Hobbies are a great way to relieve stress, meet new people and have a creative outlet to do something we simply enjoy doing in our free time. People all over take part in hobbies like gardening, fishing and reading, but Vermonters are a bit more quirky. Sure, you’ll catch us golfing and trying new recipes, but there are a few things we like to do that are perfectly normal to us, but may raise eyebrows to people from other parts of the world. Here are 21 things we like to do in our free time.
- We raise chickens in our own backyard.
Flickr/Heather It’s not uncommon to go to a friend or neighbor’s house (or your own) and see chickens running all over the yard. If you do, you, request an omelet.
- Some Vermonters hunt.
Flickr/Szoki Adams Not all, but some.
- We love to go skinning.
Flickr/Lukáš Poláček Only in Vermont will you find people who think it’s just as much fun to climb UP a mountain as it is to ski down! Talk about earning your turns!
- We eat sugar on snow.
Only In Your State This maple syrup on snow delight is best followed by… a dill pickle or a plain donut? Yup!
- We make our own maple syrup.
Flickr/Paul Moody We tap our trees and collect the sap and boil… and whether we have a pot or a professional evaporator, we wait as the liquid gold is created.
- We brew our own beer.
Flickr/Mark Johnson Vermont has more breweries per capita, and that doesn’t include all the folks who enjoy making their own brews at home!
- We’re not afraid of a little sting.
Flickr/Emma Jane Hogbin Westby You’d be surprised at how many beekeepers there are in Vermont. Maybe that’s why our honey is so much sweeter!
- We hike. REALLY hike.
Flickr/Wesley Carr After seeing this picture, can you blame us?
- We make stuff.
Flickr/Serge Kij We can make cool things out of anything. If it’s utilitarian - even better!
- We fix stuff, too.
Flickr/Tom Woodward We don’t fix things if they aren’t broken, but once they are??? Bring out the duct tape!
- Braving the cold for a chance to fish.
Flickr/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters There is nothing like getting a nibble when it’s nippy!
- We compost.
Flickr/Lindsay After doing it for a while, you’ll upgrade to a few worms, too.
- We love our yard art!
Flickr/Jim McDonough After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
- We go town fairing.
Flickr/Nicholas Erwin We attend all the town fairs we can. Why? Because they’re awesome!
- We love playing in the mud.
Flickr/Kendra If we can’t avoid mud season, we might as well embrace it.
- We love antiquing.
Flickr/zolakoma You never know what you’re going to find!
- We love to take the long way home.
Flickr/Professor Bop Soaking in the sights are worth the extra time.
- We go yard sailing.
Flickr/Stephen Downes If you’re looking for shoes, forks, screens, chairs, games, jewelry, wagons, yarn, records or anything else, you’ll probably find it at a Vermont yard sale.
- We collect broken down cars in our yards.
Flickr/Larry Ziffle Pick a car, any car!
- Going off the grid.
Flickr/C.C. Chapman Sometimes we all need to go where there are no crowds or cell phone reception and be left with little more than our thoughts to keep us company.
We do what we love here in the Green Mountain State, and we sure do get a lot of questions and comments from people who just don’t get it such as “Why don’t you make maple syrup year ’round? You’re sitting on a potential gold mine.” Ay-yuh. Here are 13 questions you can only answer if you’re from Vermont.
Flickr/Heather
It’s not uncommon to go to a friend or neighbor’s house (or your own) and see chickens running all over the yard. If you do, you, request an omelet.
Flickr/Szoki Adams
Not all, but some.
Flickr/Lukáš Poláček
Only in Vermont will you find people who think it’s just as much fun to climb UP a mountain as it is to ski down! Talk about earning your turns!
Only In Your State
This maple syrup on snow delight is best followed by… a dill pickle or a plain donut? Yup!
Flickr/Paul Moody
We tap our trees and collect the sap and boil… and whether we have a pot or a professional evaporator, we wait as the liquid gold is created.
Flickr/Mark Johnson
Vermont has more breweries per capita, and that doesn’t include all the folks who enjoy making their own brews at home!
Flickr/Emma Jane Hogbin Westby
You’d be surprised at how many beekeepers there are in Vermont. Maybe that’s why our honey is so much sweeter!
Flickr/Wesley Carr
After seeing this picture, can you blame us?
Flickr/Serge Kij
We can make cool things out of anything. If it’s utilitarian - even better!
Flickr/Tom Woodward
We don’t fix things if they aren’t broken, but once they are??? Bring out the duct tape!
Flickr/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters
There is nothing like getting a nibble when it’s nippy!
Flickr/Lindsay
After doing it for a while, you’ll upgrade to a few worms, too.
Flickr/Jim McDonough
After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Flickr/Nicholas Erwin
We attend all the town fairs we can. Why? Because they’re awesome!
Flickr/Kendra
If we can’t avoid mud season, we might as well embrace it.
Flickr/zolakoma
You never know what you’re going to find!
Flickr/Professor Bop
Soaking in the sights are worth the extra time.
Flickr/Stephen Downes
If you’re looking for shoes, forks, screens, chairs, games, jewelry, wagons, yarn, records or anything else, you’ll probably find it at a Vermont yard sale.
Flickr/Larry Ziffle
Pick a car, any car!
Flickr/C.C. Chapman
Sometimes we all need to go where there are no crowds or cell phone reception and be left with little more than our thoughts to keep us company.
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