Three Shepherds Cheese

On the outskirts of the village, Three Shepherds Cheese (42108 Roxbury Mountain Rd., 802/496-45593998, www.threeshepherdscheese.com, 11:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Mon., Tues., and Thurs.; 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Fri. and Sat.; 8 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Sun.) is a father-daughter cheese-making operation that goes beyond cheddar to craft its own artisanal raw-milk sheep cheese varieties.

The farm runs an organic food shop in an 1897 old schoolhouse. Out back you can see the cheeses being shaped through a small viewing window.

Currently there aren’t any sheep on the farm, as the family’s flock was slaughtered by the U.S. government over the mad cow disease scare a few years back—an incident dramatically recounted by scientist-turned-shepherdess Linda Faillace in her book Mad Sheep. If you feel inspired (or outraged) you can sign up for one- or three-day cheese-making classes offered by the family to get started on your own varieties.

Covered Bridges

The historic downtown of Waitsfield is anchored by the Great Eddy Bridge, the oldest operating covered bridge in the state, which crosses the Mad River at the intersection of Route 100 and Bridge Street. (Only the non-operating Pulp Mill Covered Bridge in Middlebury is older.)

On the corner of the same intersection, the Bridge Street Marketplace was once an inn and tavern for wayfarers; following a devastating flood in 1998, it was restored into a country version of Covent Garden, with craft shops and eateries spread out between five different buildings.

Not to be outdone, Warren has its own covered bridge, the 55-foot-long Warren Bridge, which sports an unusual asymmetrical design. (The angles on the eastern and western sides are slightly different.) The bridge is off Route 100, just below downtown.

Mountain Valley Farm

Lest you think “Jingle Bells” made up all that “one-horse open sleigh” stuff, climb aboard one at Mountain Valley Farm (1719 Common Rd., Waitsfield, 802/496-9255, www.mountainvalleyfarm.com) for an impossibly quaint horse-and-carriage ride through the mountain landscape. Other times of year, sleighs are replaced with hay rides and carriages. Kids will love seeing the animals as well, and participating in farm activities like collecting goose eggs.