Review of Newport, Vermont: A popular tourist destination in northern Vermont!

 

Pomerleau Park, Newport, VT

The state of Vermont was one of our favorite places to visit, thanks to our love of skiing.  We fell in love with the state after our first trip to Killington, in March of 1998.  We remember the epic drive from New York City via I-87 (NY State Thruway), on to local roads, VT Route 4 and then to VT Route 100.  

There was snow everywhere, and we didn’t have an AWD (All Wheel Drive) vehicle.  We took a Toyota Camry, a front wheel drive vehicle to a land where AWD Subarus rule.  We wondered on that first trip why there were so many of those vehicles out there, then we understood very quickly.

The scenery was something out of Europe, with mountains that seem to jut out from everywhere.  Snow was falling down, covering everything in white.  We remember the majestic snow capped mountains, the snow covered houses, and snow covered cars vividly during that drive.

I had to keep speed to a steady 30 mph or so, so as not to slip & slide on those country roads.  By the time we arrived near the town of Killington, heavy snow was coming down, filling our car’s front tire wells, making turns next to impossible.  I remember getting out of the car to clear the deposited snow in order to make our final ascent to our lodge.  

We slowly navigated our way up the steep-at-times VT Route 100, then onto Killington Road.  We finally made it to Cascades Lodge, overlooking the beautiful snow covered Green Mountains and parking lots.  We were so happy at the time watching the snowplows working overtime all throughout the night to clear away the snow, and experiencing the quiet solitude of a Vermont winter evening during a heavy snowfall…

By the next morning, we woke up to see the efforts by the snowplows to clear the snow had been in vain.  There was even more snow covering everything, compared to the previous day.  We fell in love with Vermont right then and there…

Ever since that trip, we always thought about revisiting the “Green Mountain State”, but maybe during the summer months when the temperatures would be cooler than most states south of Vermont.  I’m not a big fan of hot weather, so it made even more sense that we would venture out to northern states whenever possible during the hot and humid summers.

We were ecstatic when an AirBnB rental came available during the month of August.  Although pricey at $1700 for the month, we knew Vermont and other New England states are very popular summer destinations.  *Note: We may have gotten something cheaper had we not required a pet friendly rental.  At the time of our booking, our Pomeranian Toby was still with us.

Located in the most northeastern part of the state of Vermont, in a town called Canaan, with US/Canada border just two miles away, we checked in to our rental on August 1st.  After finish moving in to our place, we saw how clean the place was, despite the building’s age (built around 1870’s).  Our two bedroom unit was spacious, clean, and had a huge bathroom.  

Views of Green Mountains were everywhere, from our kitchen as well as from our bedrooms.  We spent many days watching those same mountains during beautiful sunny days, as well as moody rainy days.  On days when we weren’t staying indoors, we ventured outside to enjoy the great outdoors that Vermont has to offer.  

Our first excursion was to a big town of Newport (big for Vermont), about an hour and a half drive away.  We needed to do some grocery shopping at a Walmart in the same town, so we combined our exploration and shopping on the same trip.  

We left on a cloudy Tuesday morning for the town of Newport, about an hour and a half away from our rental in Canaan.  We would be heading west from where we were, via VT Route 114.  The drive would take us over undulating roads through pristine forests full of pine trees, and we would pass through idyllic small towns and farms with more animals than humans nearby.

We’re always grateful America is doing lots of farming and agriculture.  If it weren’t for farmers providing food security for Americans, we would not be the dominant global power we have been for the past 70 years or so.  

Putting aside those patriotic thoughts, we first stopped over at Willoughby Falls, in the nearby town of Barton.  Near the falls, we crossed a bridge, then found the parking lot, to our right.  We parked then looked for the entrance to the falls.

It was easy to find.  There were two ways to get to the falls, and both were short walks.  We made it in no time, a less than a 5 minute walk.  

Willoughby Falls is a well known spot to see steelhead rainbow trout making their upstream migration in the spring.  Although the fall’s biggest drop is only about 15 feet, it does feature a nicely cascading-type falls, about 100 feet in length.  

