By Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent

It wouldn’t be Memorial Day holiday without a trip to Vermont for the fabulous statewide Open Studios weekend with scores of potters, glassblowers, fiber artists, furniture makers, wood artists, jewelry designers, painters and printmakers welcoming visitors to their work spaces. As part of the event’s 20th anniversary celebration earlier this month in Montpelier, the Vermont Crafts Council honored glassblower Harry Besett of Hardwick and furniture maker Robert Gasperetti of Mt. Tabor for participating every year. Recalling the first weekend, VCC executive director Martha Fitch told the audience, “We didn’t even have a map that year. We assumed people would know where to go.” Since then VCC publishes a detailed list and map with directions to all locations; this year there are 259 craftspeople and visual artists participating. The map is available at Vermont State Visitor Centers on major highways, online at www.vermontcrafts.com, and galleries. The map is organized regionally making it easy to select areas to explore Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Photo of glassblower Harry Besett by Wendy Besett

National Park Service will offer free admission to all its facilities and programs from Saturday April 21 to Sunday April 29 in celebration of National Parks Week. There are more than two dozen facilities in New England, with the bulk of them being in Massachusetts. If you happen to be traveling that week, the NPS maps out locations by state on its website.

Photo of Adams Mansion in Quincy by Mary Schiess

National Park Service says that all 397 national parks will offer free admission from Saturday, Jan. 14- Monday, Jan. 16 to mark Martin Luther King Day. In New England there are more than two dozen parks, with the bulk of them being in Massachusetts (15). On its website, the NPS maps out locations by state.

For those interested in King himself, BudgetTravel offers these suggestions:

Those wishing to learn more about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., can pay a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia, where both the home he was born in and his tomb with the Eternal Flame are on display. Follow in his footsteps along the National Historic Trail from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, now a designated historic byway. If you happen to be on the east coast, visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and sit on the steps from which Dr. King delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, or visit the newly opened Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in the National Mall. Events commemorating Dr. King's life will also take place at Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Tennessee, while the MLK Film Festival will be held at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington D.C. from January 14-16.

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

The research is finished and the results are in. In our unofficial tally, Vermont’s cutest cookie is, without a doubt, the Kingdom Cow. They are made at Bentley’s Bakery & Café in Danville, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hamlet in the Northeast Kingdom. The cow-shaped shortbread cookie is slathered with vanilla icing and dappled with chocolate spots. Look for them in the same case with the leaf-shaped, maple-glazed cookies and the Muddy Moose gingerbread cookies. Owners Jeff and Nancy Frampton hail from Montreal, so the bakery has a bit of French influence as well, with croissants in the morning and quiche at lunch. Plan on stopping by the next time you’re headed to Jay Peak.
Bentley’s Bakery & Café, 20 Hill St., Danville; (802) 684-3385; www.bentleysbakeryvt.com

By Patricia Harris & David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

We just returned from a research trip to central and northwest Vermont for next spring's "Food Lovers' Guide to Vermont & New Hampshire.'' We were amazed to discover that not only is there still good foliage around Lake Champlain, the colors are just now reaching peak. We know that Vermonters were worried that leaf-peepers would stay away because of the damage wrought by Hurricane Irene at the end of August. But as the proprietor of a cafe told us, she has been serving a lot of travelers who just have to see for themselves how bad it is. For those who haven't yet had a look, here's what we found. Roads were rebuilt almost everywhere we went?even though some of the formerly narrow streams and small rivers now spread 50 feet wide. And slowly but surely, bridges are being rebuilt or replaced. That means an occasional slowdown while two-way traffic shares a one-lane bridge, but even in rural areas like the village of Richmond (southeast of Burlington) drivers showed patience and good humor while waiting.

Photo by David Lyon for the Boston Globe.

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

We came to a screeching halt last week on Route 15 in northern Vermont and pulled into a muddy driveway because we saw a homemade food trailer painted with a Holstein roof and sporting the name ''Burger Barn.'' Having spent a fair bit of time earlier this year researching burgers for ''Kings of the Grill," we were intrigued by this unlikely lunch spot.

