Green Mountain Highway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 863

6. Weston
Lying in the shadows of Markham and Terrible mountains, Weston was one of the first of
theVermonthillvillagestoturnitsfacetotheoutsideworld.Here,besidethevillagegreen
with its handsome bandstand, tourists take photos and townsfolk pick up their mail at the
tiny post office. On summer evenings local theater thrives at the Weston Playhouse.
Just up the street the Vermont Country Store—selling souvenirs, calico by the yard,
andmail-order goods—keepsafireinitspotbellied stoveduringthecoldmonths.TheWe-
ston Marketplace at the north end of the village, the town's grocery and provisions store, is
known for its homemade pies and offers a take-out boxed lunch, while innkeepers pamper
travelers with candlelit dinners and canopy beds. North of town, near the fork of Rtes. 100
and 155, Benedictine monks at the Weston Priory hold to a tradition far older than the hill
towns of Vermont, soothing daily visitors with inspirational songs of their own composi-
tion.
7. Ludlow
Rte. 100 leaves Weston the way so many roads depart Vermont towns—by climbing over
a mountain. Terrible Mountain isn't really terrible, at least not by modern standards. But
some 200 years ago, when Weston was a new settlement set against the mountain wilder-
ness, the descriptive name probably made sense.
Ontheothersideofthemountain,theroaddipsintoLudlow,anoldfactorytownwhose
principal mill has been renovated and now contains eateries that cater to skiers taking a
break from the slopes at nearby Okemo Mountain. In summer or fall follow a paved road
to Okemo's 3,343-foot summit, where views extend across the Connecticut Valley.