We saw that we were the only ones at the falls that day.  We slowly made our approach to the falls, fully aware of annoying biting gnats surrounding us.  We couldn’t stay long, as we didn’t bring any insect repellents…It’s times like these when we say to ourselves that we’re city slickers, and not true nature lovers!

Willoughby Falls, VT

Although very brief, we still got to enjoy the falls.  We’d recommend this place when visiting the northern parts of Vermont, especially if you’re near the town of Newport, VT!

After a stopover at Willoughby Falls, we made our way to our second destination, Pomerleau Park, on Main Street in Newport.  The beautiful park feature a boardwalk, walking paths along manicured gardens, and impressive lake views. 

We found plenty of parking in front of the park.  It was right around lunch time, so we noticed many visitors to the park, taking strolls or sitting on benches.  We crossed a railroad track to get to the observation deck for some much needed dose of incredible scenery.

We lamented about the lack of sunny and beautiful weather, but we were going to enjoy the day regardless.  We walked to our left, walking along the beautifully manicured gardens.  We stopped several times to take in the majestic lake views and the Green Mountains.  We noticed a cute sailboat near the shore, set against the backdrop of the lakes and the mountains, and we really loved it!

We moved along the manicured walkway towards the pier, noticing the railroad tracks to our left and the lake to our right.  We walked all the way to the end of the pier, and saw the Northern Star, a lake cruiser, and a popular tourist attraction.  

Pier area, Pomerleau Park, VT

Northern Star, Pomerleau Park, VT

We breathed in some fresh lakeside air, and took in the tremendous scenery surrounding us.  There was a bench near the front of the pier, so we set down to enjoy that scenery for a few more minutes.

We decided to get up after several minutes to check out the other side of the park, including the famous boardwalk.  We passed the exact spot where we started from, then continued on to where gardeners were making preparations for more flower beds near the entrance to the park.

We walked past them, walking along the railroad tracks yet again.  We noticed a miniature lighthouse replica and some beautiful flowers.  Really great job by the city!

Pomerleau Park, VT

Beautiful flowers!

Miniature lighthouse 

Along the walkway, we read a placard about the history of the town.  We found out Newport was a popular tourist destination thanks to the lake and the cute Main Street, with many shops/restaurants.  The advent of railroad system had really brought on the golden age for area’s tourism.

Fascinated by its history, we pushed on, to get to the boardwalk.  Boardwalk was awesome!  We wondered how nice it would look on a sunny day, but oh well…

Boardwalk, Pomerleau Park, VT

We started to head back to our car, to get some grocery shopping done at a nearby Walmart, nearby.  We spent an hour getting that done.  Afterwards, we wanted to try some Mexican food at a nearby Mexican restaurant, so we stopped by to do a takeout.

To our disappointment, shrimp tacos and the chicken burrito were not good at all.  Shrimp tacos used too much butter, with no other ingredient except cabbage.  Usually, I like my tacos with a combination of cilantro, beans, rice, and/or fajita vegetables.  It tasted bland, with way too much buttery taste, and not much crunch coming from vegetables.  For a small taco, $5 per taco was a ripoff in my opinion, considering the lack of ingredients…Strike one…

The chicken burrito was one of the worst I’ve had anywhere.  It again didn’t include any of the ingredients mentioned above.  It had just the chicken.  I had to pay extra for rice and beans, but again, no vegetables at all.  At $11, this was also a ripoff.  Strike two…

The final strike came when I ate a shrimp taco.  It had so much butter that it dripped down the taco and directly on to my pants.  Aarrgghh!  I’m never going back to that place again.  This was the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had.  I usually don’t give negative reviews about most places, but this place was as bad as it gets…

I secretly hoped for a chain restaurant like Chipotle right then and there.  At least I know what to expect, and I can add in ingredients that typically come with a taco or a burrito…

In conclusion:

Despite the fact that our takeout Mexican food was the worst we’ve ever had, at least we enjoyed the town of Newport.  The waterfalls and the Pomerleau Park were both awesome, and they’re only about 15 minutes apart from each other.

Be sure to walk around the Main Street area in Newport to learn about the history of the place, or to enjoy a scenic cruise.  The incredible scenery adds to the place…

We thank you all for reading and happy trails!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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