3 Days Exploring Dog Friendly Vermont

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission from the discount codes used or when a link/ad is clicked. All purchases made will come at no extra cost to you, and I only include products and services that I have personally used and would recommend. Also, Two Worlds Treasures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Programs. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I would say exploring dog friendly Vermont in 3 days was not enough, even though Vermont is one of the smallest states by size in the US. Vermont offers so many places to see and activities to do for visitors. They are spreading all over the state, from down south to upper north, and east to west.

Since we traveled with our dog Snoopy, we focused mainly on outdoor activities. We spent 2 nights and 3 days in Vermont, and finding things to do with your dog while in Vermont was not that hard. To find pet friendly activities that we could fit in 3 days, that was the challenge. Also, to decide where to stay.

When we visited Vermont, it was part of our 3 weeks road trip to New England from Texas. Vermont was the first state in New England we visited, after we spent a night in Cooperstown, New York.

Dog Friendly Vermont: Where to Stay

After searching around, I decided to stay at Limehurst Lake RV Campground in Williamstown. It’s about a 20 minutes drive to Montpelier, the state capital of Vermont. Less than an hour drive, we would arrive at places we wanted to visit around Stowe and Waterbury.

Also, it’s around four hours drive from Cooperstown in New York where we spent a night before we crossed to Vermont. Then, one and a half hour drive to our next destination in Lincoln, New Hampshire. So, we didn’t have to drive that long to get to Vermont and to Lincoln, New Hampshire.  

We traveled with our teardrop trailer, and we need a site with water and electricity. Other amenities that we looked for were laundry and free WiFi. Limehurst Lake has them all, although the Wifi connection is not strong unless you stand closer to the office. Hot showers are coin operated at 50 cents for 6 minutes. Bathroom facilities are old, but they work fine.

Like a lot of RV campgrounds, there are long time residents in this RV campground, too. Tent campers can stay in a separate area with a portable toilet between the campsite and showers.

What I like best about this campground is its location. It’s a few yards from a not-so-busy highway, and by the river. Views in the morning and before sunrise were beautiful and it’s so serene. In the evening is pretty dark, so expect to see lots of stars.

Address: 4104 VT Rt 14, Williamstown, Vermont 05679. Ph.: 1-802-433-6662.

Dog Friendly Vermont: What to Do & Where to Go

When on the trip, we try to see as many things as we can during the day. As long as the sun is still shining above us, we will be out exploring. So, that’s what we did when we got to Vermont. We arrived at the campground around 5-ish. After we’re done setting up the trailer and having supper, we started our 3 days exploring dog friendly Vermont.

Try a creemee

After supper we drove to Montpelier. Just around 20 minutes drive to the north, but first, we stopped at the ice cream stand in downtown Williamstown.

Williamstown is a small town with a population less than 3,500 people based on the 2010 census. On our way to the campground, we saw the ice cream stand and we thought ice cream would be good for a dessert. Locals were lined up in front of the ice cream stand, the LegenDairy Maple & Ice Cream, when we arrived. 

Before leaving for the trip, I read that first time visitors to Vermont must try the maple creemee. Creemee is a soft-serve ice cream and Vermonters are very proud of their creemee. So, that’s what I ordered while my husband and son ordered the hard ice cream.

Sure enough, the maple creemee was yummy! It’s thick and creamy, like its name. The ice cream came in 6 sizes, and I would say not everything is bigger in Texas. Seriously! I ordered a baby size and it’s big!

Snoopy got to eat his favorite flavor of ice cream: vanilla. We ordered a tiny tot size and I had to lick some before we gave it to him. We thought the tiny tot size was too much for him. It’s like triple the size of a DQ pup-cup near our home. 

Later wherever we went around Vermont, we saw lots of ice cream stands. It’s like a snow cone stand in Texas. And it’s always busy until closing time! Normally it is around 8 p.m. 

LegenDairy Maple & Ice Cream address: 32 Business Center Rd., Williamstown, Vermont 05679.

Stroll around Montpelier, the Capital of Vermont.

Montpelier became a capital in 1808. It is the smallest state capital in the United States with a population just under 8,000 people. (Compared with Austin, Texas with a little over 2,000,000 people.) We drove and walked around, and I fell in love with downtown Montpelier. 

Beautiful architecture dotted the downtown area, and I could count the number of cars on the street. Haha.. A couple of college students were playing volleyball on the state capitol’s yard, while others were enjoying their food and drinks at the outdoor seating of a restaurant. It’s not like a state capital, it’s more like a county seat in Texas.     

Our dog Snoopy enjoyed walking around downtown Montpelier. We saw a few others walking their dogs as well. I told my son that if we live here, I will walk three times a day with Snoopy. But I’m not sure when snow starts to fall. Haha..

Then we drove around the skirt of the downtown area before we headed back to our campground for some resting.

Vermont State House address: 115 State St., Montpelier, Vermont 05633.

Visit a Maple Sugarworks

Vermont is the nation’s leading producer of maple syrup. It is just alright to visit one of the Maple Sugarworks in the state during your visit. We visited the dog friendly Morse Farm in Montpelier which is only around 30 minutes drive from where we stayed. When I said dog friendly, here at Morse Farm, Snoopy could go anywhere including the store.

The farm is open (almost) daily year round with hours varying depending on the season. They closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. When we visited in June, it’s open from 10 am to 7 pm.  

Start your visit with watching the multimedia displays in a real woodshed theater. You will learn about sugarmaking here from an entertaining and informative video presentation by Burr Morse. From here your dog will enjoy a nature walk to the sugar bush. Look for whimsical carved folklife characters created by Burr Morse across the woodshed theater. Then end your experience in the farm at the store.

