Between its natural beauty and its deep and vibrant history, Vermont has a lot to share with natives and guests, alike. Surely, there is some hidden section of Vermont you have wanted to explore. Well, start by checking out the 8 best guided tours in the Mountain State, and then write your own adventure!
Vermontology Guided Tours offers this comprehensive libation tour, which includes four breweries: Drop-in Brewing Company, Fiddlehead, Magic Hat, and Otter Creek. The tour also features one distillery, Appalachian Gap Distillery, and one cidery, Woodchuck Hard Cider, as well as Vermont snacks at Dakin Farms. Packages start at $119 per person.
Lamoille Valley Bike Tours offers electric bicycle tours and rentals on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. The trail was constructed along the corridor former Lamoille Valley Railroad (1877 to 1994) and has now been repurposed into a four-season recreation trail that is vehicle free and open to walking, cycling, skiing, snowshoeing, and horseback riding.
Umiak is a full-service outfitter offering retail sales, boat demos, kayaks, paddling and safety instruction, river trips, tours, and more. They have an ACA certified staff and you can test paddle anything in their backyard pond before you buy. With river trips run on the Lamoille and Winooski Rivers, four-mile and eight-mile trips with guided, self-guided or custom options available, and whitewater lessons, Umiak has everything you need to stay on the water.
The dogs at Eden are international sprint sled team winners that have been “raised with love and respect and never chained.” The goal of EEDS is as much education as it is a unique way to see the Green Mountain State’s idyllic countryside, majestic mountains, and bucolic forests. You even get to meet the intelligent and joyful Alaskan Huskies that will pull your sled.
Vermont’s original haunted history tour is led by paranormal historian, Thea Lewis, who has been called “Vermont’s Queen of Halloween.” The award-winning walks began in 2002, where lurid stories of madmen, murderers, sunken treasure, and railroad tragedies were shared, and Thea, who plays her part of the spooky guide like a pro, dons a black cowl and creaky lantern.
Inn to Inn has been offering self-guided and guided trail adventures since 1975. Enjoy hiking, bicycling, or snowshoeing, all the while enjoying resting in Vermont country inns at day’s end. Push yourself and give your all out on the Green Mountain trails knowing a hot meal and a warm bed awaits you at your next stop.
It all started in Burlington with two young guys and a dream, a couple of thousand bucks, and a class on ice cream making. The guided factory tour shows you how Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is made with sustainable, quality ingredients. Find lots of swag and quirky gifts in the gift shop, or visit the Flavor Graveyard, where de-printed flavors are buried!
Although a getaway trip to scenic Northeast Kingdom (an area of Vermont that has seemingly lost in time) is alone worth the trip in the summertime, if you are looking for a guided tour steeped in Vermont history, you can’t beat the OSHM. Tours are top notch and span three floors of a granite building built by oxen. Explore Vermont’s first high school dormitory and the teachings of its headmaster, Alexander Twilight.
