The main downtown area in Burlington, Vermont is situated along Church Street, a 3-block or so pedestrian stretch. Ben & Jerry’s has a storefront about halfway down the street, and it has a steady stream of customers even when the temperature is below freezing. The first Ben & Jerry’s scoop shack (in the country!) was located in an old gas station a block away from Church Street, but they are now located in this spiffy spot.

There are a number of stores carrying locally-produced art, including Frog Hollow. Several coworkers had high praise for the store, and Alan also recommended that I look at Al Stirt’s turned bowls on display there.

People are still out and about when it’s snowy and cold outside! Church Street was decorated with lots of lights, and there were even some ice sculptures grouped along the walkway, each paying tribute to a different local restaurant or brewery.

Church Street and the surrounding couple of blocks have a wide selection of tasty restaurants. The first restaurant I visited was The Farmhouse Tap and Grill, and I was incredibly impressed by their grass-fed LaPlatte beef (Vermont beef!) burger. The restaurant is housed in what used to be the only McDonald’s in Burlington; that McDonald’s closed and The Farmhouse with its locally sourced food American food moved in. The Farmhouse is owned by the same guy who owns two other nearby restaurants: El Cortijo (Spanish) and Pascolo Ristorante (super tasty Italian with homemade pasta and delicious pork/prosciutto) are both named after translations for “farmhouse”.