National Geographic Traveler Magazine July/August Issue:

Vermont: The Distant Kingdom

Been to Bennington, skied Stowe, loved Lake Champlain? You're ready for the Vermonters' Vermont: the uncrowded hiking- biking-canoeing corner known as the Northeast Kingdom, anchored by the gateway town of St. Johnsbury. "Despite its rural character, or maybe because of it, the Kingdom is home to many artists and writers," says Tom Slayton, former editor of Vermont Life, "and boasts a corresponding wealth of music, theaters, galleries, and museums." Museums like the Fairbanks, with the state's only public planetarium. Innovative theaters like the Bread and Puppet Theater, home of the pioneering Cheap Art movement to bring art to everyone. Local staples like syrup-producing Maple Grove Farms and cheese-churning Cabot Creamery, a farmers' cooperative known for its award-winning cheddars. "The Kingdom's charms are intimate," says Slayton, "to be savored at a gentle pace."

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