The Vermont Cheese Trail is an utterly fresh eating adventure, where beautiful countryside meets world-class cheese. Nothing gets cheddar than this: take our curd for it.
By Josephine Matyas, F468364
December 2021
Marty Mundy has the coolest job ever for someone who appreciates good food and beautiful scenery. She gets to talk about artisan cheeses and the landscape of Vermont until, as they say, the cows come home.
Cheesemaking at Shelburne Farms.
“The Vermont Cheese Trail is an eating adventure that combines the ability to really see a number of different regions of Vermont, coming across world-class cheeses along the way,” said Mundy, who is executive director and voice of the Vermont Cheese Council. “Beautiful countryside meets incredibly good cheese.”
The Vermont Cheese Trail is not just one specific route; it’s a listing of artisan and medium-size cheesemakers in locations spanning the entire state. Travelers can stop at cheesemakers, sample and buy cheeses, and sometimes take a site tour. The trail shows the ways you can experience an incredible range of cheeses made from the milk of cows, goats, and sheep.
Without a rigid route, your visit can be a design-your-own cheese tour. Begin with the online route planning tool at www.vtcheese.com to choose a part of the state you’d like to visit, and then dive into the details of the cheesemakers in that region. Pluck the sites you want to see from the map — goat, sheep, cow, farm, creamery, tasting stop; draw a line from one to the next; and, voila, instant tailor-made tour. The listings of the cheesemaking businesses on the trail are updated regularly, with information about the types of products, hours of operation, COVID-19 protocols, and whether tours are offered.
“Our commitment is to high-quality, artisan cheese,” explained Mundy. “Of the 55 members, most are small producers, making cheese by hand. They use milk from family farms and smaller-
size dairy providers and are always looking for the highest-quality milk. And they are all dedicated to education.”
The Hunt, an online scavenger hunt, guides visitors to cheese-related locations such as Neighborly Farms, near Randolph.
On “The Hunt” For Great Cheese
When the COVID-19 pandemic closed down many travel experiences, the Vermont Cheese Council created The Hunt, a clue-driven online scavenger hunt that helps guide a visit with ideas for fun ways to explore the state. Some of the activities are related to cheese, and some have information about what else to do nearby. (The 2021 hunt is closed; check back for a 2022 version.)
The state is broken down into six regions, and the online suggestions at The Hunt can be used as planning tools. Ideas vary and point visitors to a whole range of warm-weather activities (from July through the fall); these include cycling or hiking trails for the more active, exploring historic experiences, and walking tours in town for those who prefer a more leisurely pace.
Plymouth Artisan Cheese, the nation’s second-oldest cheese factory, in Plymouth.
Just looking for a bit of a ramble through the countryside without searching for clues? DigIn Vermont has created a farm trail program where participating farmers and cheesemakers have opened walking trails through their properties to the public. Some of them, such as Lavender Essentials of Vermont and Silloway Maple, are also part of the Harvest Hosts RV camping network. DigIn Vermont also hosts the annual Open Farm Week each August where you can meet (virtually or in person) Vermont’s farmers, plants, and animals.
Exploring The North
Like every good cheese tray, a wide variety of tastes and flavors can be found across the Green Mountain State. Vermont’s northern half has several key tourism draws — Shelburne Farms in Shelburne; Burlington, the state’s largest city; the headquarters of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in historic Waterbury; and the skiing town of Stowe. The area also includes some more remote and lake-spotted regions.
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Waterbury.
Just south of Burlington is the nonprofit Shelburne Farms, a large working property dedicated to practices that develop sustainability. At the farm, visitors see the connections along the food chain, from the land growing the grass for the cows to eat, to the cows producing milk, to the cheesemaker crafting the cheese. A children’s farmyard invites kids to meet the animals and actually do the milking. Tours of the working cheese factory show the whole process from the separation of the curds and whey to “cheddaring.”
In nearby Waterbury, the Cabot Farmers’ Store is owned by the farm families of the century-old Cabot Creamery Cooperative. The aged cheeses they produce contain zero grams of lactose, so they are suitable for those who are lactose intolerant. The cheeses can be found in grocery stores across New England and elsewhere, and may be purchased online.
Cabot Farmers’ Store in Waterbury.
A little farther east is the Vermont Creamery, where they make irresistible, to-die-for goat cheese and cultured butter, lovingly crafted using milk from small, local farms. Its mantra is “The happier the animal, the better the milk; the better the milk, the better the cheese.” The creamery’s award-winning Bonne Bouche is made from pasteurized, cultured goats’ milk and is perfect paired with Granny Smith apples while sitting around an evening campfire.
