Vintage Champlain Valley
& Middlebury

4-Day Tour — New for 2012!

By "Vintage" we mean, "being the best of its kind," and after four days of cycling through Shelburne, Vergennes, the foothills of the Adirondacks and Middlebury, you will no doubt agree.

Our tour begins with two delightful nights at Heart of The Village Inn, a centerpiece in Shelburne Village. The Inn, built in 1886 is on the National Register of Historic Places. Innkeeper Shona Mossey-Lothrop and her staff strike a perfect balance in blending the past with the present, maintaining the antique splendor of the old building while offering today's comforts and fresh locally sourced cuisine.

Our first day of cycling offers options for everyone. Guests looking to ease into the cycling experience may want to take the short mileage option and pedal to Shelburne Museum, "one of the finest, most diverse and unconventional museums of art and Americana. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in a remarkable setting of 39 exhibition buildings." Looking for mileage, not museums? No problem. We will cycle to Charlotte and ferry over Lake Champlain to New York where we ride on quiet back roads with stunning views of the Adirondack and Green Mountain ranges while touring Essex and Willsboro.

On day two we head south, through the heart of "the land of milk and honey" — Vermont's most fertile farmland. Apple orchards, sheep and Holsteins grazing, and small family farms with the Adirondacks as the backdrop, are the vistas of the day. Abundant views of Lake Champlain guide us on our way to Vergennes, "the smallest city (per capita) in America." Vergennes has recently been revitalized and now has excellent eateries, a refurbished opera house and, for those with a sweet tooth, a chocolatier. At day's end, we coast to the Shoreham Inn in Shoreham, Vermont. Originally built in 1790 as a stagecoach stop, this inn has been a haven for cyclists exploring the southern areas of the Champlain Valley for years. A simple country style inn, it has been recently renovated by our friendly innkeepers, Dominic and Molly Francis, and features a cozy common area and the irresistible aroma of good home-cooking. Each guest room has a different theme.

Wednesday we head towards the Green Mountains, passing through the tiny hamlets of Whiting and Leicester. It's fun to see if you can name the various Green Mountain peaks in the distance as we pass through vast Vermont farmland on our way to Brandon, a picture-perfect Vermont town with village green and 19th century homes in Federal and Victorian styles. After lunch, guests with an appetite for a vertical challenge may tackle the optional round trip Brandon Gap hill. Everyone else will pedal north to Lake Dunmore. On a hot summer day the lake is cool and refreshing. In fall you may choose a short foliage hike/walk up to the Falls of Lana where you will enjoy a flowing waterfall and stunning view of the lake below. The finishing stretch takes us to Middlebury, home to the prestigious Middlebury College and a beautiful town bisected by the Otter Creek. Middlebury is ideal for a late lunch at a delectable deli or shopping at any of the one-of-a-kind craft shops and galleries. The historic Middlebury Inn (1827), with an expansive porch overlooking the town green, is our home tonight. The inn has been in continuous operation for over 180 years and has been carefully updated. We will enjoy dinner out at American Flatbread Pizza, where all natural, organic, local ingredients make for a wonderful "Last Supper."

On our final day we follow the New Haven River as it winds past rural landscapes and north to Bristol, a classic New England village with a Main Street lined with more one-of-a-kind shops. The Bristol Bakery is a must-stop for fresh baked goods, coffee and treats. Lake Champlain returns to view as we make our way back to Shelburne via Charlotte and a gourmet lunch at The Old Brick Store before a final glorious spin to tour's end.