Burlington, Vermont

*Burlington is the largest city in Vermont at 42,417 people at the 2010 census.

*Burlington lies 45 miles south of the U.S.-Canadian border.

1.       Church Street: The man who designed Church Street also designed Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado. There are great shops and restaurants along the mall. Nectar’s is located near Church Street. This restaurant and bar has been the headquarters for thousands of local and not local music acts from Phish to Led Loco.

2.       City Hall

3.       Library: The Fletcher Free Library is the largest and busiest public library in the state. It was built in 1904. In 2002, it had a budget of over $1 million, circulated more books, had more visitors, and had more computers than any other library in Vermont. Unlike most libraries in Vermont, it is publicly owned.

4.       Lake Champlain: The Burlington waterfront along the shore of Lake Champlain has bench swings, and paths for walking and biking. Dragon boat races to benefit charity have been held in Lake Champlain in August since 2006.

5.       Magic Hat: We toured the Magic Hat brewery. It was a lot of fun. We watched a short movie about beer and brewing and then we walked into the brewhouse. After the tour we had 3 free samples of beer.

Las Vegas

I have been to Las Vegas a couple of times even though I don’t gamble. It was fun walking around and seeing the buildings, free shows, etc.

Free things to do:

1.       Caesar’s Palace Caesar’s Palace features The Fall of Atlantis Show. Animatronic figures fight for control of Atlantis. The platform is an aquarium that contains puffers, flounder, sharks and a variety of fish. On the West end is the Festival Fountain Show where visitors are entertained by Greek gods. This is a laser, water and light show.

2.       Circus Circus The last time we were in Las Vegas we stayed at the Circus Circus. We got a free drink and a free ride at their amusement park. We went on the roller coaster which was a lot of fun. There are also free circus acts. Different acts perform each half hour.

3.       Bellagio Hotel and Casino This hotel contains the World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain at 27 feet tall. It contains 2100 pounds of flowing chocolate. The Bellagio also has the world-famous fountains. The fountains are choreographed to music.

4.       Hard Rock Café Inside you will find rock and roll memorabilia including Eric Clapton’s guitar, John Lennon’s glasses, Jimi Hendrix’s shirt, and a gold microphone that belonged to Frank Sinatra.

5.       Treasure Island Outside there is a free show called The Sirens of Treasure Island. It is about the clash between tempting sirens and pirates. The show contains singing, explosions, dance and drama.

6.       Mirage Hotel Outside there is a volcano that erupts every 15 minutes from 7:00 p.m. to midnight. Flames shoot into the sky spewing smoke and fire 100 feet above the water below.

Montpelier, Vermont

●Capitol of Vermont

●Population of 7,855 at the 2010 census: It is the smallest state capitol in the United States.

Things to Do:

1.       Vermont State House The capitol building is beautiful with its gold dome. It is one of the oldest and best preserved state capitols in the United States. It is open Monday through Friday 8-4 p.m. You can take a free guided tour on the half-hour July through mid-October or walk around the building yourself.

2.       Downtown Montpelier There are many beautiful churches, bookstores, shops and restaurants in the downtown area.



The library

3.       Bragg Farm This is a maple syrup farm. They have a gift shop as well as an animal farm with goats and ponies. You can listen to a talk about how they make maple syrup. They have free samples of maple syrup in all four grades, maple butter, jams, etc. They even make maple soft serve ice cream that you can buy.

4.       Green Mount Cemetery This is a 35 acre cemetery. You can either walk or drive through the cemetery. There are many ornate headstones.

Fairbanks, Alaska

●Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and the second largest in the state behind Anchorage. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city was 31,535.

●Average winter low temperatures range from -15 degrees F to -25 degrees F.

●The Alaskan Railroad goes north from Seward to Fairbanks.

What to do:

1.       Ice Museum The ice museum is the world’s largest year-round ice environment in the world. The ice museum contains many ice sculptures including jousters on horses, Sarah Palin, animal chess set, an ice bar, an igloo, a xylophone that you can play, a polar bear, ice beds, and many more. They provide you with a jacket since it is 20 degrees F inside. If you pay extra, you can get an appletini in a martini glass. You get to keep the ice glass! The museum is located at the Chena Hot Springs Resort 60 miles from Fairbanks. The museum is open every day of the year.

2.       Chena Hot Springs Chena Hot Springs is located in the same area as the Ice Museum. There are also goats, hiking trails, sled dogs and a campground. During the winter you can hike up to a small hut to watch the northern lights. There is an outdoor hot springs rock lake for adults 18 and up. There is also an indoor family pool.

3.       Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge This national wildlife refuge has a 2 mile trail that lets you see Alaska’s plant and animal life. It is located on the north side of College Road about halfway between the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and Steese Expressway. The visitors center is open Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

4.       Georgeson Botanical Garden The gardens are located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. This is a five acre garden that is open to the public during the daylight hours, May through September.

5.       Pioneer Park This is Alaska’s only historic theme park. It is free to get in. There are many shops, restaurants, museums, and attractions including mini-golf, railroad, carousel, dance hall and theater.

6.       Riverboat Discovery Climb on board an authentic Alaskan sternwheeler, the Riverboat Discovery. Take a tour with native Alaskans in a traditional village and meet some of the pioneers who call this land home.

7.       University of Alaska Museum of the North