The Champlain Islands of Vermont consist of five lakeside communities in the northwest corner of Vermont. The islands host a number of small businesses specializing in hospitality and most are owned by the person at the counter, on the phone, or behind the desk. A series of bridges link the islands as they edge closer and closer to the Canadian border.
People have been coming to the islands for over a century for the lake experience, including boating, fishing, swimming in the warmer months and ice skating, cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter – not to mention the peace and quiet that is enjoyed all year round. Along with lake related activity, the islands are home to many interesting features such as Harry Barber’s miniature castles and the birdhouse property. Local heroes Ethan Allen and his brother Ira even wanted two islands named after them!
This is a perfect getaway for a day trip or an extended stay. There is always something new to discover, and after your first visit, you’ll want to come back to explore them all!
Legend has it that in 1770 a woman named Eleanor Fisk got tired of her husband’s angry tempers so she hitched up her team of horses and set out across the frozen lake towards Alburgh, but never made it. Later, her red cloak was found along the bushes and rocks of the island, which would forever be known as Cloak.
Located in the swamps just north of Whites Beach, just feet from the roadside, are hundreds of brilliantly colored bird houses that hang from the many hardwood trees in the thick marshland. They were put there to house Tree Swallows which eat mosquitos. The owner of the birdhouses put them up so he and his wife could enjoy an evening on their lawn without getting attacked by mosquitos.
Throughout South Hero, several castles built by Harry Barber are scattered about. They were built between the 1920s to 1966, and they remain there today as amazing examples of true craftsmanship.
This rock island has been known since the American Revolutionary War when Sir Guy Carleton brought it to notoriety in 1776, the morning after the Battle of Valcour Island. The legends say that it was a foggy night when the Brittish saw what they thought to be the last of Benedict Arnold's fleet and began pounding it with their cannons. This allowed Arnold to escape undetected and the rust from the cannon balls can still be seen on the island today.
Here on this tiny island you can find something prehistoric, unique, and completely unexpected. Around the island, curious visitors can witness evidence of the oldest fossilized coral reef in the world – some 480 million years old. As a matter of fact, almost the entire southern half of the island is made up of this incredible natural resource.