This is the fourth year for the roadside eatery operated by Jud Gravel (at the grill) and Kierstin Colaceci (at the window). They use grass-fed local beef--Boyden Farm is only about a mile west--and have come up with 31 combinations of toppings. The hot burger for 2011 is the ''Nutty Goat,'' which features chevre, maple-crusted walnuts, caramelized onions, and a touch of mayonnaise. The biggest seller is the classic with lettuce, tomato, and a slice of red onion. In both cases, the star is the burger itself—amazing rich and beefy and surprisingly tender for such a lean patty. It might be the best burger we have tasted in Vermont. We'll be tasting others, no doubt, as we continue our research for Food Lovers' Guide to Vermont and New Hampshire.

Many of the customers are locals, ''and we get a lot of traffic from Smuggs,'' says Colaceci, referring to Smugglers Notch Resort. She's anticipating a great foliage season, and notes that the river across the highway from the Burger Barn has receded back into its banks. Finding the Burger Barn is no easy feat. When people call, Colaceci says she gives the GPS coordinates, though when we asked, we got the street address: 4968 Route 15, Jeffersonville, VT. Just go east a little over a mile from the intersection of routes 104 and 15. It's a long way to go, and worth the trip. But go now: Burger Barn is only open through October.

Burger Barn. 40968 Route 15, Jeffersonville, Vt., 802-730-3441. Burgers $5-$9.75.

Photos by David Lyon for the Boston Globe

By Jan Shepherd, Globe Correspondent

"These craftspeople depend on their livelihood at shows, so we couldn't cancel this weekend's event," said Laura Arnesen, manager of the Mad River Valley Craft Fair in Waitsfield, Vt.

Only 1 of the slated 115 juried potters, jewelry designers, glassblowers, metalsmiths, woodworkers, and mixed media artists has bowed out, she said during a telephone interview Thursday.

The 41st annual Labor Day weekend fair attracts craftspeople from Vermont and the Northeast and benefits the Valley Players, the local theater troupe. "It's artists helping artists," Arnesen said.

This year's featured artist is silversmith Irene Pluntky-Goedecke, an exhibitor for 25 years who splits her time between New York City and Waitsfield. Held under the big tent at Kenyon's Farm, the fair offers a food court, live jazz, kids' activities, demonstrations, and door prizes.

Mad River Valley Craft Fair, Kenyon's Farm, Rte. 100, Waitsfield. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $4, ages 12 and under free. 802-496-3409. www.madrivercraftfair.com has directions to the site.

While portions of Vermont have been devastated by last weekend's brush with tropical storm Irene, the state is getting the word out that it is open for business on the heels of two of its busiest tourism seasons.

The Vermont Chamber of Commerce has launched a new Facebook page, dedicated to helping state business owners who depend on tourist dollars get the word out about what's open, what's closed, and how to get there. While portions of southern Vermont remain inaccessible due to massive road damage, much of the northern part of the state was spared the worst of Irene.

"We reached out to them on Monday and said tell us how you are doing," Betsy Bishop, the president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce told WCAX. "Are you open? Are you flooded? What should visitors know? So we have reached out to them to sort of populate that information."

Vermont faces enormous challenges heading into the foliage season, as many roads that are popular driving routes like 100 and 4 remain badly damaged and probably will remain so well into the leaf-peeping period, leaving lodging and restaurant owners along such stretches with a serious hit to the wallet. That's an issue that spreads into neighboring New Hampshire, where two significant chunks of the "White Mountains Trail"  - a popular foliage itinerary - the Kancamagus Highway and a portion of Route 302, remain closed. However, attractions along that stretch of 302, including the Cog Railway and Bretton Woods, may still be accessed via alternate routes.See VisitNH.com for more information. 

But while Vermont and New Hampshire tourism bureaus and businesses have spent much of this week trying to relay to tourists what to expect, Irene has forced some event cancellations over the Labor Day weekend. Mount Snow, located in West Dover, Vt., was forced to cancel its annual brew fest this weekend, and as winter approaches, other resorts like Killington, which saw significant damage to various bases lodges, have major repairs and rebuilding to accomplish in time for ski season. Killington officials say they plan to open in time for the upcoming season.

Anyone travelling to Vermont is encouraged to stay up-to-date with the latest road conditions by calling 511, the state's travel information service. Meanwhile, Globe correspondents Patricia Harris and David Lyon just returned from a three-day trip to the Green Mountain State. Read their account here.

By Patricia Harris & David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

We just returned from three days of driving around north-central Vermont for our next book, Food Lovers' Guide to Vermont and New Hampshire. Wherever we went, people wanted to know where else we had been and how bad the destruction from Irene was.

