Vermont is a great place to visit.

With its beautiful scenic views, the lush forests perfect for hikes and nature walks and rich history, Vermont has everything that makes New England wonderful.

And that’s why Yankee Magazine included two Vermont locales in their list of the 12 most beautiful places to visit in New England.

“More than anything, look through these photos and then find their equal wherever you may travel in New England: villages, cities, woods, waterways, orchards, farms,” Yankee Magazine said. “Be alert for even the smallest moments of beauty.”

Here are Yankee Magazine’s picks for best Vermont places to visit in New England.

Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, VT

If you’re looking to walk through a paradise of color and warmth, this Yankee Magazine pick might be perfect for you.

What Yankee Magazine said about Shelburne Farms: “In a region of rocky soil and notoriously changeable weather, few things say resilience like gardens whose roots go back decades. Among New England’s horticultural gems are the gardens at Shelburne Farms, sited between Lake Champlain and the property’s 19th-century mansion turned inn. Created by the former lady of the manor, Lila O. Webb, they’ve been extensively restored—much to the delight of visitors to these verdant grounds more than a century onward.”

You can visit Shelburne Farms at 1611 Harbor Rd.

Burt Henry Covered Bridge in North Bennington, VT

Do you want to take your family out to a blast from the past? Then Yankee Magazine’s other Vermont pick for a best place to visit in New England might be for you.

What Yankee Magazine said about Burt Henry Covered Bridge: “Covered bridges weren’t built to star on calendars,” writes New Hampshire author Howard Mansfield in his 2016 book, Sheds. “They weren’t built to be pretty.” Yet the same structures that once were practical solutions to 19th-century problems—including this classic Town lattice truss bridge in North Bennington—are now scenic lures for 21st-century visitors.”

You can visit the Burt Henry Covered Bridge at 475 River Rd.

Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.

This commentary is by a group of former Vermont lawmakers. Their names are listed below the text of the commentary.

More than 50 years ago, Vermont recognized the hardship faced by homeowners whose property taxes were rising faster than their ability to pay them. Since then, state fiscal policy has moved, in fits and starts, toward a system where school taxes are based on Vermonters’ income, the best measure of their ability to pay. 

We, former Vermont legislators, urge you not to abandon a half-century of progress. Instead, we hope you will fulfill the promise of Act 60, which we helped pass in 1997, and ask Vermont homeowners with the most income to contribute their fair share to the cost of education by paying based on income. 

Vermont’s education funding system is committed both to fair taxation and local decision making, and we can strengthen both of those. Instead, H.454, the education reform bill that recently passed the Vermont House of Representatives, weakens them. 

Income-based school taxes ease pressure on homeowners with modest earnings that don’t keep pace with rising real estate prices and property taxes. For high-earning homeowners, income is a more accurate reflection of their means than a single piece of property, so taxes based on income are critical to fair school funding for all.

H.454 as passed by the Vermont House takes the state in the opposite direction. The bill would repeal the law’s current provision allowing residents to pay some or all of their school taxes based on their income, which 70% of Vermont homeowners do. Instead, H.454 recommits the state to regressive property taxes that hit low- and middle income residents the hardest.

To temper the negative impacts of the property tax for those with incomes of $115,000 or less, the plan puts in place homestead exemptions, which provide relief for some but still rely on property taxes. Lawmakers have considered homestead exemptions over the last 

50 years and repeatedly rejected them as too complicated and failing to achieve the fairness of income-based taxes.

H.454 does nothing to address the unfair tax break in the current funding system. Many of Vermont’s wealthiest homeowners pay school taxes on their property that are less than their income-based taxes would be. H.454 allows these homeowners to continue to pay property taxes instead of asking them to pay the same share of their income to support education as average Vermonters pay.

H.454 also brings back a foundation formula — state-determined and state-funded grants that can be supplemented by local school districts — which Vermont tried before the state supreme court declared it unconstitutional in 1997. The constitutional problems can be overcome, and H.454 attempts to do so. But this, too, is something the Legislature tried decades ago and found unworkable because it was overly complicated and made tax rates unpredictable from year to year.

None of the sweeping changes in H.454, the associated risks, nor the hassles to school districts are necessary. The sharp increase in taxes last year was due in large part to costs outside of school districts’ control and also to legislative missteps in the previous two years.

