Montpelier VT – Burlington Part 2

My very favorite thing to do when visiting a new city, is to walk around it. I think it’s the best way to see things and absorb the culture.

Burlington is a cultural center for Vermont. There is artwork all over the city. Here is just one example, a pretty blue bird painted on the side of an old brick building.

The city folk also have a sense of humor. This street sign was prominently displayed right near the Church Street Marketplace. It was apt since this was during the time that Trump imposed some heavy tariffs on Canadian imports. The Vermonters, especially those in Northern Vermont, have a special relationship with Canada, being only 45 miles away from the Canadian border.

Burlington is also known for its’ creemees. A creemee is Vermont’s term for ultra-rich, velvety soft-serve ice cream. While you can find traditional flavors, the quintessential local experience is the maple creemee, made with pure Vermont maple syrup

We found the true creemee at Champ’s. The “Champ” legend refers to Champy, a creature similar to the Loch Ness Monster that is said to live in the waters of Lake Champlain. (Burlington is located right on the shore of Lake Champlain.) Local lore, tracing back to the Abenaki, describes a giant serpent. Since 1609, there have been over 300 reported sightings of this long-necked, prehistoric-looking lake creature.

Now the day we visited Burlington, it was about 98 degrees! Yikes. this is Northern Vermont, in the mountains, I didn’t know it could get so hot.

The walk to Champ’s was a several city blocks. Now Mr. Ken isn’t one for walking in the heat, but the thought of on ice cream at the end of his trek kept him going. 🙂

Here he is enjoying a Maple Creemee.

Have you ever been to Burlington? Have you had a creemee?