Five Kid Friendly Attractions in Vermont

Visitors to Vermont are often struck by our lack of billboards and glitzy historical attractions - heck, we don't even have streetlights in many places. This may give the casual visitor the idea that there's nothing to do here with the family unless it's ski season, or you like looking at cows. Nothing could be further from the truth. Vermont is chock-full of family fun. Here are five great family-friendly attractions to get you started.

1 - ECHO Lake Museum and Science Center
1 College Street, Burlington
(802) 864-1848
http://www.echovermont.com/

Right on the shore or Lake Champlain, severl blocks from Downtown Burlington leis the ECHO Center. This place is an amazing way to spend three or four hours, regardless of the weather, and is my very first recommendation to parents during inclement weather, as most everything is inside. ECHO is really very impressive for a freshwater aquarium. It's not a rival to the big city coastal aquariums, in terms of size and variety, but is every bit as clean, exciting, and professional. There's a lot of interactive and hands-on displays, crawl-through under several tanks, which kids adore, and regular shows and feedings, even on weekdays. In addition to fish, ECHO has an impressive collection of reptiles and amphibians, and kids may even get to touch a snake! Be sure to check out the GIANT lake sturgeon tank on the first floor - these fish are not to be believed!

2 - Cold Hollow Cider Mill
3600 Waterbury-Stowe Road (Route 100), Waterbury Center
1-800-3-APPLES
http://www.coldhollow.com/