And while the governor likes to say the message from the election was that schools are spending too much, that’s not the case. School spending in Vermont as a percentage of the state’s economy has been a stable 5.5% to 6% for decades.

Unfair taxes anger taxpayers and alienate them from participation in decision-making about their schools — and that hurts students, teachers and communities. H.454 does not solve these problems. Rather, in reaching for elusive “efficiencies,” with promises of better education, the bill doubles down on school consolidation, which many Vermonters have rejected; that will alienate more citizens by taking budgetary decision-making out of communities’ hands.

There are immediate, affordable changes to the existing law that would make the system fairer for the Vermonters hurt last year. Instead of rushing to new and unproven — or old, proven-unworkable — financing mechanisms and an unprecedented move away from local control, the Legislature should adopt those changes.

We are proud that for 30 years Vermont has had the most equitable school financing system in the country, supporting schools that produce some of the highest test scores in the country. Not incidentally, our schools hold together many of the small rural communities that make Vermont an enviable place to live. 

H.454 risks destroying much of this. Vermont deserves better. 

Former Rep. Elaine Alfano

Former Sen. Susan Bartlett

Former Rep. Paul Cillo

Former Rep. David Deen

Former Sen. Matt Dunne 

Former Rep. John Freidin 

Former Rep. Martha Heath 

Former Sen. Cheryl Hooker 

Former Rep. Carolyn Kehler 

Former Rep. Karen Lafayette

Former Rep. Gini Milkey

Former Rep. Donny Osman 

Former Rep. Ed Paquin 

Former Rep. Ann Seibert 

Former Rep. Mary Sullivan 

Former Rep. John Tracy 

Former Rep. Michael Vinton 

Former Rep. Mark Woodward 

Former Lt. Governor David Zuckerman

SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Robert E. Dziomba Jr., 87, passed away on Friday, April 25, 2025, in Springfield, Vt. He was born in Norwich, Conn., on Feb. 1, 1938, the son of Robert and Beatrice (Spicer) Dziomba. Robert was a beloved son, brother, uncle, father, grandfather, neighbor, and friend.

Robert attended Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, Conn., where he played on the football team. He also enjoyed roller skating and polka dancing in his younger years. Robert married Margaret (Moye) on May 7, 1976, with them settling in Weathersfield Bow, Vt.

Throughout his life, Robert held many jobs. As a young man, he spent time working on his family farm, where his work ethic earned him the nickname “Muscles.” This early work spurred his interest in becoming a long-haul truck driver. Robert logged many miles driving for a number of trucking companies. His trucking career spanned numerous years, with Robert driving for Berwick and Son Trucking in Plainfield, N.H., Moon Trucking in Rutland, Vt., Pike Paving Industries in Lebanon, N.H., and Bellavance Trucking in Barre, Vt.

Forever a fan of stock car racing, Robert enjoyed spending his free time working with local racing teams. Many weekends were spent in the pits of various New England racetracks pitching in wherever he could help. Robert spent many nights at the track working in the pits with Pappy Martin at Waterford-New London Speedbowl, Ray Crosby and John Baptistella at Claremont International Speedway, and Junior Colson at Monadnock Speedway.

When Robert retired from trucking, he spent his days working with Chuck Strobel in Ascutney, Vt., assisting with Strobel’s wood processing business. His days were filled with processing, splitting, and delivering countless cords of wood all around the Connecticut Valley.

He is survived by his children Sara Moulton (Keith), Steven Moye (Amy), and Kelly Warnock (Jim); siblings Barbara O’Hearn, Edie Hedrick (Jim), and Beatrice Lokos; grandchildren Jacob Moulton (Audrey), Katherine Moulton (Cameron Labrie), Conor Warnock, Ryan Warnock, Emma Moye, Alexander Moye, and Robert Carter (Kate); and great-grandchildren Austin and Logan Carter.

He was predeceased by his parents, wife Margaret Dziomba, brother Brad Dziomba, brother-in-law Gus Lokos, brother-in-law William O’Hearn, and brother-in-law Mark Moye.

Visiting hours will be held at the Davis Memorial Chapel, 99 Summer Street, Springfield, Vt., on Thursday, May 22, from 12-1:30 p.m., with a memorial service beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Following the service, there will be a Celebration of the Lives of Margaret and Robert Dziomba, at Sherie’s Place, 30 Main Street, Springfield, Vt., from 2-4 p.m.