A Kid-Approved Escape to the Heart of Vermont: A Family Farm Stay at Liberty Hill

"We think we're pretty close to the center of the state," my husband and I told our sons as we drove on Route 125, past the Middlebury Snowbowl and on toward Rochester. We were headed to a farm stay at Liberty Hill Farm, tucked along the famous Route 100 just south of Warren and the Mad River Valley, north of Killington, and nestled in a cozy valley with the Green Mountains rising on either side. A glance at the map confirmed it: we really were near the geographic center of Vermont. But it took settling into the farm, learning the history, and wandering into town, before we understood that this area isn't just Vermont's center on a map — it's the state's beating heart.

Here's how we spent our weekend visit to this special place.

The views around the farm were breathtaking, including the five-story barn built in 1889.

Where We Stayed: Liberty Hill Farm

Upon arriving at Liberty Hill Farm, we were greeted by kids on bikes, cows in the barn, and of course, our gracious host, Beth Kennett, on the porch of the Inn. The 1825 Greek Revival farmhouse has seven bedrooms and four shared baths for hosting guests, and we settled into the lower level with separate rooms for the parents and kiddos. We took a meandering stroll through the dairy barn and grounds before diving into one of the farm stay's greatest perks: Beth's cooking.

A stay at the farm includes a homestyle dinner and breakfast every morning, often from locally sourced goodies. Between dinner and breakfast, we enjoyed corn on the cob from a farm just down the road, a three-sisters salad of corn, beans, and squash delightfully flavored with local maple syrup, freshly picked blueberries from nearby, freshly made biscuits and pastries, and of course, Cabot butter and yogurt. Liberty Hill Farm has been part of the co-op since 1979, and all their milk goes into creating the Vermont cheese and dairy products we love.

Beth puts together an incredible feast for her visiting families.

Mealtime conversations led to more history lessons about the farm and the area. Beth and Robert — aka "Farmer Bob" — purchased the farm in 1979 and are only the fifth family to own and live there since its settlement in 1780, by John Emerson. They immediately set about building a commercial dairy, eventually raising an award-winning herd of Robeth Holsteins. Like many small Vermont dairies, they hit a rough patch in the 1980s. In 1984, they began taking in overflow guests from a local inn and summer camp to make ends meet — a stopgap that grew into one of Vermont's first farm-stay bed and breakfasts. In 2008, Liberty Hill Farm & Inn was recognized as Vermont's first certified Green Agritourism Enterprise. Bob and Beth's son David and his family now run the herd.

Bottle-feeding baby calves was definitely a highlight of the stay.

Living the Vermont Farm Life

Speaking of the herd… After a delicious dinner, it was time to feed the calves, and our kids were chomping at the bit to visit the adorable babies and interact with them. David and his kids were already prepping milk bottles and showed our boys how to feed the youngest of the calves, one born just a day or two before our arrival. The babies suckled at the bottles as we learned a little about how they're protected at this early age, given comfortable, safe spaces to grow into their new bodies. As the calves grow and become more aware of their surroundings, they're given more space to jump and hop around, eventually moving to the larger barns as they outgrow their cabins.

The bustle of the farm — feeding, cleaning, and general preparations — continued as we took in the sun setting over the Greens. The boys shared bikes and stories with the other kids, stopped to pet the many barn cats and kittens, and we played soccer on the green as night fell. Finally, we settled into our cozy rooms, looking forward to a morning of more farm fun.

The Kennetts's are known for breeding award winning Holsteins.

After breakfast, guests are encouraged to join a farm tour with Asia, David's wife. We joined a group of folks who'd come from as close as Boston and as far away as France. The tour follows the morning farm chores, from bottle-feeding the babies to cleaning the barn and bringing in the cows. You learn all about the milking process and can even give it a try yourself.

Fun fact: Liberty's Holsteins average about 12 gallons of milk daily!

The two-hour tour is packed with storytelling about the cows, their naming system, and silly antics — but also the trials and tribulations of dairy farming, from fighting disease to growing and preserving feed to balancing technology with good old-fashioned labor. It's definitely a labor of love, one we learned to appreciate from our visit.

After a packed morning of farm fun, it was off to explore the surrounding area.

Who doesn't love a cozy bookstore?!

A Stop at The Bookery, Rochester

Upon Beth's recommendation, we stopped in the quaint town of Rochester on our way north to the Mad River Valley. Rochester is known as an outdoor hub thanks to its proximity to mountain bike trails and five ski areas: Killington, Pico, Middlebury Snowbowl, Sugarbush, and Mad River Glen. But despite all those options for outdoor fun, we were focused on one stop: The Bookery.

