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Vermont

Experience Farm-Fresh Flavor in Vermont

Program No. 8934RJ
Taste the flavors of Vermont on an appetizing adventure with cooking demonstrations from local chefs, visits to local farms and discoveries of the state’s impressive history with food.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jul 21 - Jul 26, 2024
Starting at
1,599
Aug 11 - Aug 16, 2024
Starting at
1,599
Oct 20 - Oct 25, 2024
Starting at
1,649
Oct 27 - Nov 1, 2024
Starting at
1,549
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jul 21 - Jul 26, 2024
Starting at
2,049
Aug 11 - Aug 16, 2024
Starting at
2,049
Filling Fast!
Oct 20 - Oct 25, 2024
Starting at
2,159
Oct 27 - Nov 1, 2024
Starting at
1,999

At a Glance

Learning in Vermont can be delicious! With local chefs, small-scale cheese makers, maple tappers and entrepreneurs, experience firsthand the Vermont farm-to-plate way of life during hands-on classes and field trips to working farms. From a lesson in scone baking at the Middlebury Inn, to an expert-led demonstration on the process of creating maple candy, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how some of your favorite New England fare is made. Sip and savor at Shelburne Vineyard as you learn about vitis Vinifera and vitis Riparia, hearty grapes which grow well in winter conditions. Journey through some of Vermont’s culinary wonders on this immersive learning adventure.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Minimal walking and standing; some stairs.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Discover the traditional way apple cider is produced with a demonstration and tasting at Cold Hollow Cider Mill.
  • Delight in a presentation from the owner (and her goats) from High Pond Goat Farm and learn the techniques on milking and goat cheese making followed by an expert-led tasting.
  • Enjoy the Williams Maple Farm followed by a flavorsome tasting of their renowned sugar on snow.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Wendy Cijka
Wendy Cijka is the owner of High Pond Goat Farm in the town of Brandon, Vermont. High Pond Goat Farm is a small, family run farm creating and selling raw goat milk, fresh chevre, and yogurt.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Wendy Cijka
Wendy Cijka View biography
Wendy Cijka is the owner of High Pond Goat Farm in the town of Brandon, Vermont. High Pond Goat Farm is a small, family run farm creating and selling raw goat milk, fresh chevre, and yogurt.
Profile Image of Lilian Sheren
Lilian Sheren View biography
Lilian Sheren has led groups for 30 years. She moved to Vermont more than two decades ago and has been a Road Scholar Group Leader for the past five years. Lilian began her experience while living in New York state, leading groups to New York City, through the Hudson Valley, the Finger Lakes, New England, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington DC as well as Montreal and Quebec City, Canada. Lilian embraces her Scottish heritage and loves meeting Road Scholar participants from all over the country.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Seasons in a Vermont Vineyard: The Shelburne Vineyard Cookbook
by Lisa Cassell-Arms
Vermont is a food lover's paradise. From its verdant and fertile farmland, regional specialties are emerging. We have an abundant selection of locally raised meats, poultry, produce and fruits, as well as world-class artisanal cheeses, award-winning spirits, ciders, beers and, of course, wine. Shelburne Vineyard is recognized as a pioneer in cold-climate winemaking, producing expertly crafted wines from Vermont and regionally grown hybrid grapes. With original mouthwatering recipes crafted especially for this new edition, this book celebrates a generation of outstanding wines and the affinity of food and wine produced from the same northern terroir.
Sails and Steam in the Mountains
by Russell Bellico
Anyone (like myself) who finds early American history interesting (colonial, revolutionary, war of 1812) will love this book. It gives many historical quotes and accounts of events. It is also easy to understand and explains what 18th century terminology it uses. It also does a good job with the ship models and pictures. It is also very good with explaining first hand accounts of the forts on the lake and the conditions they were in at the time. Highly recommend for anyone who is interested in the colonial period or ships and forts of the 18th century.
Maple Sugarin' In Vermont: A Sweet History
by Betty Ann Lockhart
Come along for a trip through maple time in Vermont, from the 1600s to the mid-twentieth century. Betty Ann Lockhart introduces the origins of the 'Flavor of Vermont', the tools of the sugaring trade and the personalities who launched maple sugar to world fame. The Abenakis were discoverers of the sweet sap that flowed from Vermont's trees, and Thomas Jefferson was an early promoter of it. During the Civil War, maple sugar was cheered as the moral alternative to cane sugar- the latter having been produced by slave labor- and in subsequent wars, it was shipped to U.S. troops around the world. Enriched with maple-inspired songs, recipes and legends, Maple Sugarin' in Vermont illuminates not just the industry, but also the culture of maple sugar in the Green Mountain State.
Sugar Words: Musings from an Old Vermonter
by Burr Morse
Sugar Words nicely blends Burr’s most recent tales with a look at the Vermont “vesta”.
Sweet Days and Beyond: The Morse Family - Eight Generations of Maple Sugaring
by Burr Morse
In his charming account of growing up in a maple sugaring operation in Northern Vermont, Burr Morse, a seventh generation maple sugar farmer, shares wonderful stories and folk tales that offer a deeper understanding of the hard work and dedication it takes to live such a lifestyle. Delightful images bring to life the four seasons, animals, and other characters who share his world. The result is a five season Vermont experience full of sweet and sometimes bittersweet tales.





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.