2022-2023_ShiresVT_VisitorsGuide | Page 23

THE COMMUNITIES OF THE SHIRES

NORTH BENNINGTON
North Bennington is a charming hamlet village , with beautiful Lake Paran open for fishing with a Vermont license and swimming for a modest fee .
Waterpower built the town . Picnic by the old millpond or try a scenic lunch on the terrace of the Pangaea Lounge by the falls .
The annual Outdoor Sculpture Show turns the village into a gallery from July through October , and the Halloween parade and bonfire is a colorful town tradition .
North Bennington was writer Shirley Jackson ’ s home for the latter half of her life , author of “ The Lottery .”
The 1865 Park McCullough Historic Governor ’ s Mansion is a grand and popular spot for visiting , trail-walking , theater-going and getting married . It is one of the finest , most significant , and best preserved Victorian Mansions in all of New England .
Park McCullough House Photo by Lorianna Weathers Photography
PERU
When the producers of the 1987 Diane Keaton comedy “ Baby Boom ” needed a charming Vermont mountain town to shoot in , they went to Peru .
The “ fixer-upper ” that Keaton ’ s character bought ( without realizing that it was one ) is still there , as is the J . J . Hapgood Store , in which Country Baby gourmet applesauce made its commercial debut for the camera .
These days the town offers four-season fun and relaxation . Hapgood Pond features camping , swimming , and non-motorized boating in summer .
The old-time Peru Fair crowns fall foliage season .
In winter Bromley Mountain and the Wild Wings Ski Touring Center provide great skiing for the whole family .
COME EXPLORETHESHIRES . COM 23 FOR INFO CALL 802.447.2456