Whitewater Rafting is a great way to spend a hot summer day. We recently enjoyed an awesome whitewater rafting adventure with the great team down at Zoar Outdoor.  Just a short 45 minute scenic drive from our Vermont Bed and Breakfast, Zoar Outdoor is located in Clarlemont, MA.

Being new to this, we went on the beginner whitewater rafting trip called the Zoar Gap.  This trip is 10 miles of fun on the Deerfield River consisting of mainly class I and II but a small stretch of class III rapids.  That makes it perfect for all ages and skill levels.  Of course if you are a more advanced whitewater rafter they recommend you check out one of their tours down the Miller River where you can find some class IV and V rapids.

But back to our adventure, we arrived, signed in and met their fun staff.  We point that out as sometimes guided tours can be a bust solely because of the guides.  On occasion we have found that they forget that while they are experts, we are not.  The folks at Zoar really went out of their way to introduce the sport to us and got us excited about our trip, and about coming back for more.  So after a short lesson on how to use the equipment we were off getting fitted for life jackets PFDs (learned that in the lesson), helmets and oars. Then we jumped on the bus to the “put in”. Once in the water our instructor Katie began cracking a few jokes and chatted us all up so we could get to know one another better.  There were 2 other Zoar Outdoor rafts on the water with us, so when we were not navigating the rapids we found ourselves horsing around and having splash fights with the other rafts.  Just after we maneuvered our way through the most aggressive part of the journey, the class III rapids, we stopped for a homemade picnic lunch.   Lunch consisted of homemade salsa, hummus, organic lunch meat, freshly baked rolls, homemade pasta salad and cookies for dessert.  That was just the energy boost we needed to finish our trip.

Overall, we had a blast! Not only was this the perfect activity to cool off on a hot day,  but we got a little exercise and made some new friends.   So weather you are a beginner or an expert at whitewater rafting, you should check out Zoar Outdoor for a great afternoon adventure during your trip to Brattleboro.  And of course, we hope that you’ll spend the night with us at Forty Putney Road B&B!

Yankee Candle is headquartered in western Massachusetts.  Now, while you cannot tour the actual factory (which is something I would have loved to do) they have built what is best described as a “Hallmark Theme Park” for your candle and nick-nack loving enjoyment.

I visited the Yankee Candle Village with some hesitancy, especially after finding out that I didn’t get to see any massive machinery pumping out candles by the thousands.  However, the village does seem to have something for everyone.  From the obvious enormous selection of every scent of Yankee Candle – to small rooms full of sports memorabilia – to a winter themed space that actually has falling snow.

The space itself is enormous and even has several dining options, including Chandlers, a fine dining restaurant which is illuminated with hundreds of candles.   If you are just in need of a snack, or a place to chill while your partner peruses the candles, there is a central cafe with sandwiches, soups and the like and even an animated bear jamboree – singing tunes about candles…

For the bargain hunters, there is a small room near the center of the building that is filled with discounted candles and odds and ends.

If you are looking for some gifts, there is a huge toy section, complete with Santa’s workshop and full time Santa (off season he chills in the workshop checking his list – probably more than twice).

The whole trip wraps up with a full fledged home store, including designer bags and fashions and a host of small impulse items at the sea of cash registers.

I would say that this is certainly a place worth visiting and will get you brownie points from the lady in your life – particularly if she is a candle fan.   Best part, the Yankee Candle Village is just about a 30 minute ride from our Vermont Inn and part of our larger “heading south” tour of fun and interesting places near Southern Vermont.

Yankee Candle Village is open everyday from 10am to 6pm, with some extended hours during the holidays.

In our last post we took a look at the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls Massachusetts.  Today we peer into the glacial potholes, also in Shelburne Falls.

Over 50 potholes are found in this rocky area, making it the largest “collection” of glacial potholes on record.  They also have the record of the largest single glacial pothole, measuring 39 feet across – but I have yet to find that one (you’d think it was easy – being 39 feet across?).

Unfortunately after a series of injuries and subsequent letters from attorneys, you can no longer climb down onto the rocks and are only able to observe them from a platform above.  Bummer.

You can still see some of the stones that swirled around in the holes to grind them out over the years – in the top photo you can see the “grindstone” inside of the pothole in the bottom left.   As I understand it, the current from the flowing water (before the dam was built) spun these stones around and they slowly ground their way down into the softer rock.

Even though it is another “view from afar” attraction, it’s interesting and pretty to look at.  And if you are already in the area (or a geology buff) it’s certainly worth a visit.

The potholes are located at the end of Deerfield Avenue in Shelburne Falls (easy to find, just follow the signs to the town of Shelburne Falls and you can’t miss them).  Shelburne Falls, the potholes and the Bridge of Flowers are just about 30 minutes from our Vermont Inn and make for a nice afternoon drive.

Keep reading our area blog, or follow us on Twitter to learn more about some of the fun, interesting and unique things to do around Southern Vermont.

With the summer coming to an end and foliage right around the corner, it seemed like the perfect time for a trip to Shelburne Falls Massachusetts to get one last stroll down the Bridge of Flowers.

This unique walk was created in the 1920′s on an abandoned trolley bridge.  Today the walk contains over 500 varieties of flowers, vines and shrubs on the 400 foot bridge.

The town of Shelburne Falls is small, but has a few shops and restaurants and is also home to the interesting glacial potholes.

The bridge of flowers is free, but supported completely by donations.  Last year over 25,000 people visited the bridge.

The bridge of flowers is open from April through October,  is just about 30 minutes south of our Vermont Inn, and is part of a fun afternoon of stops on our “heading south” tour that we are happy to share with you at the inn.  The whole tour is about 4 hours long and includes the bridge of flowers.

Of course, this stop is best summed up in photos, so here are some shots from our trip to the bridge of flowers in September.