Memorial Day Weekend Ushers in Vermont Tourism Summer Season
Montpelier, Vt. (PRWEB) May 15, 2014 -- As parades and downtown festivals honor the holiday at hand, Memorial Day in Vermont also sees re-openings of the state’s perennially acclaimed events, parks and historic sites. Memorial Day holiday weekend includes 250 statewide artist and craft studios open to visitors, the opening of State Parks and Historic Sites, plus farmers’ markets and sports events surge. Summertime statewide lodging packages are newly themed for your visiting pleasure: explore horseback riding, cheese making and more with Food and Farms travel, sip seasonal and signature microbrews with Beer Lovers Getaways and set your own pace with Get Moving, Active Outdoors packages.
Sports & Recreation: While some Vermont State Parks are already open, rangers will be onsite and services available at all operating parks on Friday, May 23. Hiking Season is fast approaching; the Green Mountain Club recommends waiting to summit mountains along the Long Trail and other high elevation trails until Memorial Day. Also, the unofficial kickoff to the summer sports scene, Memorial Weekend marks the annual Vermont City Marathon, on Sunday, May 25. Come meet the Vermont Tourism team for stickers and info at the marathon expo and finish line.
Food & Farms: While some are year-round, several dozen of the state’s 85+ farmers’ markets will spring into action this holiday weekend. Find a market, a culinary trail or a farm stay to visit at Diginvt.com.
Arts & Heritage: Vermont’s nine State Historic Sites will be open for the summer season on Memorial Weekend. Several are host to new educational exhibits, like the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site opening of “The Coolidges, Plymouth, and the Civil War.” Designated a “Top 10 Vermont Civil War Sesquicentennial Event,” the exhibit examines the Civil War from the perspective of the Coolidge family and their neighbors, many with sons on the front lines.
Several sites along the African American Heritage Trail are opening as well; Rokeby Museum features “Free and Safe,” a multi-media exhibit presenting the true stories of two escaped slaves who were helped by a Ferrisburgh, Vt. family in the 1830’s.
Vermont’s Open Studio Weekend features 250 craftspeople and fine artists who open their studios to greet visitors for conversation, demos and shopping. This year's tour features a number of artists new to the tour, giving long-time Open Studio visitors some fresh destinations to explore. Grab a map in advance or look for yellow signs along the roadways.
Vermont’s seasonal museums will be opening as well – some include the Old Stone House Museum, Billings Farm and Museum, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, and the entire campus at Shelburne Museum.
Discover these and more adventures, dining, lodging and festivals at VermontVacation.com.
Jen Butson, Vermont Tourism & Marketing, http://www.vermontvacation.com, +1 (802) 522-7323, [email protected]
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