* name the cheesy 90s sports drama. or find out on our FAQ.
if you’re in town next friday night, we’d love to have you join us at a welcome happy hour in downtown burlington. we’ll be posted at the daily planet (15 center street) between 5–7PM that evening. stop by and have a cocktail on us! we’ll also have on hand some info about burlington attractions and restaurants for your weekend adventuring.
we'll be gathering at the retreat center at 3PM. directions to rock point from downtown are included in the FAQ.
from the retreat center, we’ll be taking a short walk up to the outdoor chapel for our brief ceremony (so bring a jacket!). the path to the site is dirt/grass and a little uphill but not too uneven; a car escort is also available. currently, the high temperature for the day is forecast at 58°. after the ceremony, we’ll be heading back to the retreat center for dinner and merriment indoors. note the low for the evening is predicted to be 38° — good thing we’ll be inside! dress for the event is festive attire, interpret that as you will :)
sunday morning, if you’re in need of a little nibble, stop by the retreat center for a cider donut if you’d like — and some warm cider, too. say 10AM?
oh, we can't wait! see you just around the bend.
this is going to be our “home base” for the weekend. located just down the street from our house, the retreat center is a hidden gem, encompassing miles of trails through a gorgeous wooded campus, private beach access, and a conference center with rustic bunk lodging.
rooms at the retreat include 2-, 4- and 6-bunk options. we’re coordinating bunkhouse reservations for the weekend, so email us here if you’d like to reserve a room!
nightly prices are $25–$35 per person, or $70 to reserve a 2-bunk room.
conveniently located in the heart of downtown burlington, this inn has a great reputation for its lovely rooms, friendly staff, and tasty breakfasts. kim, the lang house proprietor, has set aside all eleven rooms at the inn for us that weekend, so it will be familiar faces all around!
nightly prices for rooms at the lang house range from $145 to $225. to reserve a room, you’ll need to contact the innkeepers directly by telephone and let them know you are part of the “fehrenbach/ryder” party.
click here to take a virtual tour of the rooms. the main number for the lang house is 802-652-2500.
burlington’s top-rated major hotel, located on the beautiful downtown waterfront. it’s got all the amenities— an indoor pool and hot tub, fitness room, room service, and those newfangled flat screen TVs— and boasts excellent reviews from past visitors.
nightly prices start at $250. we’ve set aside a small block of rooms here, which can be accessed by calling their front desk and letting them know you’re part of the “fehrenbach/ryder” block.
more information about room options and rates here. the marriott's front desk number is 802-864-4700.
information about other possible accommodations can be found here. click the “b&b and inns,” “specialty lodging,” or “vacation rental” tabs on that page to view additional options. and feel free to contact us with any questions!
burlington is by far vermont’s largest city; home to the university of vermont, it’s a fun college town with lots of tasty restaurants and a plethora of cultural events and entertainment options on any given day. located at the edge of lake champlain with mountains and farmland at its back, there’s no shortage of beautiful sights or nearby recreational opportunities, either. and hey! our other home, montreal, is just under two hours away and is both bigger and more french-canadian.
this little party will be right at the tail-end of “leaf-peeping season” in vermont, an always-anticipated time of year when folks venture to the state from all over to catch stunning fall foliage, crisp autumn weather, and hot-off-the-line cider donuts. we’re certainly not alone in reporting it as our favorite time of year here, and can’t wait to share it with you!
as we get closer to the “big weekend,” we’ll update this page with more information about things-to-do-and-see while you’re visiting.
the burlington farmer’s market will also run its final saturday outdoor market on 10/27, from 8:30AM until 2PM. the market is held in city hall park, at the corner of college street and st. paul street. more info at burlingtonfarmersmarket.org
Mountain and lake views along with fall foliage can be had for free in Vermont’s largest city of Burlington, which feels more like a big town than a city. The college town, home to the University of Vermont and a number of other schools, sits on the shores of Lake Champlain, a 120-mile lake between Vermont and upstate New York, with spectacular views of the Adirondack Mountains. The city offers a waterfront bike and walking path and parks as well as a downtown pedestrian mall, easy access to mountain hikes and foliage viewing, all at no cost.
