Albany to Middlebury - sights

Parent Cafe
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<p>OK, we just booked a trip for the NE tour - Hamilton, Middlebury, and Amherst. These are perhaps pipedream schools, but will be fun to visit anyway!</p>

<p>To benefit from the lower airfares associated with a Saturday night stay, we’re flying to Albany on a Saturday and spending a leisurely Sunday driving to Middlebury.</p>

<p>I have not been to this part of the NE before. Any suggestions for things to see en route? Or, between Middlebury and Amherst? I’ve already checked - it looks like Ben and Jerry’s is north of Middlebury rather than south!!</p>

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<p>If you’re into cultural stuff; art/dance/music, the Berkshire area is full of all that in summer. There’s a contemporary art museum in North Adams MA and the Boston Symphony has concerts all summer at Tanglewood in Lenox MA. </p>

<p>The Basketball Hall of Fame is in Springfield MA.</p>

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<p>Let’s see. There’s Lake George (NY), Fort Ticonderoga, Crown Point, you can stop for lunch at the Basin Harbor Club, take a ferry across Lake Champlain. There’s the Morgan Horse Farm outside Middlebury, the Shelburne Museum, and Frog Hollow craft center. If you take Route 7 South out of Middlebury, you’ll pass through Bennington VT (Battle Monument, Robert Frost’s grave), Williamstown (Williams College), Clark Institute, Norman Rockwell Museum, Tanglewood, etc. </p>

<p>LOTS to see and do in that part of the world!</p>

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<p>The Burlington Vermont area is full of neat things. I particularly like the Shelburne Museum – a big folk art museum. Vermont Teddy Bear Factory is in that area also/</p>

<p>It sorta depends on which way you are going … if you stay on the NY side, Saratoga. (and do a driveby on Skidmore while you’re at it) Lake George. You could manage to see Lake Placid and the Olympic stuff. Outlet shopping north of Lake George, and then cross over to Vermont further north. If you go directly east from Albany and then go up 7, you’ll go through Rutland which has some interesting small tourist attractions. Great outlet shopping in Manchester Vermont also.</p>

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<p>If you have time you could stop by the Vermont Country Store in Weston, VT. It’s not the direct route, but it’s not way off either. It adds an hour to the driving time, but it’s a pretty drive. The store is a hoot. [The</a> Vermont Country Store](<a href=“The Best of Vermont from The Vermont Country Store to your door!”>The Best of Vermont from The Vermont Country Store to your door!) Forty five minutes north of Weston is Granville, VT which has a store that sells good stuff out of Vermont wood. Granville is about 45 minutes due east of Middlebury on Route 100.</p>

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<p>There’s not a whole lot to see between Middlebury and Amherst except . . . Dartmouth.</p>

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<p>Oh, Vermont Country Store - I used to get their catalog. That would be fun! Thanks for mentioning that.</p>

<p>I had gathered from the web (and arcadia’s comments confirm) that we could take a ferry across Lake Champlain - if we drive that far north on the NY side. D would enjoy that.</p>

<p>Dartmouth? Hadn’t even thought of that, but maybe I’ll investigate…</p>

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<p>I do 87N to exit 20, which is the Lake George Outlets, but beyond that (149 -> 4 -> 30 to Middlebury) the scenery is nice to look at but there’s not much reason to get out of the car. I’d recommend staying in NY, perhaps do Fort Ticonderoga. From Ticonderoga, the Crown Point bridge is pretty direct to Middlebury.</p>

<p>I’d also recommend getting to Burlington if you can. An hour north of Middlebury, but lots to see and do there (and between Burlington and Middlebury - Shelburne Museum, VT Teddy Bear Factory). You could do the Port Kent, NY to Burlington ferry and work south to Middlebury, but that might be too ambitious.</p>

<p>Between Middlebury and Amherst I’d personally rather do Williams than Dartmouth. Besides the college, there are a few extremely worthwhile art museums.</p>

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<p>It’s true that you could see Williams and/or Clark Museum, MassMoCA, Tanglewood, on the way from Middlebury to Amherst, too. But that’s a substantially longer way in terms of driving time (country roads vs. interstates) vs. the route that takes you past Dartmouth.</p>

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<p>Not really. Williamstown would add at most an hour compared to cutting over to Hanover, so I’d make the call based on personal preference.</p>

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<p>There’s some interesting tourism right within Amherst, outside of the college touring. Eric Carle Museum of Children’s Book Illustration Art and the National Yiddish Book Center are both on the campus of Hampshire College, in Amherst MA (2 miiles from the center of Town of Amherst). There’s Emily Dickinson’s house, which I’ve never seen because I spent too much time looking at originals from The Hungry Caterpillar, as well as changing exhibits on kidlit.</p>

<p>Five miles west of the Town of Amherst is the village center for South Hadley. It has an historic Hadley Farm Museum. Many l9th c tools.</p>

<p>In Bennington, VT, immediately next to the above-mentioned monument (Revolutionary War era, Ethan Allen and the “Green Mountain Boys”) is the Bennington Museum which includes much folk art and early American pieces, including paintings by “Grandma Moses.” Bennington area is a nice road-meal stop, or overnight… lots of small galleries and such on Main St. Can you say “charm” but change the “r” to an “h”? You’re all set for Bennington now.</p>

