Coffee & bakeries
Start the day the local way.
Catalyst Coffee & Red House Sweets (St. Albans) — espresso and French-style pastries with local butter and maple.
The Traveled Cup (St. Albans) — locally roasted coffee and lunch sandwiches by Taylor Park.
Maple City Diner (St. Albans) — buttermilk pancakes under Grade A dark maple syrup.
Breweries & smokehouses
Franklin County’s craft scene leans hard on community and local ingredients. 14th Star Brewing was founded by Vermont Army National Guard veterans who drafted the business plan while deployed — pair a Tribute IPA with a smashburger from the in-house kitchen. Mill River Brewing, woman-owned, pairs slow-cooked brisket and pulled pork with house lagers and hard ciders on a big patio.
Farmstead cheese
The dairy heartland’s creameries are worth the back-road detour.
Boston Post Dairy (Enosburg Falls) — cow and goat cheeses by four sisters, including Eleven Brothers.
Stony Pond Farm (Fairfield) — organic raw-milk cheeses from grass-fed Jerseys.
Honor-system stands — raw milk, corn and preserves paid by cash box or Venmo.
Taverns, seafood & sweets
Round out the crawl with a sit-down meal — and don’t skip the maple creemee, Vermont’s maple soft-serve.
Jeff’s Maine Seafood (St. Albans) — oysters and pan-seared fish by the park.
The Black Lantern Inn (Montgomery) — farm-to-table dining since 1803.
The Belfry (Montgomery) — pub fare in a converted schoolhouse near Jay Peak.
Good to know
What beer is Franklin County known for?+
14th Star Brewing’s Tribute IPA leads a veteran-owned taproom scene, alongside woman-owned Mill River Brewing’s lagers and ciders.
Where can I buy local cheese?+
Boston Post Dairy in Enosburg Falls and Stony Pond Farm in Fairfield, plus honor-system farm stands on the back roads.
What is a maple creemee?+
Soft-serve ice cream infused with pure Vermont maple syrup — the state’s signature warm-weather treat.