Classic Vermont​

The tour begins at the award-winning Swift House Inn in Middlebury, Vermont. If you are flying to the tour, VBT will offer a shuttle from the Burlington International Airport departing at 2:00 p.m. Please call Morf Transit, Inc./Benway's Taxi 800-696-7433 to make a reservation, clearly stating you are a VBT guest. Morf Transit, Inc./Benway's Taxi will make one complimentary transfer for VBT guests at 2:00 p.m. The shuttle will be coming from the Pre-trip hotel with VBT guests. Please allow for traffic delays.

VBT Pre-Trip Extension guests: You have another morning to enjoy Burlington. At 1:45 p.m., the shuttle company will meet and transfer you to the Swift House Inn in Middlebury. The shuttle will stop at the airport to pick up arriving VBT guests.

Meet your VBT Trip Leaders at 3:30 p.m. in your cycling clothes for a bike fitting and brief cycling-skills clinic. This will be immediately followed by a short warm-up ride. Then, gather at 6:00 p.m. for an orientation meeting and welcome cocktail. We will enjoy a candlelit dinner at the inn at 7:00 p.m. 

Today's ride takes you past antique stores, weeping willows and stone fences along quiet roads leading to Lake Dunmore and Branbury State Park (named for the towns of Brandon and Salisbury). After a picnic lunch, take a swim in refreshing Lake Dunmore before getting back on your bicycle. Finish the day with a scenic ride back to Middlebury. Explore the college town of Middlebury, with its Main Street of shops, restaurants and galleries. Visit Cannon Park and view an historic marker commemorating John Deere and his invention of the plow that broke the plains. From 1821 to 1825, Deere apprenticed at an area blacksmith shop before moving to Illinois, where he built the world's first steel moldboard plow. Tonight your Trip Leaders can direct you to one of the town's great restaurants, all within walking distance of our inn.

Today we cycle along Middlebury's peaceful back roads and beside the Hogback Mountain Ridge, a major foothill of the Green Mountains. Continue north to Bristol village, gateway to the Green Mountains and Worldwide Headquarters of VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations. The village is amazingly flat; ancient geologic events deposited a level “fan” of gravel at the New Haven River “water gap” through the mountain ridge. Bristol has many interesting shops, including Vermont Honeylights and Art on Main. After lunch on your own in Bristol, cycle to Vergennes, passing Cedar Lake and rolling farm fields. Take in spectacular views of the Champlain Valley, Adirondacks and Otter Creek as you make your way to Basin Harbor. Dinner is served in the Basin Harbor Club's Red Mill Restaurant.

Today we cycle along the gently rolling farm fields of Panton, with panoramic views of the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks. Continue south to visit Chimney Point Historic Site and the Champlain Bridge, half a mile long and one of the few bridges that cross Lake Champlain. Riding in a clockwise loop, follow Lake Street with its apple orchards and Arnold Bay Road northward back to Basin Harbor, enjoying lake and mountainside vistas along the way. After an included lunch on the terrace at the Basin Harbor Club, head to the shore for your private, guided kayaking excursion through the Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area. Dinner is on your own tonight.

Spend some time in Vergennes, the “smallest city” in America, for some shopping and great food (lunch is on your own). Be sure to check out the nooks and crannies, as some of the shops in Vergennes are located below the main level. Our ride today is along the tranquil Otter Creek to Kingsland Bay, one of Vermont's newest state parks. It continues northeasterly to Ferrisburgh, then heads west, adding to our daily dose of gorgeous views.

You have many options this afternoon—perhaps strolling, swimming or golfing. Enjoy an included visit to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. With more than a dozen exhibit buildings, it presents a comprehensive overview of the maritime history and nautical archaeology of the Champlain Valley. You could also relax on the beautiful Basin Harbor grounds. Gather with the group for a farewell dinner celebration in a private room off the club's main dining room tonight.

NOTE: Basin Harbor Club has a dress code for its Main Dining Room dinner guests. From June 15 through September 2, gentlemen must wear a jacket. Otherwise, a collared shirt is acceptable. At no time may gentlemen wear sandals, shorts or jeans.  Women may not wear shorts or jean skirts.  Dress sandals are acceptable for women to wear.

Leaving Lake Champlain, ride southeast to the quiet town of Weybridge, with its Victorian farmhouses and westerly views across the Lemon Fair River. Next, continue on to the UVM Morgan Horse Farm for an included visit. The farm is dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the Morgan horse through breeding and selection. Designated as a National Historic Site, the farm is also home to significant Morgan history. After your visit, pedal into Middlebury and enjoy lunch on your own. The tour concludes at Vermont Sun Sports and Fitness on Exchange Street, where showers are available from 1:00  to 3:00 p.m. VBT has made arrangements for a shuttle from Vermont Sun and Fitness in Middlebury back to the airport at 2 p.m. (travel time approximately 60 minutes). If you need to get back to the airport prior to that time, the transfer back to Burlington will be at your own expense. If you drove to the start of the tour, your car will be parked at Vermont Sun, and you may depart at your leisure.