Seniors Hone In On Burke

Burke is a town in Vermont with a population of around 1,800. Senior visitors will find that the town contains the villages of East Burke, West Burke and Burke Hollow.

The Town of Burke was chartered in 1782; the first settlers arrived in 1792. The town was organized in 1796 in the home of Lemuel Walter who cleared land and built a cabin on land that was later Darling’s Mountain View Farm.

The first surveyors divided the town into lots of approximately 160 acres. Burke is surrounded by other Northeast Kingdom towns and villages, both large and small. Burke was named after Sir Edmund Burke, a member of the British Parliament who tried to promote conciliation of the American colonies and avert a war for independence.

The proprietors of the Northeast Vermont grant took his name for their yet unsettled town of Burke. Sir Edmond Burke had so well expressed their hopes for freedom and independence. Deeds today still refer to the original proprietors, who were given the land as payment for their efforts in the Revolutionary War.

Seniors Find Hiking And Biking Trails

The Chamber of Commerce invites seniors to enjoy Burke Mountain Ski Area on Burke Mountain. A volunteer group maintains the mountain biking trails. Portions of these trails are open to cross-country skiers in the winter.

East Burke is home to the Kingdom Trails trail system. Mountain bikers frequent the trails in the summer and autumn, during which there are hundreds of riders at any given time riding the local trails. Burke Mountain is the Gateway To The Adventure in the Northeast.

 TripAdvisor suggests that senior visitors not miss Lake Willoughby and the Kingdom Trails. This 110 mile single track mountain bike trail in East Burke,  is open all year long. You can enjoy riding your bike in the Vermont snow with the locals. Downhill mountain biking is fun summer activity, so toss your bike in the trunk and join in with the locals.

 Seniors Like Vermont In Autumn

The Burke Farmer’s Market draws in not only the locals but visitors as well. Here one can stock up on locally grown fruits and vegetables, baked goods, farm raised meats and poultry, specialty foods, maple syrup and hand-made goods from local artists and craftspeople.

Note the Maple Syrup. I’d want to stock up on that Vermont specialty myself. Visit Burke in Autumn for the Annual Fall Foliage Festival – always the last Saturday in September.

 Seniors, head on up to Vermont and take in Burke, Burke Hollow and East Burke.  There is something fun going on in Burke all year long.  -jeb