Every fairy tale needs two things: a villain and a hero. Vermont may not have villains, but we sure do have a hero, specifically South Hero! There are many things hiding in plain sight that make this little island a true VT fairy tale. Let’s face it… When Jiminy Cricket said those famous words “When you wish upon a star, makes no difference where you are,” he clearly had never seen the stars from South Hero, Vermont!

All great fairy tales take place in a magical setting.
Flickr/BostonTx
And South Hero is no exception. This beautiful island with just over 1,600 people is certainly enchanting.
You can get to South Hero by car or by boat...
Flickr/Mariko
But there is nothing like arriving via the bike path!
It's one of the most beautiful trails in Vermont.
Photo Courtesy of Brandon Scarfone
Riding your bike on this path is like flying over the water since the path is surrounded by Lake Champlain.
Mind the gap.
Flickr/Richard Due
Don't worry about the break in the path. A seasonal ferry carries bikers to and from South Hero.
No fairy tale would be complete with out a castle.
Flickr/Don Shall
South Hero has many castles, just not like the ones you'd expect.
These are Harry Barber's miniature castles.
Flickr/Don Shall
Harry Barber was a gardner from Switzerland who found a way to bring the castles he loved from home to life in Vermont.
Between the 1920s and 1966, Barber made these castles by hand.
Flickr/Don Shall
These castles were made from the stones he collected and are intricately made with moats, windows and turrets.
On a nearby Isle La Motte, there is the world's oldest coral reef.
Flickr/Don Shall
Do we spy a fossil in one of these whimsical castles?

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Everyone's gotta eat, even in fairy tales.
Flickr/Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Venue
You'll find great seasonal snack places to fill up.
Along with castles, you'll find gorgeous homes.
Flickr/denisbin
And barns...
Flickr/denisbin
And, of course, VT maple syrup.
Flickr/Doug Cadmus
Vermont maple syrup is magical all on its own.
The next best thing to fairy houses is colorful birdhouses.
Flickr/karina yeznaian
If you head north of Whites Beach, you'll find hundreds of brilliantly colored birdhouses hanging from the trees along the swampland. The sight is kin to what leaf peepers must see while driving through Vermont during fall foliage. It's that show stopping!
Many years ago, the property owners put up a few birdhouses to control the mosquito problem from a nearby swamp.
Flickr/John
For more than 20 years over 400 brightly colored birdhouses have been hung from the trees which makes it a spectacularly colorful sight.
South Hero is in Northern Vermont and is part of the Lake Champlain Islands chain, along with Grand Isle, North Hero, Alburgh, and Isle La Motte.
Flickr/Corey Templeton
Have you been to the bluest waters in Vermont?
Who can resist a good fairy tail setting?
Flickr/Ethan Rogati
Don't believe us? See for yourself!

Learn more about the fanciful castles where the legends behind them is nothing short of amazing.

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