Trading Post for Little Folks, Inc. : Family Activities

Family Activities
Indian Brook Reservoir Colchester Pond Mt. Philo Morgan Horse Farm Tunbridge World's Fair Lake Champlain Ferry Rides Gondola Ride Camping The Biodome of Montreal Botanical Garden of Montreal Insectarium Imax! An Awesome Summer Camp.... Local upcoming family events...
Indian Brook Reservoir	back to top
We love this place. We walk our dog Lily here throughout the year. There is also public swimming. Here is the official description: Indian Brook Reservoir is a 500 acre park in Essex Town with the water reservoir of about 60 acres. The park is managed by the Essex Parks and Recreation Department. Access to the park requires a paid pass, which can be purchased from the Rec. department at 81 Main Street in Essex Junction. The loop around the reservoir is a multi-use path shared by hikers, horseback riders, dog-walkers and mountain bikers alike. The loop is a wide-track beginner-intermediate trail with a few climbs that will challenge beginners. Click here for more info

Colchester Pond	back to top
Perfect place for your little ones to catch their first fish. We bring our canoe here and enjoy the peacefulness of the surrounding area. Official description: Colchester Pond is located in Colchester Vermont, approximately 8 miles from Burlington. It is a secluded, public-access, area that is being managed by the Winooski Valley Park District. It is a great place to go canoeing, fishing, hiking, and camping (if you have a permit). Click here for more info

Mt. Philo	back to top
This was the location of our wedding rehearsal dinner party. Don't miss the views on a sunny day. They are fantastic. Official description: The 168-acre park is located atop Mt. Philo (968' elevation) and overlooks the Lake Champlain Valley and the Adirondack Mountains of New York. A narrow, steep road (not recommended for trailers) provides visitors access to the top of the mountain. This is Vermont's oldest state park, created in 1924. There are two small camping areas with a total of 10 sites including 3 lean-tos, located at the top of the mountain and on the mountainside. Flush toilets and hot showers ($) are provided. The mountaintop picnic area offers spectacular views of the lake, valley, and mountains to the west. An enclosed picnic shelter is available for large group gatherings. Hiking trails lead from the summit to the base. Click here for more info

Morgan Horse Farm	back to top
We like to go in the Springtime to see the newborns. Official description: The UVM Morgan Horse 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 and a variety of educational programs. Click here for more info

Tunbridge World's Fair	back to top
The best fair for young families!!!! There is a midway just for the younger children and a separate midway for the teenagers and young adults on the other side of the fairgrounds. Every year we make the trip and bring our children. This fair is what Vermont is all about. Don't forget to go to the barns and see the largest oxen in New England and all of the newborn animals. Official description: It is nestled in this beautiful sweeping river valley, filled with the smells of fair food and the hum of a carnivals activities. Once parked, you breeze over the footbridge, and step onto the fairgrounds, perhaps transported back in time. This a fair that is not a life-changing experience, but a life-pausing experience, the kind of event that reminds us of simpler days, simpler fun, and re-adjusts our speed once we resume regular life again. Click here for more info

Lake Champlain Ferry Rides	back to top
I spent an entire summer working the SnackBar on the Champlain ferry and recommend that you take a ride across the lake. It is a great way to spend a day with the family when you are at a loss as to what to do. You don't need to have a destination in mind, just sit back and enjoy - the views are spectacular. Lake Champlain Transportation Company has provided reliable, safe and friendly transportation to the surrounding lake community and to area visitors since 1826. With LCT you can count on crossing the lake all 365 days of the year. Currently there are three crossing locations and 8 ferries. Check out the crossing schedules and remember, no reservations are needed. In case you didn't know, if you're heading to Ausable Chasm, you can save a lot of money by purchasing round-trip Ferry tickets and your tickets to Ausable Chasm right there at the Ferry ticket booth! Click here for more info

Gondola Ride	back to top
When relatives are in town we like to bring them up to the Cliff House restaurant at the top of Stowe for lunch, winter or summer. A unique experience but a little pricey. Official description: New England's ski resorts are kicking up more autumn fun than a kid in a great big pile of leaves this year, offering visitors scenic views of fall's finest foliage from aloft. From mid-September through October, you'll find chairlift rides a terrific way to view New England's constantly changing, colorful panorama. Click here for more info

Camping	back to top
Our favorites for overnights...Grand Isle State Park, Lake Elmore State Park, Brighton State Park, Lake Carmi, Island Pond State Park. For day excursions...Kilkare State Park, Knight's Point Vermont offers a variety of camping experiences from pitching a tent deep in the forest to parking an RV, complete with satellite dish, in a private campground with a pool, recreational hall, and the like. Click here for more info

The Biodome of Montreal	back to top
Our kids love to watch the penguins. I love to walk around in the rainforest in the dead of winter. Official description: It's a botanical garden, aquarium, & zoo all in one! It lets visitors discover the close bonds linking the living with the non-living, animals with plants, and man with nature. Promising a nonstop sensory experience. You are taken through four different natural habitats in the Americas. You travel from the humidity and heat of the tropical forests to the fresh cool air of the Laurentian forest. Into the depths of the St. Lawrence marine environment and the frigid Artic and Antartic polar worlds. There's a 130-seat theater offering a constantly changing exhibit. Click here for more info

Botanical Garden of Montreal	back to top
Our favorite spots are the greenhouses and the oriental gardens. Official description: Located near Olympic Park, Montreal's huge botanical garden contains over 20,000 different plant species in 31 specialized gardens, including the largest Chinese Garden outside Asia and a Japanese Garden with a tearoom and fabulous bonsai collection. Open 365 days a year, the Montreal Botanical Garden is one of the largest and most beautiful botanical gardens in the world. Our favorite is the Butter Go Free exhibit which is a close-up look at hundreds of different butterflies at the same time, in the wild especially since we're talking about several dozen species from the four corners of the Earth. During Butterflies Go Free, the experts at the Insectarium and Botanical Garden create the ideal setting for observing them. Specially selected butterflies enjoy the perfect temperature, their favorite plants and expert care. Visitors, for their part, appreciate the tropical setting. Experienced nature interpreters are on hand to answer their questions and point out amazing caterpillars, fascinating chrysalids and perhaps, with a bit of luck, even a new butterfly emerging...we recommend you wear something white on top!!! The exhibit is only there from mid February until the end of April each year. Click here for more info

Insectarium	back to top
The Insectarium which is located in the Botanical Gardens was founded in 1990 by a passionate entomologist, this nature centre and museum is the only one of its kind in North America. It presents both preserved insect collections and live insects for viewing by the general public. They also have a spectacular live butterfly garden in the summer. For those with an adventurous spirit, try the insect tasting events held twice a year with a local chef preparing recipes that feature insects! Click here for more info

Imax!	back to top
For shows... www.montrealsciencecentre.com/en/imax/imax.htm

And don't forget to take a tour through Old Montreal in a horse drawn carriage!

An Awesome Summer Camp....	back to top
Many moons ago, my husband & I met at Camp Downer. We both had been campers there and then became Camp Counselors...now our children are campers and are loving it! Camp Downer is a fun & exciting place. It offers a wide variety of activities for boys & girls, ages 8-17 yrs. old. It is located in the Downer State Forest in Sharon, Vt. My husband & I now try to help this wonderful camp continue to give the experience we had as kids, to others. We highly recommend this camp! For more information check out www.campdowner.com

Local upcoming family events...	back to top
St. Michaels Playhouse Junior presents... Jack & the Beanstalk July 5 at 11am July 6 at 11am, 1pm, & 3pm $8.00 per ticket