<p>I think the detour over near Tanglewood/Lenox/Great Barrington is not spot-on for your driving triangle. If you do get over that way, however, and see the Norman Rockwell Museum, leave some time also to walk around Great Barrington main streets for the arts shops. Also see if you love history and have the extra half-day, I think Sturbridge Village is outstanding! It’s an interactive, interpreted working farm and really causes you to understand the move from the farms into industrial factory towns. This was defining in New England history as the Industrial Revolution began. I still recall a little kid asking the “village cooper” working on a barrel, “what are you making?” and the era-costumed college kid (probably yours or mine) muttered, “$6. an hour,” all the while banging away upon the barrel staves. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>I don’t get why people stop in all those outlet stores, really, with all this historic entertainment. :wink: In the evening, if you see an advertisement for a Contra Dance with “beginners welcome” just go. They’ll teach you the dances and you’ll hear the reels and jigs that came from Great Britain to the American colonies, played on fiddles and guitar. Certainly look out for live folk music concerts or cafes in that part of New England.</p>

<p>Have fun! The ride over, alongside or through Vermont’s Green Mountains is always beautiful, so be sure to do that piece in daytime.</p>

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<p>I’m partial to the drive across the middle of Vermont - the slow roads (there aren’t any other kind of roads in that part of the state to my recollection) between Middlebury and Hanover/Dartmouth that pass through Woodstock VT, then across the Quechee Gorge. Woodstock is just a classic New England town-very pretty. Dartmouth and Hanover have a special charm, too. It can be a quick shoot down the interstate from Hanover to Amherst, but there are lots of great sights to see along that route, too. One of the longest covered bridges (Windsor VT), the Fort at #4 (Charlestown NH) and a variety of sights in Brattleboro.</p>

<p>Depends on your interests and time frame.</p>

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<p>Timed out: Even though it’s a detour or extra day to take in Stockbridge or Great Barrington, that area includes the original church/home and newer restaurant made famous by Arlo Guthrie’s ballad, “Alice’s Restaurant” Wiki it up. Now there’s the Guthrie Center there, with a concert series.</p>

<p>My kids really liked waving at the church site and the bell from the movie, but we were touring fast then, so just drove on by. Next time I’d go to explore whatever’s there, or maybe google the Guthrie center to see if there’s a concert evening during my journey through.</p>

<p>Error correction: in my post #11 above, I said Bennington was a good overnight/meal stop, which it is. But I was actually picturing Brattleboro right then. I’m sure both would make good rest-points. You have to get off the interstate roads and into the Main St. of each town to appreciate it.</p>

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<p>Wow, great suggestions! Thanks, everyone. Now I’m kind of bummed that I built in only one completely free day. Well, if a NE college is in D’s future, hopefully there will be a chance for that on the next trip.</p>

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<p>You said these were pipedream schools. Well, that’s modest and you never know… you might take note (at least on the website, and drive through it) of Hampshire College. For some kids who wish they could live in Amherst, Hampshire is an alternative school with complete access to the Five College Consortium resources (Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, Mt.Holyoke, UMass at Amherst). Check your website because it’s pretty easy to swing through Hampshire by car, on the same day you tour Amherst College.</p>

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<p>You didn’t say when you were traveling, but the area around Saratoga Springs is great in late summer due to the racetrack. They have a lovely breakfast package that allows you to watch the jockeys work out the horses early in the day. You obviously have to clear out prior to the races, but I’d highly recommend this if you are ever in the area. Skidmore College is also located in Saratoga Springs (not too, too far from Albany), and there is a vibrant, artsy downtown.</p>

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<p>Thanks, paying3, for the suggestion re: Hampshire. It appeals to me, but not to D. I may still try talking her into visiting while we are in Amherst, but I’m not holding my breath on that one. </p>

<p>LKADmom, we’re visiting the 2nd week of July. I was thinking of driving north through Saratoga Springs; sounds like at very least it would be a good place for lunch and a stroll!</p>

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<p>Post #12 mentioned Quechee – a fun place to stop is the Simon Pierce Glass Factory. Great glass blowing demonstrations, and a good on-site restaurant, too. It’s not very far off Rt. 91 in southern VT. Closer to Amherst, again close to Rt. 91, is Yankee Candle – the original/“mother” store. Quite huge and fun to stroll through. More candles than you can possibly imagine, and another good restaurant.</p>

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<p>ChiSquare, I hear you. Just see if she feels she wants to have a safety in the Northeast, since the 3 schools you’re looking at are mighty competitive, with perhaps only Hamilton offering some ease. You may have other safeties elsewhere however. I was just thinking, if she became very enamored of the Northeast as a location, but didn’t get in to any of the 3 you were visiting, then applying to Hampshire might give her a chance to be located there. Most of the time, Hampshire students are on busses taking courses and EC’s at the other 4 colleges, and there’s a senior capstone project. It was founded in the l960’s by the other 4 schools. It’s just a different approach to higher education. They might also be SAT optional. Long ago there was no required distribution of courses, but I believe they changed that in the l990’s. </p>

<p>It’s not worth a car fight, however. The reason to drive by it at this moment is simply to add to a possible “New England Safety” idea.</p>

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<p>A lot of my friends use U. of Vermont as a safety. Lots of out of state students. Nice Burlington location.</p>