This past week we took a little family adventure up to Vermont. Mike had some time off from work, and we both had a few ideas on our travel wish list to visit there. I have been wanting to visit Field Guide Stowe since it opened, and had a trip to the King Arthur Flour campus in mind. Mike is a beer guy and wanted to visit a few breweries in the area to check out their selection. And Miss Jane was ready for her first overnight in a hotel, so we packed up our bags and headed north! Forget skiing in Vermont, I was there for the food and drink! Our first stop on our trip was King Arthur Flour. Being the cooking nerd that I am, I’ve wanted to visit this spot for some time now! We got there early and had breakfast in their cafe, the tastiest cinnamon bun and some fluffy egg sandwiches on their homemade buttery brioche buns. I regret not buying a few extra cookies and pastries from the cafe for the rest of our ride! We explored their shop after our breakfast and I scooped up a few of their signature baking mixes. I can’t wait to make their soft pretzels, and we got a coffee cake mix too. I’m definitely keeping an eye on their cooking classes for future reference, I’d love to go back and try one. We drove further north after King Arthur to check in one of the breweries Mike had on his list, Hill Farmstead. This place was in the middle of nowhere, but that made their tasty beers feel all the more special. We grabbed some drinks in their tasting room and a big bowl of house marinated olives and enjoyed the view while Mike did a little research on which of their beers he was going to take home with him. After this brewery stop, we drove back to civilization to grab lunch at Prohibition Pig. I got several recommendations to try their duck fat fries and burger, but sadly their main dining room was closed when we arrived so we snuck around back to their brewery and had some tasty Mexican food and tried their house beers.
Our last brewery stop was The Alchemist Brewery, which was in a really nice, brand new facility but ended up being a bit less baby friendly than our previous stops. Mike stocked up on some beers to bring back at our hotel room at Field Guide Stowe. Like all of the Lark Hotels I’ve been to before, this one was no exception a total feast for the eyes. We stayed in a funky, rustic suite that was great for families – the separate living area in the room was key when we put Jane to bed before us. I was so proud of how great she was traveling — she got lots of great naps in the car, adjusted really well to sleeping in her 4Moms Breeze at the hotel, and was even great sitting through dinner at the hotel. We tried the delicious (and equally well-designed) onsite restaurant, Picnic Social. I wanted just about one of everything on the menu so we ordered a few dishes to share. The burger was mouth-watering juicy and full of flavor, we tried a plate of their spicy chicken wings, and also shared a really tasty sunchoke gnocchi dish that I loved. They had a great cocktail and beer menu too! Before we left Field Guide we had my favorite experience of all Lark Hotels, the most beautifully curated selection of breakfast treats delivered in a darling basket to our door. It was the perfect end to fun 48 hours in Vermont, I can’t wait to go back again soon!