No plans this weekend? Why not take a road trip up to Burlington, Vermont! You can watch Guy Fieri's hit Food Network tonight and see a little slice of this vibrant town on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Fieri and his crew visited Bluebird Barbecue, a divine little joint on the edge of town that serves up a slew of slow-smoked meats, delicious homemade sides, and plenty of local craft beer and cocktails to wash it all down. The BBQ poutine with pulled pork or brisket is a standout favorite, as is the Nashville Hot fried chicken sandwich, and for a creative twist on a classic, try the pitmaster’s ramen.
Of course, you’ll need to get there first, and I was lucky enough to do so in the 2020 Chevy Traverse Premiere a couple of weeks ago with fiance. Not only is this car beautiful (gorgeous chrome details, perforated leather seats, and a sleek design), it’s also safe. Surround Vision is an amazing feature that uses four strategically placed cameras (one on the rearview mirror!) to create a virtual bird’s-eye that help you see the area behind and around you.
This car also has 4G LTE Wifi, which came in handy when we were looking for places to stop along the way for bathroom, and food, and fuel breaks, and despite it being a mid-sized SUV it has enormous cargo space. My favorite feature is the heated seats, but it also has air-conditioned seats that will come in handy in the summer months.
Once we arrived in Burlington we headed straight to Zero Gravity Brewery and had a private tour with owner Paul Sayler. We loved the Madonna iipa (double IPA), the Little Wolf Pale Ale, and the classic Green State Lager. The brewery itself has a fun atmosphere and both the bottle labels and merchandise are beautifully designed.
We checked into our hotel (the Delta Hotel), which was just outside of downtown Burlington, and then saw a movie at the Roxy Cinema (which has been voted the area’s best theater for nine years straight) and called it a night.
The next morning we visited the Shelburne Museum, which is about 15 minutes outside of Burlington. I was very pleasantly surprised by this unconventional museum. Instead of one building housing visual arts, it’s a compound of several galleries, houses, gardens, barns, even a boat. It’s one of the places that you must see to believe. One of the buildings has over 1,400 duck decoys, while another has horse carriages dating back to the 1800s. There are traditional paintings in the main building, and in the warmer months, you can board a steamboat that was built in 1906. We truly could’ve spent all day touring this museum, but after a few hours, we had to go to our final stop.
We ended our trip at the aforementioned Bluebird Barbecue with a smoked half chicken that was so juicy and tender it was falling off the bone, fried maple brussels sprouts, and a smoked mushroom flatbread made with local cheddar cheese. We were so stuffed from this incredible meal that I suggest you plan to visit early in your trip and avoid a road trip food coma.
Thank you to Chevy, Zero Gravity, Bluebird Barbecue, and the city of Burlington for being such wonderful hosts!