Our journey--plotted before the storm--had us going up I-89 and getting off in farm country at Randolph, south of Montpelier. Farmer Sam Lincoln summed up much of what we would see. He had lost only a hayfield to flooding, ''but just four miles south of here it's bad,'' he told us. We continued north and found Montpelier and Barre--which had been badly flooded in May--were a little damp and muddy. People were pumping out their basements, counting their own lucky stars, and worrying more about friends and relatives in the southern half of the state. In fact, the farther north we pressed, the less damage we saw. Stowe was fine. There weren't even downed trees in Smugglers' Notch, and while a few potato and corn fields had been inundated in Jeffersonville and Cambridge, damages were usually minor. Morrisville seemed unscathed. (That was less true as we pushed east into the Northeast Kingdom. Just west of Hardwick, a bend in a river had become much more pronounced, destroying a piece of road, a store, and a gas station.)

Based at Sugarbush on the slopes of the Mad River Valley, we saw both the best and worst of it. Aside from losing power for part of a day and suffering some supply shortages, Sugarbush looks like there never was a storm. Down in the valley in the village of Waitsfield, Bridge Street was destroyed by a churning fury of mud. The covered bridge survived, but it will be a long time before businesses can re-open. The street itself will have to be completely rebuilt.

Similarly, a little farther north in Waterbury, the lower village was inundated with muddy waters. All along South Main Street (Route 100) lawns are covered with furniture, clothing, and other belongings set out to dry—or to be hauled away. The Alchemist Pub is closed for the foreseeable future, but its canning factory is reopening on Friday. Ironically, just a few miles away on the Waterbury-Stowe road, all the biggest tourist attractions (Ben & Jerry's Factory, the Cabot Store, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, etc.) are doing business as usual.

In fact, ''business as usual'' is what everyone longs to return to as quickly as possible. Don't write off that Vermont foliage vacation. The leaves are just beginning to turn, and the last thing the Green Mountain State needs is for the tourists to stay away.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

Dorset is a tiny Vermont town of some 2,000 residents, where many of the houses are second homes of wealthy New Yorkers. The town, which this year celebrates its 250th anniversary, has long been an arts enclave, and two late-summer events there now are well worth taking in. "Dorset Artists: Then and Now," running now through Labor Day weekend at the Bickford Building on historic Dorset Green, is a wonderful showing of the work of 47 artists, more than 120 pieces of painting, sculpture and custom furniture. Downstairs is the work of current artists, all for sale. Upstairs is the work of long-gone artists, none for sale, which was donated to the gallery from private collections for the showing.

Barbara Melhado, one of the curators, said, "Dorset has long been a haven for the working artist. Particularly since the beginning of the 20th century, artists from all over the United States have come here not only for its natural beauty but because of its kindred spirits, both working in the arts and supporting them."

Current work here is from notables such as Nancy Howe, Brian Sweetland, Pam Marron and Arthur Jones. Historic art upstairs includes that Dean Fausett (presidential portrait artist who did Ronald Reagan), Beatrice Jackson and Lorenzo Hatch (who also did engraving. That $5 bill in your pocket bears the likeness of Lincoln that Hatch created).

At the opening of the showing, I chatted up one most delightful artist, Jane Armstrong, whose delicate animal sculptures were on display, a spry 90-year-old who no longer creates due to failing eyesight, but isn't shy about recalling her "naughty-girl days" of her youth when she was a freelance journalist for the New York Journal of Commerce before marrying one of her interview subjects, Dr. Robert Armstrong, and pursuing a successful art career.

"Dorset Artists: Then and Now," is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call Georgine MacGarvey, curator, at 802-867-5562, or email gmacg@sover.net

Over at the historic Dover Playhouse, a great, old barn-style theater in continuous operation since it was built in 1927, they hold the Dorset Theatre Festival every summer, world-class, professional stuff, and where in the off season, Dorset Community Players take over, starting with "Spider's Web" in October and ending with "Oliver" in May.

I saw "Noises Off" in early August, without question the funniest play I have ever seen. Running Aug. 18-27 is "Mauritius," by the festival's resident playwright, Teresa Rebeck, whose work has shown at Boston's Huntington Theatre and NYC's Manhattan Theatre Club. This fall, the group will host new-play readings and in spring, a writer's retreat.

