My most-recent trek took me through the southern tier of the state, where I visited Bennington, Pownal, Stamford, Readsboro, Whitingham, Wilmington, Searsburg, Jacksonville and Woodford. Time and again, I'm amazed at how many lovely towns there are in this state. And I'm agog at finding places and facts that I'd never heard of before.
This trip introduced me to Brigham Young's birthplace in Whitingham (yes, both Young and Joseph Smith (Royalton) were born in Vermont), the Museum of Black WWII History and the Green Mountain Racetrack, both in Pownal. I've wanted to visit Readsboro ever since listening to Susan Keese's audio postcard about the town's inhabitants who were drawn there because of its similarity to the Tyrolean Alps of northern Italy. It didn't disappoint. And I loved stopping into Old Bennington to see the Congregational Church, the Bennington Battle Monument and the site of the Catamount Tavern.My dilemma now is how quickly I want to reach 251. I think it's so much better to take it slowly and savor each stop along the way.
[Editor's Note: Listen to the entire series of Audio Postcards from Vermont Towns at VPR.net.]
