The Berkshires NY, MA, & VT

3:53 PM Unknown 0 Comments

Derek and I have a very busy schedule. We rarely have days free where the two of us, and the two of us only, can do something together. We are often attending weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, house parties, dinners, family gatherings etc. Although we love all of these things, we really enjoy our days to just do our own thing. When we realized we had a free Sunday, we knew we had to do something fun.

I'm still recovering from a nasty sinus infection, so we couldn't go for a hike or do anything else too strenuous. We also considered going down to the cape, but I didn't think I could stomach oysters today, a rarity for me. So, we decided to just get in the car and drive! We didn't really have a plan in mind while getting showered and ready this morning. As Derek was grabbing his keys he asked, "Hey, want to go to the Berkshires?" I answered that I had never been to the Berkshires before. So, the Berkshires it was.

We got in Derek's Subaru Crosstrek at about 10am and turned on google maps. We decided to take the route that would take us longer, but would be more scenic. We started our drive, and rode through Western, MA. Along the way, Derek told me to go on Yelp and look for a restaurant for lunch. I looked, and looked, and looked, and I couldn't find a single restaurant that we would both like that would be open for lunch. I was slightly frustrated.

We stopped at a Dunkin Donuts about mid way to grab a coffee and take a bathroom break. When we got back to the car, Derek suggested we go the extra 15 minutes to Bennington, VT and have lunch at Madison Brewing Company. Derek had eaten there two weekends before while hiking the Application trail. He loved it, and wrote a review, which you can read here. I checked out the menu, and like what I saw, so agreed to go.

We arrived in Bennington at about 1:30pm. I was very hungry at this point. Derek parked the car about a quarter mile from the restaurant, so we could walk through the small downtown. We passed a few little stores, most closed.

We arrived at Madison Brewing Company. I liked the decor of the place, simple, with a bit of rustic Vermont charm. We requested to be seated in the bar area at one of the high tops. It took a little while for the bar tender to come over and take our order, it was very busy. I was a little reluctant to order a beer, as I still wasn't feeling 100%, but while in Rome! So, I ordered a 12oz Sukerpond Blonde and Derek ordered a pale ale. We also ordered our lunch. Derek ordered his grilled cheese and french fries, and I ordered the Calamari and chili.

The beer was great. Sukerpond was crisp and light, something I would easily be able to drink in the summer in a beach chair or next to a campfire. Derek enjoyed his beer too, and actually ordered a second beer later in the visit, the Downtown IPA. He said both were good.


The food was delicious. The calamari was a mix of rings and tentacles, and it came with fried jalapenos and tiny chunks of tomato. It was all drizzled in balsamic, and came with Mariana and a lemon. I am very picky about calamari. This one was great, it was fresh, had thin crispy batter, and was full of flavor. There was more calamari to vegetables, which I also liked as sometimes you get more fried veggies than calamari.


The chili was also delicious. It was thinner than other chili I have has, a little soupy, but I liked that about it. It was covered with cheddar cheese and tortilla chips. There was a lot of meat in it, and huge chunks of tomato. Overall, I was pleased with our lunch.

After lunch, we took a little stroll, quickly finding out there wasn't much else to do in the town. On the way back to the car, we stopped at a little store and cafe called Bringing You Vermont. When we walked into the store, we were greeted by a man who told us everything in the store was made in Vermont. Derek and I bought two Vermont Sweet Waters and some Liz Lovely Cowgirl Cookies for the ride.

We got in the car and Derek punched in Furnace Brook Winery at Hilltop Orchards in Richmond, MA. Quickly into our drive, we sampled the treats we picked up at the store. Derek liked his Root beer sweetwater. He said it was like a seltzer, and tasted slightly like a watered down root beer. My blueberry lemonade was not disappointing.

The real treat was the Cowgirl Cookies by Liz Lovely. Liz Lovely bakes cookies and cookie truffles that are vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and egg free. This particular cookie has chocolate chips and is drizzled with a chocolate sauce. The cookie was so soft, and so tasty. Usually, finding treats that are gluten and dairy free is difficult. It's especially difficult to find these teats that also taste good! This cookie tastes literally like eating cookie dough off of a spoon. You can order their delicious treats on their website.


Our drive to the winery was peaceful. We passed through New York on the way, which was a little exciting. I was eager to try some new wines, and Derek and I had good conversation.

Derek and I stopped for a wine tasting at Furnace Brook Winery, and bought a bottle of wine, some cider, and some cider donuts to bring home. Follow up with our blog to read Derek's review of the winery which was so good, we felt it deserved it's own blog article.

We left the Winery at about 4:30 and realized we could do a little more before heading home. We decided to check out Pittsfield, MA. When we got there, we realized it wasn't somewhere we wanted to spend time, and we continued our ride home. This time, we took the quick route, down the Mass Pike to 495. Just as the sun was about to set, we did pass through the town of Lee, which was a cute and quaint little town. We drove home, with the sun setting in our rearview mirror.


Derek and I enjoyed our day road trip. On the way home, we talked about how these little day trips bring up our spirits and make us feel like we are on a little mini vacation. Sometimes, it's nice to just get a little away from home, relax, and spend some quality time together. We made note to do this again, and often.

Other day trips we would like to blog about in the future:
Portland, ME
Kittery, ME
Ogunquit, ME
Cape Cod, MA
Vermont
North Conway, NH
Newport, RI
South Shore, MA
Adirondacks in NY
Wineries
Distilleries



 


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