using the filters available at Dig In Vermont. Visit Dig In Vermont and click on “Trails” to choose from more than 500 customizable experiences or create your own. This website is a comprehensive resource for all things Vermont food related and it allows users to build a list of places to visit. Users can save their trail to access it again later—perhaps from the road—as well as share trails on social media, email, in print, or even name and submit unique trails to the site, making them available to other users.
Several thematic passports are available for visitors to take along on tasting trails. They all follow a similar principle: get a stamp in your passport for each visit along the trail and redeem a full passport for exclusive prizes. Challenge your friends the next time you visit a participating location and be sure to pick up your Vermont Brewery Challenge passport, Vermont Winery Passport or Vermont Bakery Tour passport and get started.
The Vermont Fresh Network
The Vermont Fresh Network is an online portal and event guide connecting travelers with authentic food and farm experiences in Vermont, from farm stays and tours to farmers markets, foodie experiences, and pick-your-own orchards.