Who else is ready for fall!? I know I always am. As someone who was born in the heart of fall, I have always felt a kinship with the changing of the season as the air steadily becomes more crisp, phasing into wintertime and marking the end of the calendar year. To fully enjoy the season, we decided to drive a few hours north to the eastern border of Vermont to “leaf peep” all of the gorgeous fall foliage. After some research on where exactly to explore, we settled on the Quechee/ Woodstock area and decided to make it a girl’s trip for the weekend!
QUECHEE GORGE
Located roughly 5 min from the White River Junction off of Interstate 89 is the Quechee Gorge. The gorge is 164 ft deep and is the deepest gorge in Vermont! As a part of Quechee State Park, views of the gorge can be seen on either side of the Route 4 bridge and there are hiking trails on either side of the gorge, one leading to the bank of the Ottauquechee River.
SNACK BAR AT THE GORGE
After a few hours in the car, our group was definitely in need of some lunch when we arrived in Quechee. Since the Quechee Gorge was so conveniently off of the main road of Route 4, we decided, on a whim, to eat at the snack bar located right in the parking lot of the Gorge. In the car, I had looked up some reviews on the location before we ate there, and all seemed well. When we received our food, we were all very pleasantly surprised at the portions and quality of everything we ordered. My mom, sister, and I all decided to split our meals so that we could try more items on the menu- this is not a rare occurrence in our family. We ordered the Lobster salad sandwich, the Fried Clam Strip Platter, and a BLT sandwich with clam chowder soup. Everything was delicious!
Snack Bar at the Gorge: Route 4, Quechee, Hartford, VT 05001
QUECHEE GORGE VILLAGE
After our lunch at the Quechee Gorge, we continued west on Route 4 for about 2 min, into the heart of the town. Before our check-in time at our VRBO rental, we spent some time at the Quechee Gorge Village. Comprised of 13 different shops (including a restaurant) and the renowned antique mall, the Quechee Gorge Village has become known as one of the best shopping attractions in the state of Vermont! The Antique Mall itself is a 17,00 square feet barn that features hundreds of booths filled with antique, vintage, and collectible items. Along with the Antique Mall, there are shops dedicated to body and home goods as well as jewelry. My favorite was the Vermont Alpaca store, which has an alpaca farm located adjacent to the shop! Our group was comprised of ladies who loved to shop, so this mall was the perfect place for each person to find a sweet souvenir from the trip. Our favorite items were definitely the fudge and maple syrup!
Quechee Gorge Village: 5573 Woodstock Road Quechee, Vermont 05059
QUECHEE HISTORIC MILL DISTRICT
This historic heart of the Mill District in Quechee is located on Quechee Main Street. Located in the area are some notable sights, such as the Quechee Falls Park and the Quechee Covered Bridge, and an array of restaurants and lodgings located on Main Street. The most popular area in the historic mill district is the Simon Pearce glass-blowing studio and restaurant. Breathtaking views of the Quechee Falls and the Ottauquechee River can be seen from the restaurant. A definite “must-see” spot in Quechee!
The first night we were in Quechee, we decided to go eat in the downtown area. We walked into a few restaurants asking for a table for 6, and they were all full! On a whim, we stepped into The Mill at Simon Pearce to see if they had a table available. The staff was so kind, they made room for a table with 6 chairs- they even rolled out a larger round from the back for our group to have a proper table to sit at. Now, that is service! Everything we ordered was delicious and the views of the waterfall from the restaurant are incredible! The Mill at Simon Pearce is also adjacent to the Simon Pearce glass-blowing studio. There, you can walk through the different showrooms of glass-blown items, and look for a souvenir to take home. Downstairs, you can watch as artisans do live glass-blowing demonstrations!
On our second night in Quechee, we ate at the Public House Pub located right off Route 4. I ordered the Maple Bourbon chicken wings as my dinner and they were delicious! I remember everyone’s plate that arrived looked so good- you cannot go wrong with anything you order from there.
On our last morning, we explored the Quechee area a bit before heading on the road back home. We stopped at a great breakfast and brunch place called the Skinny Pancake. Their specialty is crepes, but they also offer an array of breakfast and lunch items as well. The restaurant is located in the same parking lot as Jake’s Quechee Market- even so much so, that you can walk from one building to the next without stepping foot outside! After our meal, we wandered through the market to see the local selection of food and goods.
In the photo above, Lake Pinneo was located right by our vacation rental for the weekend. There is a beach along the lake with a swing set and a playground for families of residents or visitors to enjoy.
Skinny Pancake menu item featured in the right photo above is the “Noah’s Ark:” two scrambled eggs, two slices of North Country Smokehouse bacon, and 2 frumpled cinnamon sugar sweet crepes served with a side of Vermont maple syrup. There were so many delicious items to choose from on the menu, but I figured this one would satisfy both the sweet and salty for breakfast. I also definitely wanted to order something that featured maple syrup since we were in Vermont, and it was so good!
Since this was a group trip, not all images were photographed by me.
Most of the more candid shots were snapped by my sister Lauren of the Aurigemma Collective.
Leave a Reply