New England in the fall is the most picturesque place to be in the month of October. We always try to get away for a weekend to the country. Last year it was Samoset, Maine and this year it was Quechee, Vermont. There is so much to do up in the Quechee Lakes region for families so we were excited to explore.
We stayed in an AirBnb that would have been perfect for a family of 5 or 3 couples. There were three bedrooms, one king bed, one queen and a full size bunk beds. It was very modern and beautiful, surprisingly child proof with few things Tommy could break in arms reach.
When we arrived, they had a basket of local favorites made by Vermont Farmstead that included Fox’s Mustard , Vermont Smoke & Cure, Castleton Crackers, Sidehill Farm Jam, Butternut Mountain Farm Maple Syrup and Vermont Maple Brittle. This cheese from Vermont Farmstead is crazy good and addicting.
It’s only a 2 hour drive without traffic from Boston, closer to 3 if you leave during rush hour on a Friday.
We first visited Worthy Kitchen for dinner. So many of you love this restaurant. We were sat without menus and didn’t realize what we were supposed to do until we observed other patrons in a line. I share this so you can avoid our mistake and not waste 15 minutes of trying to keep your toddler calm after spending 3 hours in a car.
I ordered a salmon special that was simple but tasty. I didn’t purposely order something so healthy but it was delicious. I also ordered an alcoholic komucha which was great.
For breakfast the following morning we visited a little cafe, Mon Vert Cafe, that came highly recommended and features local and organic products. I ordered an almond milk latte as well as a breakfast sandwich with roasted mushrooms, eggs and fresh multigrain bread. It looks basic but the roasted mushroom spread was incredibly good.
Nick said his west coast breakfast sandwich was one of the best he’s had. There were so many baked goods that we wanted to order but went with an apple cider “duffin” – half donut, half muffin. Tommy enjoyed his order along with a side of bacon.
After breakfast, we visited the Quechee Club for a little swimming and golf. The Quechee Club is a 4 season club. In summer, there is golf and a beautiful outdoor family friendly pool, fall has golf and foliage, winter has skiing and spring brings back the golfing! If you stay at the AirBnb we used, you have access to the club.
There they have a restaurant that is very family friendly. They also have different activities depending on the season for all ages. We didn’t have time to visit this playground but Tommy would have been obsessed.
In the summer, you can use the beach as well for swimming and other aquatic sports like kayaking and stand up paddle boarding. They also have a gym and studio for classes that run every day.
Nick loves to play golf and was able to play a few holes while the boys and I went swimming. It’s a beautiful course, especially in the fall.
Tommy loved the indoor pool, especially the ramp/zero entry. He just loves to swim. Water makes him happy.
For lunch, we visited Simon Pearce. This was probably my favorite meal of the trip. Since we had a larger than expected breakfast we ordered light but our meal was outstanding. Tommy slept the entire time so we really got to enjoy our food.
We ordered the flatbread as well as a special quinoa stuffed peppers and salad.
Afterwards, we visited the shop below to watch the glass being blown. It was quite mind blowing to be honest, no pun intended of course.
Outside of Simon Pearce you will get the best pictures of the Quechee Covered Bridge and waterfall.
After nap time, we visited Billings Farm. There were many farms to visit up in Quechee/Woodstock but chose Billings because we thought Tommy would enjoy the animals the most. We visited rather late on Saturday and I think some of the activities were already shut down for the day. Tommy loved seeing the cows, horses, chickens and sheep. It is still a working farm and the cows were being milked while we were there. There was also a wedding party taking photos.
We tried to get a few keepers of our family as well.
Afterwards, it was time to head home as we got a babysitter to go out for the night. The sitter was organized through the Quechee Club and she was sweet 18 year old who Tommy enjoyed spending time with. Connor survived as well but wasn’t able to articulate his affection for the sitter.
We had dinner at the Parker House which was totally funky and felt like we were having dinner in someones living room. The food was good but I have to admit Worthy Kitchen and Simon Pearce stood apart.
On Sunday, we enjoyed the AirBnb and made breakfast at home. We ventured over to Woodstock and took some pictures before heading over to the Quechee Club for lunch where we enjoyed burgers and flatbread. We intended to go apple picking but time got away from us. I think in order to enjoy a vacation, one must not stick to a strict schedule but enjoy spontaneous feelings.
After I nursed Connor, we left back for Boston because we were trying to time our drive with nap time. Traveling with kids is a little different. As I mentioned, I wish we had been able to do some apple picking since Tommy enjoyed it so much over Columbus Day. In the winter, Quechee has a small mountain, aka hill, that is perfect for kids to learn to ski at. There are 3 nearby larger mountains as well including Killington which is one of my favorites. With such good food and plenty of things of the kids to do, I know we will be back.
I shared a link above to where we stayed but here is a link again to the airbnb that we loved. Where is your favorite New England destination to visit in the fall?