We never say no to a kid-friendly bookstore, and this one didn't disappoint. Just off the town green, The Bookery in Rochester is a maze of delight for avid readers. A kids' section in the back has games and toys alongside books for young children, while a cozy nook upstairs holds graphic novels, YA, and a solid stash for adults too. It was easy to sink into a chair and fall into a story. We left with four books and a box of Bananagrams in tow — plus that cozy feeling only a good bookstore can give you.

Bears, falls, and great food. Just a few of the reasons folks love the Warren Store.

Lunch at the Warren Store

We continued north along Route 100 to another quaint Vermont mountain village, Warren. The historic Warren Store is a favorite for plenty of reasons — creaky floors, penny candy, a view of (or swim in) the waterfall just outside, an upstairs boutique, and a solid local selection of brews and snacks. But we were there for lunch.

The deli counter serves up a hearty, high-quality midday menu, with sandwiches like The Vermonter, loaded with local cheddar. We got a mix of BLTs, turkey sandwiches, and a delicious Reuben. Outside seating runs along the porch and back into the lawn, where the kids discovered a bear! We rallied around this awesome sculpture for lunch. The picnic-style vibe was perfect fuel for our pre-hike meal and our day tour of the Mad River Valley.

What's this plant? Just one of many questions on our hike at Sugarbush.

A Hike at Sugarbush

Next stop was Lincoln Peak at Sugarbush for a midday hike. We had perfect weather for a mixed sun-and-shade stroll up the Lower Jester trail to the mid-mountain lodge, Allyn's Lodge. With the trails in full bloom and lined with ferns, we took in amazing views around every corner while getting some of our boys' energy out.

Pro tip: If you've got hesitant hikers, play a little game of hide-and-seek along the way to break things up and cut down on the "are we there yets." It's our family's go-to trick on walks and hikes.

Sugarbush has a ton of different hiking options, from the short, flat nature trail at the base of Lincoln Peak to the extreme Castlerock summit, with plenty in between. The resort also runs the lift to Allyn's on holidays, for easy access to the summit hike.

After our downhill hike — which, true to form, took about a third of the time as the climb up — we were ready to cool off.

We found the chillest place to cool off in the Mad River Valley

Cooling Off in the Mad River Valley

The Mad River Valley is home to one of Vermont's most famous swimming holes, Warren Falls. We'd planned to backtrack and swim there, but when we passed it earlier, cars lined the road for nearly half a mile. We wanted something a little more laid-back.

We'd driven past Lareau Swimming Hole along Route 100 more times than we could count — it sits just across the street from American Flatbread at Lareau Farms (great for dinner, if you're looking). It's an easy, family-friendly spot: simple parking, a sand beach, shallow water for younger kids, and a big rock on the deep side for jumping.

It was nearly empty when we arrived, and we settled into a quiet evening swim. Mom and dad cracked open the local beer we'd picked up at the Warren Store while the kids splashed around. After a swim and a little downtime, we were ready to head to dinner.

Dinner at Mad Taco

By the time we rolled into Waitsfield, we were starving — the good kind of starving, the kind you earn. Mad Taco has that legendary, funky hole-in-the-wall energy: loud, a little chaotic, smelling like smoked meat the second you walk in. It's the kind of place where locals and skiers and hikers all end up shoulder to shoulder, because nobody in the Mad River Valley seems to disagree that this is where you go to refuel.

We ordered a mix of the special smoked chicken tamales, fish and carnitas tacos, and topped them with a mix of their many hot sauces. We ate it so fast we couldn’t even get a photo.

Maple chocolate twist with more maple? Yes, please.

Dessert at Canteen Creemee

You can’t stop at the Mad Taco with kids without topping dinner off with a sweet treat from Canteen Creemee just doors down. Canteen is known for its over-the-top maple creemees, and distinct flavors. Two of us tried the Thai tee and coconut swirl, for example. Honey lemon and basil was another option and they offered a butter dip just in case you didn’t get enough creaminess! You could even get a creemee flight trying all six flavors.

After wiping half a maple chocolate creemee with crunchy maple sprinkles off my younger son’s face, we all proclaimed it was a good day, and time to head to bed.

The Takeaway

A Vermont farm stay weekend in the heart of Vermont gave us everything we wanted from a family trip: slow mornings, real local flavor, and easy access to swimming holes, hiking, general stores, and mountain towns without ever feeling like we were rushing between "attractions." If you're headed to the Mad River Valley or Rochester area, this loop is an easy, memorable one to follow whether in summer, winter, or fall.

Penguina and Peach Pie are both 12 years old - the Golden Girls, I called them. They get their own lanai.