Vermont

Sugar houses across Vermont still make maple syrup the traditional way, a real point of pride tied to the state’s careful, values-based relationship with the land. The mountain range running down the state’s middle gave Vermont both its name and its nickname, “The Green Mountain State,” and the Green Mountain Boys, a militia that fought for the state’s independence in the 1770s under Ethan Allen, still shape how Vermont sees its own history. Small cheese makers and the original Ben & Jerry’s factory reflect a wider food culture built on community and small business. Burlington, home to the University of Vermont along Lake Champlain, offers a livelier contrast to the state’s quiet countryside, where covered bridges and farmers’ markets remain part of daily small-town life.