When you thinks of cities with a great food scene you probably don’t think of Burlington, Vermont, in fact, you may have never heard of Burlington. Nestled amongst the rolling mountains, lush farms and small communities of Vermont, Burlington is a mecca for locally-sourced and inspired food. It is a unique food scene in a close-to-home, community-minded environment. That essence can be found at many food- focused summer events in the Burlington area, here’s a few to check out.
Burlington Farmers Market
Photo courtesy of Church Street Marketplace on flickr.com
The epitome of the Vermont food scene, the massive Burlington Farmers Market celebrates Vermont farmers and makers. You can buy fresh produce, meat and dairy directly from the farmers and it’s also a great place to go for lunch, offering prepared foods of all kinds. There’s something for everyone, even if you just want to stroll around and try all the free samples. The market happens every Saturday from 8:30 am-2 pm in City Hall Park, there’s also a winter market.
ArtsRiot Truck Stop
Photo by Katie McLane
ArtsRiot, an event and food space located on Pine St in Burlington hosts its wildly popular Truck Stop every Friday from May through August. There you’ll find a plethora of local food trucks and vendors selling everything from poutine to banh mi. Some trucks are repeat visitors but you’ll always find something new. In addition to the fantastic food, drink, and entertainment it also makes a great people (and dog) watching venue.
Summervale at the Intervale
Photo courtesy of @rfreebern on flickr.com
Every Thursday from 5:30 pm-8 pm the Intervale Center in Burlington hosts live music, local food. and kids activities. A little more chill than the Truck Stop (which gets crazy busy most Fridays), Summervale is a great place to grab some awesome food and spread out a picnic blanket to enjoy the music. The location is beautiful and the food is local and delicious. I always love the $1 slices from American Flatbread.
Burlington Wine and Food Festival
Photo courtesy of @simon_sees on flickr.com
For the over 21 crowd, the Burlington Wine and Food Festival is a week-long celebration of Vermont’s finest wineries and restaurants. Your ticket gets you unlimited access to wine and food samples for the day as well as access to food seminars and live Jazz Music. Held at Waterfront Park with a beautiful view of Lake Champlain, the Wine and Food Festival celebrates some of Vermont’s best food and drink in a gorgeous setting.
Vermont Brewer’s Festival
Photo courtesy of @szapucki on flickr.com
If beer is more your style, especially craft brews, the Vermont Brewer’s Festival is for you. Also held at Waterfront Park in Burlington in mid-July, your ticket gets you a set number of tokens that can be used to purchase samples of over 150 different brews. There is also an array of local food offerings to pair with the beer. Vermont is known for its craft beer and you’ll quickly see why.
Sam Mazza’s Strawberry Festival
Photo by Katie McLane
There’s nothing like fresh strawberries in peak season. This family-friendly festival has strawberry everything: strawberry milkshakes, strawberry fudge, strawberry jam, chocolate-dipped strawberries, strawberry shortcake and more. There are also activities for kids to engage in like face painting and pony rides and for the family: strawberry picking.