Dorset may be a tiny town but it's huge on the arts, and not all that far away from Boston, less than a four-hour drive.

Burlington, Vt. and Portland, Maine are among the 10 finalists in Outside Magazine's search for the "Best Town Ever," but both have a lot of work to do if a New England entry is to win the honor.

Both towns currently trail by hundreds of votes with voting closing on June 26. As of today, Burlington had only 274 votes while Portland had only 180. Tucson Ariz. leads the way with 1,861 votes.

By voting on Outside's Facebook page, fans of each town will be entered to win a five-day trip to the one of the 10 finalists. The winning town will be featured on the cover of the magazine's October issue and will have a dedicated segment about it on Outside Television.

By David Lyon, Globe Correspondent

If the current price of auto fuel has you thinking twice about driving very far, Vermont has just the promotion for you. The state's tourism web site has a weekly drawing for $100 in gas vouchers, redeemable at 79 participating stations in the Green Mountain State. Vermont residents and non-residents alike are eligible to enter. To get a crack at the $100 card, you need to be over 18, a legal resident of the U.S. or Canada, and answer a few survey questions. Drawings are held on Friday afternoons. To enter the ''Vermont Fuels Your Vacation'' contest, visit www.VermontVacation.com/fuel.

By Patricia Harris, Globe Correspondent

I've always thought of knitting as a genteel activity, but organizers of the Northeast Kingdom Farm to Yarn Tour advise participants to ''wear boots (preferably plastic ones that can be washed) and clothes that can get dirty.'' The tour, which takes place next weekend, May 21-22, is a chance to meet and greet the creatures who make your knitting, weaving, and felting possible. The dozen participating farms raise raise sheep, cashmere goats, alpacas, and angora rabbits. Activities vary from farm to farm, but they almost always include a tour of the animal facilities and may include craft demonstrations. (One farm even has a llama obstacle course.) Of course, yarn will be for sale.

Eight farms will be open on Saturday, and four on Sunday. In addition, the Mountain Fiber Folk Coop in Montgomery will be open both days and will be giving spinning demonstrations. On Sunday, the coop will also demonstrate natural dyeing with indigo.

Details are buried on the Northeast Kingdom's website, but you can find the list of participating farms with dates, hours, a downloadable map, and directions on the Farm to Yarn page. Click here.

Photo by Patricia Harris for the Boston Globe

By Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

Skiers and snowboarders can receive special discounts at nine Vermont resorts when they use the new Ski Vermont Insider mobile application. The free app lets you know when it is snowing at your favorite mountain, and offers discounts on skiing, lodging, and dining. Participants include Killington Resort, Mad River Glen, Mount Snow, Okemo Mountain Resort, Smugglers' Notch, Stowe Mountain Resort, Stratton Mountain Resort, Sugarbush Resort, and Suicide Six. You can get the application online, or download a mobile version for your Android smart phone through Android Market or by texting SkiVt to 25827; iPhone users stay tuned.

802-223-2439, www.skivermont.com

Photo credit: Ski Vermont

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

On Sunday we gave an overview of books published about New England last year that make good reads before you set out to explore (''In Praise of the Page''). But the regional publishers did not overlook children. ''Champ and Me by the Maple Tree: A Vermont Tale? (Commonwealth Editions, $14.95) by Ed Shankman and illustrated by Dave O'Neill sets out to make Vermont a little bigger than life, thanks to the narrator's unexpected friendship with Champ, the mythic sea monster from Lake Champlain. It is a cheerful and lighthearted romp across the state, complete with scenic drawings. As the narrator says, ''Now riding a monster / Is hardly worth doing / Unless you take note of / The view that you're viewing.'' We'll take her word for it, but it's a bright little book to stir the imaginations of the preschool set.

Photo courtesy of Commonwealth Editions

So, your odds of winning the 2011 HGTV Dream Home, located at Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont, are probably about as good as hitting the jackpot in last night's Mega Millions. That doesn't mean you still can't check it out.

Beginning Friday, the network will be giving public tours of the stunning structure at the base of Spruce Peak. Tickets are $20, and all proceeds benefit the Mt. Mansfield Winter Academy, a private school for student-athletes competing in winter sports. Tours will take place until March 20, Fridays through Sundays, from 2-5 p.m. Each tour will run 30 minutes long.  

