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Autumn was absolutely wonderful that year — warm and unusually late. To fully appreciate this beautiful season, we set off on a fall road trip.
We travelled through two Canadian provinces and two U.S. states. We explored the area around our Parliament, visited the beautiful nature surrounding Lake Placid, climbed an incredibly scenic mountain, enjoyed some delicious Vermont food, visited a teddy bear factory, and took a boat to an island to see a magnificent castle...
Today I’ll tell you all about this and much more
Day 1
So, first of all, we headed from Toronto to Canada’s capital city, Ottawa. And of course, our first stop was to admire our Parliament and the surrounding grounds
Then we visited the History Museum. We spent most of our time in the section designed especially for children.
We also tried a BeaverTail — a Canadian-style doughnut covered with various toppings
Day 2
In the morning, we had a hearty breakfast at a café with the tempting name Tutti Frutti
Then we hit the road. Our destination was the area where the Winter Olympics were held back in 1980 — Lake Placid. The area is part of the Adirondack region, with breathtaking scenery, lakes, forests, and mountains. In October, the landscape comes alive with all the colours of fall. We also stopped by the Olympic Museum
We took a cable car up to the ski jump area, where Olympic skiers once trained and competed. We went all the way up simply to admire the beautiful fall scenery.
By the way, it turns out that ski jumpers train in summer too)) For some reason, I had never thought about it before. We were lucky enough to watch the athletes train — and see them launch themselves off the ski jumps... straight into a pool of water!
In town, we stopped by a popular shop called Saratoga Olive Oil Co. It is famous for its incredible variety of olive oils. The shop offers a huge selection of locally made olive oils in different flavours, as well as balsamic vinegars. The products are excellent quality, and best of all, you can taste everything before you buy it.
I bought rosemary-infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar flavoured with a local variety of apples.
Day 3
In the morning, we continued our journey toward a “higher goal”)), namely the summit of Whiteface Mountain. At about 1.5 km high, it is the highest mountain in the Adirondacks.
From the top, there are breathtaking views of the forests and lakes. This was definitely the place where we could truly take in and admire the beauty of the local scenery
We didn’t start our hike from the very bottom of the mountain (that would have taken us about four hours), but from the point accessible by car. Our climb took about an hour, and the breathtaking views that unfolded before us made the journey completely worthwhile
But we still had plenty of plans ahead. First, we had to cross Lake Champlain, the natural boundary between New York State and Vermont. To do so, we simply drove our car onto a ferry, which took us across the lake to the other side
In Vermont, we stayed in the city of Burlington, a charming New England–style town. You’ll see plenty of university students here, thanks to the University of Vermont, as well as interesting farms and excellent restaurants.
Vermont is known for its many farmers’ markets, which supply local shops and restaurants with fresh produce. We had never tasted pizza as delicious as the one we had in Burlington. Maybe it was because it was wood-fired and made with ingredients sourced from local farms.
This particular pizzeria was ranked fourth among the city’s similar restaurants. I can only imagine how good the pizza must be at the places ranked even higher!
Day 4
We had several interesting farms on our itinerary. First up was the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory. Their ice cream really is delicious! New flavours appear every year, while the old ones are “buried” in the Ice Cream Graveyard
We stopped by a beautiful Keurig coffee shop
Then we headed to a farm that makes apple cider and all sorts of delicious apple treats. As usual, there were plenty of goodies to sample before buying
On the way, we stopped at a shop featuring Vermont’s famous Cabot cheeses. Oh, did we ever get our fill of cheese samples! Then we stopped by a little farm shop, where we spotted a small garden growing right on the roof
We stopped at a little glass shop, where we were lucky enough to watch a glassblower at work
And finally, we headed to the place Iris had been dreaming of visiting — the Teddy Bear Factory. We watched how the bears were made and learned that if something happens to your bear — for example, if a dog accidentally chews off part of it — you can bring it to the “hospital” for repairs. And in more serious cases, you can simply get a brand-new bear, because they come with a lifetime guarantee
On the roads around Burlington, you can come across some pretty funny roadside scarecrows. We also stopped at the beautiful Shelburne Farm
It’s a working farm that produces organic food — vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, and dairy products. They even make their own cheese right on the farm
There were all kinds of activities for children throughout the day. We watched a chicken parade, brushed rabbits, and even milked a cow.
Then it was time to head home. But we had one more very interesting stop along the way — an island with a castle.
Day 5
The Thousand Islands is a famous tourist destination on the border between Canada and the United States. Beautiful scenery, the waters of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, cottages, and castles have been attracting tourists for many years. There are plenty of boat tours available for visitors to explore the islands.
This time, we visited the islands from the American side for the first time — all so that we could dock at the most interesting island of them all, Heart Island
At the beginning of the 20th century, American millionaire George Boldt began building a magnificent castle as a summer retreat for his beloved wife, Louise. George purchased one of the islands on the border between Canada and the United States and even changed its shape, giving it the outline of a heart. And so, the grand construction project began. Sadly, Louise unexpectedly passed away just a few years later. George abandoned the unfinished project and, according to the story, never set foot on the island again.
Eventually, the family’s children sold the castle, but the new owner neglected it. For the next 73 years, the castle deteriorated under the effects of nature and vandalism.
In 1977, the Thousand Islands administration took on the restoration and reconstruction of the castle. Today, the exterior of the castle and the surrounding buildings have been restored
Two floors of the castle and some of the rooms have also been restored
The boathouse on the neighbouring island has also been restored.
Our fall getaway has come to an end. Time to start planning our meeting with Santa Claus:)
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