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Experience RockResorts newest destinations - Tempo Miamiand The Mansfield Inn at Stowe.�

Combining chic sophistication, luxurious comfort and breezy elegance Tempo features 56 elegant hotel rooms (ranging from one to four bedrooms), an 8,000-square-foot RockResorts Spa, lively dining at Amuse and personalized service.� Visit Tempo and discover the glittering best that South Florida has to offer.

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I am often asked by visitors what there is to do here in Vermont. The first things that comes to mind are outdoor activities such as hiking, bicycling, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, sailing, skating, swimming, skiing, snowshoeing, dog sled rides, and so on. Vermont is blessed with beautiful scenery and clean air that visitors can enjoy outdoors year around.
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If you go apple picking during your travel to Vermont, keep an eye out for a prize apple like this.

Spending some time outdoors picking apples is rewarding enough but now there is extra incentive with a contest that will reward you with an Apple iPod if you can find one of the winning apples.

Eleven specially marked wooden apples are waiting in participating apple orchards around Vermont. If you find one, just turn it in to the orchard owner, and Small Dog Electronics will send you an iPod. See the VermontVacation.com website for rules.
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I was checking the Vermont Department of Tourism’s website this evening and was quite struck with this photograph. It’s not a “gee whiz” spectacular vista, just a pleasant, classic Vermont country road scene. At first I thought I might know where this road is (North Road from Bethel to Barnard) but I’m not at all sure because I began remembering other roads that also look similar. However, no matter where you are in Vermont, there are pretty drives nearby - just ask your friendly innkeepers - they are used to being asked and will probably have several ideas for you.
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I’ve taken a break from blogging recently as you can see. We got slammed (that’s a good thing as Martha would say) with business over the Labor Day weekend. Now we are in a quiet period before the fall foliage rush and I am scrambling to get some outdoor work done while the weather is good and I have the time. The weather here has been perfect lately with mostly clear days and pleasantly cool temperatures.

One of our guests was asking a little while ago about moose. We often have guests asking about moose but it seems like more than normal lately. This summer, I’ve been able to tell them that we have one (I think it is probably the same one) around our inn. It has been coming through every two to three weeks but there was one period where I did not see any sign for about five weeks. However, I have seen fresh tracks in the woods and our driveway lately. Yesterday I saw new tracks in the parking lot and along the forest trail up to our cabins. “Our” moose comes through late at night and I see the fresh tracks in the morning.
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Stowe gondola near the top of Mount Mansfield

Here is a different idea for lunch: eat at Stowe’s Cliff House restaurant on Mount Mansfield, the highest mountain in Vermont. The restaurant is nearly at the top of the mountain. It is open from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm everyday the gondola is running. Reservations are not taken for lunch.

The food is a little pricey but very good. And you get a million dollar view free through floor-to-ceiling windows. You will see the Worcester Range in Vermont and on most days, the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
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Factory Tours USA is a web site which lists manufacturing facilities open to the public. The factory tours in VT page begins with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream here in Waterbury. It is the number one tourist attraction in VT and last year hosted 275,000 visitors with its famous half hour tours.

Food processing is big business in Vermont, so you will find the “manufacturers” here make cider, cheese, chocolate, and beer. And naturally, because of all the trees, there are wood product manufacturers too. Take a look at the list before your travel to VT and you will probably see a manufacturer you would like to visit.
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Here is a link to a helpful website called Ellipses. After the airplane scares last week, airline travel was disrupted but quickly got back to normal according to some of our guests.

The Ellipses web site is a good one to check occasionally to see what’s going on in travel. Chris also writes about car rental companies from time to time and presents information you should definitely know.

(c) 2006 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus LLC

grunberghaus.com

Summer is in full swing and the events are coming fast and furious. The events listed below are just a sampling of July events in Vermont - it is far from comprehensive -there are many other events and activities going on.

This list is mostly for northern and central Vermont. I’m working on a southern Vermont events list and will post it later.

Also see our Events and Links pages for other ideas on things to see and do.

July - October, 2006
Georgia O’Keeffe: Paintings at the Shelburne Museum
The first Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit in Vermont includes 25 landscapes of the American Southwest, close-ups of flowers, still lifes, city and farm scenes.
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