Vermont Journal III: Lake Champlain Chocolates

Lake  Champlain Chocolates Factory Store

Everyone waxes about how cosmopolitan Burlington is, how esthetic, how full of things to do, how great that you can watch art house movies of the kind you might not easily locate in other northern Vermont cities like Montpelier and St. Albans or int the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Everyone goes on about the old two and three story red brick buildings in the downtown area dating from the l9th Century and which exude a gentility amidst the sprawling modern University of Vermont Campus--all of this leading to the water carnival on the shores of Lake Champlain. But the real reason to come to Burlington is Lake  Champlain Chocolates which sports a factory outlet right as you depart from the central business district along Pine Street. There are those who live for the Lake Champlain Dark Mint Crunch and here you can buy it at bargain prices, in a welcoming atmosphere that includes spotless bathrooms that are the size of some New York apartments. There’s also a waiting area that features an extensive brochure collection offering a host of alternatives to drive to as you munch on your Signature Dark Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Bar. The Organic Cherries & Dark Chocolate is nothing to sneeze at either. Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War was a famous young adult novel. But the war is over when you get to Burlington. Lake Champlain Chocolates has won.