There is no better place than New England in Fall. I’ve lived here all my life and this time of year, here at home, is my favorite place to be in the whole world. Taking a day trip to Vermont was one of the first things to go on my Fall Bucket List. We picked a weekend and hit the road!
The day ended up being overcast but it didn’t matter – nothing can overshadow the beauty of New England. Rustic, green, majestic – I am in love.
Our first stop was at Wellwood Orchards in Springfield, VT for apple picking!
We immediately picked up some warm, fresh cider donuts. You have to have these on any apple picking trip!
We took the hayride wagon up to the orchards. The view was spectacular!
Mid-September was definitely the right time to go apple picking. We usually go in mid-October for my birthday but the orchards are always so picked over by that time. I think from now on we’ll be going in September!
Wellwood Orchards also had a petting zoo. I always find that petting zoos at these type of places have one sad goat and a bunch of crazy chickens. But this was a pleasant surprise! For 50 cents you can enter the animal menagerie at Wellwood. One giant fenced in area holds cows, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, and so much more. Of all the animals are friendly and gentle. We had a ton of fun!
Animal brethren!
The next stop was Simon Pearce, legendary New England handcrafted glass and pottery maker.
We’ve been to Simon Pearce a handful of times. It’s my favorite thing in Vermont!
Simon Pearce is situated on the Ottaquechee River and they produce hydroelectric power with a turbine inside their mill. Hydroelectricity powers much of their restaurant which is pretty cool. The restaurant overlooks the falls and the views are lovely.
Our window seat also offered the perfect view of the falls during lunch.
Lunch is reason enough to stop at the Simon Pearce restaurant; it is always great. I had cheddar soup and falafel.
And of course we had their famous apricot iced tea (which they sell in the restaurant).
After lunch we explored the showroom. There is something about browsing handcrafted, one of a kind glass wares and pottery that really makes me feel like a grown up.
We ended up splurging on some new dishes (Woodbury plates and bowls) and their famous tea.
Afterward we headed down to the glass blowing studio to check out what they were working on.
I could watch the glass artisans all day – what they do is mesmerizing. It’s is perfectly orchestrated, producing perfect and uniform pieces every time.
It’s so cool that they talk to the crowd while they work. They will answer any question while working and never miss a beat.
The item of the day was stemware and it was beautiful.
Amazing, right?!
We tore ourselves away and headed to our last stop of the day: the President Calvin Coolidge Historic Homestead Site.
The Coolidge Homestead was the childhood home of President Calvin Coolidge. It is restored to the 1923 period and was opened in 1957.
The homestead is also best known as the place where President Coolidge took the presidential oath of office after the sudden death of President Warren Harding.
The homestead is huge! It includes the visitors center, the Coolidge home, farmer’s museum, Wilder house and barn, the old Coolidge farmhouse, general store, gardens, farm shop, a one room school house, the Aldrich house, Johnson house, Notch cabins, Plymouth Notch cemetery, and the Union Christian Church.
Last but not least the homestead also includes a cheese factory, Plymouth Artisan Cheese, on site.
After a long day in beautiful Vermont we made the 3 hour drive home with all of our wares – apples, pumpkins, cider, Cabot cheese, Cabot butter, tea, and lovely new dishes. It was a spectacular day. I love Vermont!
Domestocrat 
We honeymooned in Vermont in October and every year, I beg my husband to go back. We’ve moved far, far away from there, so I’m so jealous you are within a three-hour drive of such beauty. I loved every single thing about Vermont and dream of going back. We toured the Cabot factory outside Burlington–it was one of our favorite tours!
Ohhhh, a great honeymoon location! We revisit ours (Oregon) every year. Such special memories. I hope you get back to VT some day!
So glad you enjoyed your trip up here! Wellwood Orchards and Simon Pearce are 2 of our favorite local spots! Thank you for the great pictures and sharing your journey – hope you get a chance to come back again soon!
Thanks for reading!
This looked like an awesome daytrip! Also can I just say you look so fabulous and happy? (And I adore your bag!). I love Simon Pearce too. Amazing stuff. And that lunch looked YUM.
It was a great day. Thank you for the kind words, you’re so sweet :)