New England: Vermont

See ice cream being made. A lot of wonderful things come out of Vermont, but the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory tops the list. Take a short tour of the operation, sample experimental flavors, and enjoy flavors not sold in stores in the Scoop Shop. Head back to Little River State Park to camp out…and maybe do a little hiking to burn off the ice cream calories.

The walls of Rock of Ages Granite Quarry, a magnificent Vermont quarry, are 600 feet tall. It has been a working quarry since the 1800s, so expect it to be different every visit. The sheer size will awe you. Take a guided tour of the quarry, then a self-guided tour of the factory to see artisans at work carving the granite. Rock of Ages Granite Quarry is one of the largest producers of granite headstones in the country. It also contains the prototype for a granite bowling alley. Traditional bowling balls will eventually break against the granite, so the concept never took off, but visitors can try it out using rubber bowling balls. And film buffs will be interested to know that the quarry was the site for the car chase scene in the 2009 Star Trek movie. (Go RVing)

The hike to the Lye Brook falls in the Green Mountain National Forest is about 2.5 miles each way, using a relatively smooth trail with steady mild elevation. The best time to visit is in the spring, when the water level is high. Most of the trail is a walk in the woods, and you should be able to hear the waterfall almost from the start. It’s a beautiful spot well worth visiting. (Go RVing)