For more details and to purchase tickets, visit www.stowe.com. For more information on the home, and to enter for your chance to win it, visit www.HGTV.com. 

Based in ''rustic'' offices in Waterbury, Vermont, Country Walkers offers walking itineraries around the world, but they don't ignore New England. In 2011, five guided excursions are scheduled in Acadia National Park along with two guided fall foliage season outings in Vermont. You can purchase a gift certificate in any amount for a specific trip or let the recipient choose his or her own dream destination in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, the South Pacific, or Latin America. If your friends and family members are independent types who steer clear of guided tours, Country Walkers has introduced self-guided hiking and bicycling adventures in England, Spain, Italy, Malta, Austria, Portugal, France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Gift certificates, by the way, come in a beautifully wrapped gift box. And Country Walkers does not cancel its departure dates if enrollment is low, sparing the giftee from potential disappointment down the road.
www.countrywalkers.com, 800-464-9255 or 802-244-1387.
Photo courtesy of Country Walkers

For the truly gift-challenged, we have a suggestion that will help kill two birds with one stone. We know that’s not the most appealing way to put it, but this gift is not only clever--it's even romantic. The Essex, Vermont’s Culinary Resort & Spa, has a packed schedule of classes nearly every day in its Cook Academy.

They really dial up the romance in February, so why not purchase a gift card now for a Valentine feast? ''Cupids Culinary Creations'' features a three-course menu of warm Vermont blue cheese souffle, steak au poivre with truffled potatoes, and hazelnut lava cake. Couples who prefer to head straight to dessert, can create chocolate black pepper cookies, pumpkin chocolate bread pudding with warm rum sauce, and dark chocolate souffle with hazelnut crème anglaise in the ''Addicted to Chocolate'' class. Both are offered throughout the month of February, along with ''Saucy Sauces,'' ''Warm Winter Wonderland'' and a variety of other options. The Essex, Vermont’s Culinary Resort & Spa, 70 Essex Way, Essex, Vt.; 800-727-4295; 802-878-1100; www.vtculinaryresort.com.

Patricia Harris is co-author of the food and travel blog Hungry Travelers.
Photos courtesy of The Essex

If you'e in the market for a Vermont getaway this winter, you might want to think about going midweek. Vermont tourism is offering almost two dozen different lodging packages at drastic discounts that include lift tickets, spa visits, dining, and more.

The deals begin in December and are available until March. The packages include a country store shopping spree, a visit to the famed Equinox spa, and complimentary passes to Vermont ski areas such as Bromley, Okemo, Sugarbush, Mad River Glen, and Stowe.

Click here for complete details.

One of the people who knew we were driving to Montreal to work on a new book commented that she bet the drive would be beautiful. It certainly gave us a chance to assess where in New England a Bostonian might still go to see the leaves. On Monday, we followed I-93 to I-89 to the Quebec border, basically cutting a diagonal across New England. And there were some pretty hot spots. Closest to home were the hills northwest of Manchester, N.H., heading toward Sunapee. The birches are almost a psychedelic yellow and the maples are hanging on with a range of reds and oranges, punctuated every so often with the deep maroon of a black gum tree. We felt like we had suffered a brown-out, though, by the time we reached the Green Mountains in Vermont, where only the oaks are still clutching their bronze soldiers and stick season seems imminent. But a pleasant surprise awaited as we passed over the western ridges of the Greens and descended into the Champlain Valley. Foliage may be a little past peak, but there are still many resplendent sugar maples mixed in with beeches and birches--a great backdrop to the broad fields of silage stubble. But go quickly: One more heavy rain and it will all be gone. And we did hit a few snow flurries...a portent of things to come.

Posted by Patricia Harris and David Lyon
Photo by Patricia Harris for the Boston Globe: Hillside along I-89 in New Hampshire.

While there may be some version of an Oktoberfest around each corner of New England, I'm not sure you can find one celebrating a schnitzel toss, like Mount Snow's annual Ocktoberfest this weekend, October 9-10.

Mount Snow’s Oktoberfest celebration is paired with their annual Harvest Art and Craft show, bringing even more bang to your buck. Besides the aforementioned schnitzel flinging, this Oktoberfest comes complete with authentic, live German music, German foods, fun games and activities for all ages.