Outside nearby Randolph, the third-generation, solar-powered Neighborly Farms of Vermont produces delicious organic, artisanal cheeses using milk with no antibiotics and no hormones. The farm has a mixed herd of Jerseys and black-and-white Holsteins. Visitors may be able to tour the barn, see newborn calves, and watch as the cheesemaker creates organic cheddar, jack, Colby, and feta cheeses.
While you are in the northern half of the state:
Non-cheese sites include the canine-centered Dog Mountain, in St. Johnsbury.
*The short Green Mountain Byway connects Waterbury to Stowe, and in addition to Cabot Cheese, you will discover maple sugar works and the iconic Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory tour, where you’ll find a little “peace, love, and ice cream.”
*Visit Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, a 150-acre private mountaintop where the spiritual Dog Chapel resembles the quintessential white clapboard Vermont village church. There is no leash requirement and no charge to visit the property, which is dedicated to dogs and the humans who adore them. Walk the forest trails, smell the wildflowers, and enjoy the dog ponds.
The Robert Frost Interpretive Trail, near Middlebury.
*Just off State Route 125 east of Middlebury, the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail is a peaceful, half-hour walk through woods and meadow, with plaques of several poems by New England’s best-known poet marking the way. It’s a popular stop during blueberry and huckleberry season and makes a good spot to park an RV under a shady tree.
Vermont’s Southern Half
A visit to the Plymouth Artisan Cheese factory combines a history-steeped cheese operation, a small museum of original cheesemaking equipment, and a little presidential history. Plymouth was the second-oldest cheese factory in the country, started by Calvin Coolidge’s father, John, who was a dairy farmer in Plymouth Notch. The valley’s four farms were producing more milk than they could use, so they established a cheesemaking operation.
The childhood home of President Calvin Coolidge, in Plymouth.
A stone’s throw away is the Coolidge homestead — the spot where Calvin spent his youth and where he was sworn in as 30th president of the United States. The farmhouse, cheese factory, community church, general store, and barns compose President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site.
The biggest seller — the original-recipe Plymouth cheddar — is crafted in small batches using the 1890 recipe, one based on British cheesemaking traditions and techniques that date back to the 1600s.
Sugarbush Maple and Cheese Farm near Woodstock has homemade goods.
The Sugarbush Maple and Cheese Farm just outside Woodstock is one of the properties that has opened walking trails on their land to the public. The third-generation family farm makes four grades of maple syrup, as well as 15 cheeses that are hand-wrapped and waxed, making them suitable for shipping or easy storage in an RV fridge.
The Billings Farm and Museum at Woodstock is a step back in time and celebrates Vermont’s rural heritage. The 150-year-old farm is a great way to explore the pastures and barns (including a calf nursery and draft-horse stalls), taste excellent farm-made ice cream, and learn about the three varieties of cheddar made entirely from the milk of their Jersey dairy herd.
Billings Farm and Museum at Woodstock.
While you are in the southern half of the state:
*Stay a few nights at idyllic Silver Lake State Park, about 15 minutes north of Woodstock. Like all Vermont state parks, no hookups are provided, but there is a comfort station with showers, as well as a dump station and excellent swimming at a small lake. It’s a short stroll from the park to the Barnard General Store, which dates back to 1832, where you can stock up on supplies or just relax with an ice cream on the wraparound porch.
*A few miles east of Plymouth Artisan Cheese, along State Route 100A, is the rugged Coolidge State Park, with hiking trails, dramatic mountainside views, 26 forested campsites, and a comfort station with showers. The park is heaven for those open to a more rustic camping experience.
*The small, 15-site Wilgus State Park overlooks the Connecticut River, marking the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. Sites are easily accessible, and the park is popular with those traveling with canoes or kayaks. A comfort station with showers is available, as well as a sanitary dump station.
Idyllic Silver Lake State Park.
*Get a hiking fix — and some dispersed campsites — at dozens of trailheads in Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest, which is aptly nicknamed the “granite backbone of the state.” Stretching north to south, the protected wilderness includes hiking corridors of the Appalachian Trail and Vermont’s own Long Trail.
From bucolic dairy farms and markets to outdoor beauty and fascinating history, Vermont offers RVers a dream trip they’ll long remember.
More Info
COVID-19 protocols may be in place at various sites, affecting whether they are open to the public. Verify ahead of your visit.
Vermont Department Of Tourism & Marketing
www.vermontvacation.com
Route planning tool
https://vtcheese.com/vermont-cheese-trail-map/
The Hunt
https://vtcheese.com/hunt/
DigInVT Farm Trail Program
https://diginvt.com/trails/detail/farm-walks-across-vermont
Vermont State Parks
www.vtstateparks.com
Harvest Hosts
www.harvesthosts.com