Why We Transplants Love Rutland

I love lists so here's another one. It's an I love Rutland list similar to the one Steve Costello wrote that went viral a few months ago. Mine may not be as eloquent but here goes nothing.

 

 I love Rutland from the view of a transplant.

1. It's in Vermont. We love Vermont. Win win.

And now, in no specific order the rest of the list!

2. Downtown. To a native NYer it's quintessential VT with beautiful buildings. The businesses downtown have grown exponentially since we moved here 5 years ago and we try to frequent them as much as possible. It has everything you could want in a downtown and more.

3. Palms square cheese pizza extra crispy. Us NYers are picky pizza eaters and this is one of the best.

4. RRMC. It has provided my husband with a job that he loves. When we first moved here the HR dept was beyond helpful with helping us find housing and even helping me find a job. The hospital is a cornerstone of the community and just keeps getting better.

5. Roots the Restaurant Grilled Caesar Salad. I honestly dream about this salad daily it's so amazing. I am a vegetarian though and wacky salads are my thing, but then again so is ice cream and pizza. But this salad, yep, it's the best.

6. Hop n Moose. They may have beat us to the punch of being the first brewery in Rutland (owning a brewery is our pipe dream) but they have some stand out beers - my favorite is Head Doctor!

7. Dancing with the Rutland Stars. I may be biased since I'm on the committee but it is a fantastic event that raises funds for a fantastic organization (Kids on the Move). It is a sold out show that is guaranteed to entertain all!

8. Halloween parade. We've been going since before we had kids and it's easily the best parade we've ever been to.

9. Paramount Theatre. They have world class acts and each year is better than the last. I can't even begin to list all of the acts they've had that you wouldn't think would make it to little ole Rutland.

10. Friday night summer series. 3 Friday's in July Center Street is closed off and restaurants and bars open into the street and fantastic music acts perform. It's transformed over the years into more of an adult event but we take the kids down and have a quick bite and drink outside.

11. Art in the park. It's twice a year in Main Street park and all of the exhibitors are great. I've purchased some of my favorite jewelry there and have gone every year.

12. Killington summer concert series. Not the city but still Rutland County, this is a ton of fun and the kids love it since they can run around and dance and not bother anyone.

13. The Bakery. This addition to downtown has everything and the employees are amazing. Everything they make is sooo good and when I walk in every Monday the baristas always knows I need a red eye!

14. The parks. There are so many parks in Rutland and, at least for us, they are all in walking distance and our kids love them all.

15. Whites Pool. It's in the process of being rebuilt to open in 2017 and it's going to be like nothing else in Rutland. We took Finn there when he was a baby and it was always filled with kids and families and is just an all around great place.

16. Fruition Fineries and Raw Honey. My favorite dress and sweater come from Fruition and my favorite jeans from Raw Honey. Rebecca is beyond helpful whenever I'm in and always pulls exactly what I didn't know I wanted!

17. Rutland Rec Halloween 5k. So I kind of love Halloween especially now that we have kids and I can force my family to dress in ridiculous themed costumes. So this 5k is perfect and a ton of fun and a great course through the city.

18. Hops on Top. Again, I'm biased but I do have the backing of at least 500 people. A beer fest with a view and some of the best beers there are. It's seriously one of the best events in the area and is a step up for Rutland for sure. You will not want to miss it!

19. Veggie burgers at Table 24. Even if you aren't a vegetarian, these burgers are amazing. We travel a lot and have eaten our fair share of veggie burgers and nothing compares.

20. Hope. Super cheesy but the Young Professionals (I'm admittedly not a member of the official Rutland Young Professionals but this is directed at ALL YPs in the area) in Rutland have more hope and passion for our small city than anyone I know. They/we know how amazing Rutland is and want everyone else to feel it too. We know Rutland is kick ass, now everyone else needs to figure it out too!

Our Vermont Weekend: Take 1

This past weekend was a perfect example of how much there is to do within a short distance of Rutland. As New Yorkers we rarely made trips more than 20 minutes away and when we did we would have to spend the entire day there because 30 minutes was far - ha!

As Vermonters we've learned that although you don't have to drive far for everything, there is a lot to do throughout the state and traveling 1.5hrs in one direction to spend 3hrs at a museum or to go to a brewery and then turn around to come home is not that big of a deal. It was something we had to get use to but now we love to drive and discover new places around the state.

So here's our weekend:

Enjoying the Wonderfeet Kids' Museum in downtown Rutland. A serious gem that our kids absolutely love no matter how often we go. Be warned that there is a high probability your kid will throw a tantrum when you say it's time to leave but no worries, no judgy mom here!

We then headed to downtown Middlebury (a 45min drive north on Rt.7) in hopes of finding new sneakers for Finn at the kids consignment shop, Junebug. We didn't find anything but the boys napped the entire drive there so win!

We stopped at Woodchuck Cider on our way home, which is located in Middlebury as well. Otter Creek Brewing is also right down the street and is newly redone but we've been there a lot so decided to keep going.

We decided to stop at Drop-In Brewery which is again in Middlebury and always has something new on tap to try. We got a Maibock that is very different from the ever popular VT Double IPA and although strong is a must try!

Sunday we headed to Manchester, VT which is about 45 minutes South on Rt. 7. We were still in search of new sneakers for Finn which we eventually found at the Famous Footwear outlet. Manchester has a lot of great outlets and we also love the Northshire Bookstore as well. We had a quick lunch and then headed home - a short trip but we like that we found what we wanted locally instead of buying online.

 

 

So in two days we drove 3hrs and visited two very different Vermont towns. Vermont can offer more than expected if you live like a true Vermonter and learn to travel your state. When we first moved here Tom would have patients that told him about a great restaurant 45 minutes away and we thought they were crazy to travel that far for a meal. Now we travel 1hr45minutes for a brewery so I guess we're the crazy ones now.

 

Cheers!