The store is always well stocked with maple products, as well as assortments of Vermont specialty foods and gifts. We left with maple syrup, popcorn with maple syrup and chocolate, and a cookie for Snoopy. Too bad we couldn’t try its famous maple creemee because they weren’t open yet. The New England Travel Today described it as “an exceptional maple creemee”.

Address: 1168 County Road, Montpelier, VT 05602.

Visit Ben & Jerry’s

A lot of people said that your visit to Vermont is not complete without visiting Ben & Jerry’s in Waterbury. That’s where we went next, on our second day in Vermont.

From Montpelier to Waterbury is less than a 30 minutes drive and the highway wasn’t busy at all. So different from Texas.

Too bad they were having ongoing construction, so the factory tour and inside gift shop remained closed until late October 2021. However, we still got to buy the ice cream from a window service and Snoopy got his dessert, too, the Pontch’s Mix.

From here we walked to Flavor Graveyard. It’s where Ben & Jerry’s pays tribute to the flavors that are no longer bites on your spoon, a.k.a. discontinued products. Next to the graveyard is the playground and they are open already. 

Next, we visited Cold Hollow Cider Mill and had lunch at the restaurant. Dogs are not allowed inside the store, but they can go with the owners to the restaurant’s outdoor seating. 

After lunch we left Snoopy in the car for a bit while we went to the store. There was supposed to be a show of fresh raw cider being pressed and a free taste after it. But I think it’s closed during the pandemic. My son bought a cider donut and he liked it.

Cold Hollow Cider Mill is just 2.5 miles to the northeast of Ben & Jerry’s, on the way to Stowe.

Ben & Jerry’s address: 1281 Waterbury-Stowe Road, VT-100, Waterbury Village Historic District, VT 05676. 

Cold Hollow Cider Mill address: 3600 Waterbury-Stowe Road., Waterbury Center, VT 05677.

Hike to Moss Glen Falls in Stowe

After taking a break in downtown Stowe, we went to Moss Glen Falls for a short hike. Only about a 5-minute drive from Stowe’s historic village.

From the trailhead to the falls is only about a quarter-mile, and it’s mostly shaded. In about 10 minutes you will be rewarded with a beautiful Moss Glen Falls. 

You will walk on dirt ground through bushes, on to a wooden platform, then to dirt ground again before going left up to the steeper rooty climb. You will arrive at the perfect location for enjoying and taking pictures of the falls. We climbed higher from this point, but I think the view of the falls didn’t get better.

You can also choose to do the full hike, which will take 2-3 hours to finish. Of course, it’s not easy like the one we did.

This is our second hike to the waterfalls in the trip, after Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.

As always, Snoopy enjoyed hiking in nature. He’s more happy when walking with his boy because he walked fast like him. When you go, don’t forget to bring your dog’s essential.

Address: 369-615 Moss Glen Falls Rd., Stowe, VT 05672.

Finding the Smuggler’s Notch Cave

While in Stowe, we drove on VT-108 N to Smuggler’s Notch Cave area. We parked the car and walked around looking for the cave and enjoyed part of Vermont’s Green Mountains.

Be careful when you cross the street, because it is a narrow and winding road there. There are curves where you won’t be able to see the incoming car.

If you have plenty of time, you can do longer hikes here. Our dog Snoopy enjoyed walking on trails and climbing on big rocks here.

Driving and Walking On Floating Bridge & Covered Bridges

Vermont is home to more than 100 covered bridges. The bridges date from 1820, with most constructed during the mid and late 19th Century.

Fortunately there are 5 covered bridges in the Village of Northfield near Williamstown. Before the sun went down, we headed there for covered bridges hunting. We found only three that were located not too far from each other: Northfield Falls, the Upper Cox, and Lower Cox.

Driving through covered bridges was fine by me, but when I walked across one and a car crossed at the same time, I felt a bit uneasy. I think it’s just because I wasn’t used to it, although I used to cross a pontoon bridge when I was a kid.

Another cool thing in the area was the floating bridge in Brookfield. In fact, we got here first before the covered bridges. It’s a one lane working bridge, not just a destination.

Honestly, I didn’t feel comfortable when we crossed the bridge. Again, it’s because we’re not used to it. 

Snoopy didn’t act differently when we walked on the bridge, even when a truck passed by. For him it’s no different than walking on a road. 

Covered Bridges address: Cox Brook Rd., west of Village of Northfield Falls.

Brookfield Floating Bridge address: Vermont 65, Brookfield, VT 05036. 

Tour the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry

You might wonder why we toured a granite quarry. First, the color of the waters and the granite structures fascinated me when I found this place online. Then I found out that during the pandemic dogs are allowed on a tour. We would drive our own car to the overlook. So, why not? Besides, my husband and son are rock lovers.

Rock of Ages is the largest operating, deep-hole, dimension granite quarry in the world. It is nearly 600 feet deep. There is a Visitor Center & Gift Shop where you begin your experience of the granite quarry. And, it is also dog friendly!  

From where we stayed in Williamstown to Rock of Ages is only a 15-minutes drive. We stopped here on our way to Lincoln, New Hampshire.

Address: 560 Graniteville Rd., Graniteville, VT 05654.

If only we had more time, we would add at least another day to explore dog friendly Vermont. There are places that we couldn’t visit on this trip, but I think it will be great if we can visit Vermont in the fall.

Have you been to Vermont, with or without a dog? How was your experience?