I highly recommend taking a one - five day tour with Natalia , owner of Vermontology. If you have the time, I think 4 days is ideal. We were in Vermont in the first week of October and were lucky to see peak fall foliage this year. Beautiful!
My friend and I chose to do this tour because we weren't confident about driving on the wrong side of the road in America and Vermontology had great reviews. What a great decision! There were only four of us in the comfortable, almost new Toyota van and we were all from Australia. We did the five day tour and every day we went in a different direction from our superb bed and breakfast, Cobble House Inn. The accommodation, breakfast and evening meal were all included in our package as were the day's activities. Natalia knew the most beautiful routes to drive to see the best foliage colours and the quintessential red barns, covered bridges, white churches and pretty white houses. She tried to take back roads and not just go up the main dual lane highway. She also took us to fascinating house museums, towns, waterfalls and country stores. We tasted lots of local produce including ice cream, maple syrup, cheese and cider. The maple syrup we bought at a roadside stall at the top of Smugglers Notch is superb and carried well in my suitcase wrapped in bubble plastic. We're enjoying it on pancakes each night.
Natalia is a very knowledgeable and friendly person and went out of her way to meet the needs and interests of her clients. One lady was an artist and wanted to look in art galleries, so Natalia pointed her in the right direction every time we stopped in a town. I was really keen to get some photos of red barns and hillsides covered in autumn colours so Natalia obligingly stopped the van whenever a "must have" photo opportunity presented itself. Although the itinerary was pre-designed each day, Natalia was willing to be flexible where necessary.
Cobble House In is a great place to stay as it is set in the country on a hillside surrounded by forest. Every morning we got up and went for a walk along the dirt road through the woods before breakfast and watched as the foliage changed colour over the five days we were there. The owner Tony and his mother Frances, looked after us beautifully and provided delicious Mediterranean style dinners for us every night. Our rooms with period furniture were charming, as were the downstairs public rooms. Natalia collected us each morning and dropped us back each evening.
I can't recommend Vermontology highly enough. If you are looking to be driven around so you can have a good look at the beauty of Vermont and be taken to all the best places, look no further. We had a trip of a lifetime.
