Something to do in... Burlington, VT

If you're hanging around Burlington, VT on a Saturday morning in the summertime, you should swing by the farmer's market! You might be thinking to yourself, 'why would I go to a farmer's market on vacation? It's not like I'll be purchasing any fresh produce or anything...' but, oh, there's so much more.

First thing's first, juice. I kicked off my wander through the massive sea of tents with an extra-gingery green juice by The Juice Bar.

I don't know what kind of ginger they use, but I cannot get my juices to be that perfectly spicy. It's so incredibly delicious.

Although you may not be looking to purchase any plants or veggies on this trip, it's worth noting that their flats are really impressive and lovely just to look at.

The market is chock-full of an impressive variety of vendors; from bread and pastries, to flowers and eggs.

I stopped by to pick out a doughnut, of course I didn't think to photograph it until it was already gone... I think that's a true sign of irresistibly delicious food.

When I say they had a great variety of vendors, I mean it. Jewelry, vintage and hand-silk-screened clothing and tee-shirts, even a couple of woodworking and home-goods related tents. 

If you came to Vermont with a desire for maple goods, you're in the right place; candy, syrup, and more!

I purchased a print to hang in our dining-room area that I will write about on another post soon, I can't wait to frame it!

You can hear the street musicians playing and children getting excited in line for artisanal popsicles... basically the most cheerful Saturday morning you can dream of, all in one massive pavilion.

The Archives: Burlington, VT

When I was a kid, my mother got a pretty magnificent gift for my father: an arcade machine. Not just any arcade machine, she bought him Asteroids. Vintage, Atari, buzzing and beeping in all its glory. Truth be told, I think it turned out to be a bigger deal for eight-year-old Jenna, her little brother, and all of her neighbors... we definitely maybe spent more time playing that than anyone else ever did.

The arcade machine has since moved on to a new home, but the memories remain.

While visiting some friends in Burlington, VT a few weeks ago, I was introduced to one of my new favorite adult things: good drinks and arcade games.

So, to start with the drinks; there were pages and pages of both local and non-local brews. The Vermont specialties being some of my favorites, I went with one from Lost Nation: their Gose. They also had a stylish bar, fully equipped for some seriously tempting cocktails and a cheese platter that I'm sure would have been worth every penny.

Side note: if you're in Vermont and in the mood for some cheese, you're in luck... they've got all kinds of incredible and delicious locally-made cheese.

I then moved on to check out the games. In true arcade fashion, they have custom tokens to use their machines.

Most arcade machines require one token (per player) to play, the pinball machines require two. The first machine to stand out to me was, of course, Asteroids... soon followed by Street Fighter II and Dig Dug.

You'd better believe I played all three... several times. I'm proud to add that I earned top scores on Asteroids and Street Fighter.

To make it significantly easier to enjoy your drink and keep an eye on it while playing your games, there are small counters in the slim spaces between machines; just the right width to hold your glass, can, or bottle.

Once you've run through all of your game tokens and just want to enjoy a drink, they have seats next to big, open, garage-style windows that are so perfect for people watching. It's located just off of Church Street, so you know that you'll see plenty of comings-and-goings.

If you're in the area and looking for some light-hearted fun and refreshing, delicious, local brews, I highly recommend The Archives.