But let's cut to the chase and talk about the drink. Favorite New England Breweries will be back with their fall line-ups to accompany the German Style beers that include Beck's, Spaten and more. There will be many Oktoberfest drafts, Pumpkin flavored IPAs, Cider selections and many more libations. All adult admission includes a souvenir stein and your first drink.

Inside the Main Base Lodge, artisans and crafters from across the region bring their paintings, woodwork, fleece, photography, fudge, salsa, kids’ crafts and more to the annual Harvest Art & Craft Show.

Advanced Oktoberfest tickets and Lodging Packages are available if you contact Mount Snow direct. Oktoberfest Admission for 21+ Adults: 1-day is $20 and a 2-day pass is $30. Under 21 pays $12 for 1 day, and $20 for both days. Children ages 5 and under can enjoy hours of bouncing, painting, cheering and dancing for free.

Photo courtesy Mount Snow

The 26th annual Harvest Weekend at Billings Farm in Woodstock, Vt. has been heralded by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce as a Top Ten Fall Event in the state.

The Harvest is a two-day event featuring a husking bee [a social gathering for the purpose of husking corn] and barn dance each day plus a variety of 19th century harvest activities and programs for the entire family.

Visitors this weekend can lend a hand pressing cider, making butter and ice cream. Harvesting the remainder of the vegetable gardens is a family favorite as guests can help dig potatoes and other root crops, and then see how the crops are “put up” for the winter. Come dressed to work, as there will be plenty of corn and beans to shell, fence building, and 19th century games. Warm cider and homemade doughnuts are fitting reward for all that hard fun!

Harvest Weekend runs on October 9-10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission for adults is $12; 62 and over pay $11; children ages 5-15 pay $6; ages 3-4: $3; and under 3 are free. Admission includes all programs and activities.

Photo courtesy Billings Farm

It's not quite like anything you've seen before - that is, if you don't make a habit out of hollowing out giant gourds and paddling them to a finish line! It's that time of year again where the shores of Lake Champlain are dotted with large, orange boats awaiting the start whistle. It's the Giant Pumpkin Regatta and Festival, and it's one festive day you won't want to miss.

The 3rd annual Giant Pumpkin Regatta and Festival on Sunday, Oct. 10, features local business leaders, students and others racing in giant hollowed-out gourds on Lake Champlain, in a competition of size and speed. The family-friendly festival includes many food vendors, arts and crafts, kids' activities, pie eating contests, and even a fall inspired pet costume contest. If you haven't made it to Burlington yet, you'll want to consider some lodging - look online for details.

Photo courtesy State of VT

The holidays will soon be upon us, and why not schedule some calm before the storm? The Equinox in Manchester, Vt. is offering a very special “Pampered Girlfriends Getaway Weekend” on the weekend of November 19–21. Women and their girlfriends of all ages can head to this exclusive resort for a weekend of shopping, makeovers, and Pilates starting at the unbelievable price of only $224 per person.

Throughout the weekend, guests can enjoy four gourmet meals, shop the Manchester Designer Outlets with no clothing tax, enjoy a guided hike of Mt. Equinox, receive makeovers and much more! There will be a Friday Night Welcome Reception and Dinner with “interactive” fashion show by BCBG, Escada, Ann Taylor, Lilly Pulitzer, Giorgio Armani and more. Wake up to a Vermont Country Breakfast Buffet featuring blueberry pancakes with pure VT maple syrup, artisan cheeses and meats, homemade hot cider donuts, fresh country omelet station. Work off that decadent food by hiking picturesque Mt. Equinox, or joining in pool aerobics, Yoga, Pilates, Zumba classes, and even “Women’s Boxing”. And lest we forget the makeovers by CHANEL!

The package is $224 a person for quad occupancy, $249 a person for triple occupancy, $299 for double occupancy and $449 for single occupancy. [prices exclude service charge and tax]. This fab-u-lous package can be booked on the Equinox website, or by calling 800-362-4747.

For those of you able to travel this week, consider heading north the Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, where 6 scenic villages will be celebrating fall over the course of the next 6 days!

The Fall Foliage Festival starts today and runs through Saturday, Oct. 2. Six Vermont villages in this order: Walden, Cabot, Plainfield, Peacham, Barnet and Groton, invite visitors to celebrate rural life against a their fresh, spectacular backdrop of orange, red and yellow trees. For more information, including lodging and area attractions, visit online.

Photo courtesy State of VT