Bike path: Burlington has a 7½-mile recreational path that runs along Lake Champlain from Oakledge Park in the southern end of the city to the Winooski River, at the northern point. The path runs through three waterfront parks, past city neighborhoods and offers bikers, walkers and runners spectacular views of the lake and Adirondack Mountains across the water in New York. Details at enjoyburlington.com/Parks/BikePath1.cfm.
Church Street Marketplace: The center of downtown is Church Street Marketplace, four city blocks paved with brick that have been closed to traffic so that pedestrians can stroll among shops and restaurants, many of which offer outdoor dining in warm weather. The array of shops and restaurants from Leunig’s Bistro to Ben & Jerry’s to Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center can be viewed at churchstreetmarketplace.com.
Waterfront park: Within walking distance of downtown are 900 feet of lakeshore, a boardwalk and benches, and a scenic boathouse where visitors can watch ferries come and go, see boats in the marina and enjoy the sunset. See enjoyburlington.com/waterfront.cfm.
Scenic foliage viewing: Less than an hour’s drive from Burlington are small towns, dirt roads, farms, mountain passes and ski areas that offer grand views of Vermont’s colorful fall foliage. Interstate 89 South, Route 2 East and Route 116 are all good bets for leaf-peepers. Travel to Bolton Valley or Stowe Mountain Resort or head up Route 108 through Smugglers’ Notch, a narrow, windy mountain pass, between Stowe and Jeffersonville, past 1,000-foot rock cliffs and boulders. At the top of the pass is Smugglers’ Notch State Park. The road is not open in the winter.
Hikes: Vermont is known for the Green Mountains, which are visible from Burlington, enticing hikers and skiers out of the city. Within an hour’s drive of the city are trails to climb Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s tallest peak at 4,395 feet, Camel’s Hump (4,083 feet) or Mount Hunger (3,539 feet). The region also abounds with shorter, easier hikes such as Moss Glen Falls Trail in Stowe or the Sterling Pond on the Long Trail. For a list of hikes, check out the Green Mountain Club at greenmountainclub.org.
luke is the whale and liz is the elephant. they both feel quite lucky to have found an appropriately-sized fellow mammal with whom to share their lives.
burlington international airport is the easiest, but if you were planning on renting a car anyway, some cities have connecting flights to nearby plattsburgh, NY, that are more affordable; accessible by ferry and/or car, plattsburgh is about an hour and a half from burlington. the montreal airport is about two hours away by car, and both the manchester (NH) and albany (NY) airports are just under three hours away.
plattsburgh international airport
drive west towards the lake until you hit battery street, which runs north–south along the waterfront.
turn right onto battery and head north until the street turns into a one-way and the signs say “do not enter!”
take a left onto sherman street, which quickly veers to the right and becomes north avenue.
travel 1.2 miles along north avenue, until you come to a light with burlington high school’s football field to your left. you will have just passed a cemetery, also on the left.
turn left onto institute road at that light.
after you pass burlington high school, you will see a sign for rock point on the right hand side of the road.
take that right turn, onto rock point road.
follow rock point road all the way until it ends in a large parking lot; you’ll have to bear right at one point. the retreat center is the building at the edge of the lot!
the address is 20 rock point road.
dress for the event is festive attire — interpret that as you will. but bring a jacket, as we're hoping to have the ceremony outside in anything but the worst weather.
thanks for asking! in lieu of a traditional gift registry, we’re asking people to mark the occasion by making a donation to one of our favorite non-profit organizations through the i do foundation. information about our charitable registry can be found here.
just the most deliciously cheesy 1992 ice-skating triumph, “the cutting edge.” having watched it repeatedly as a kid, liz likes to pester luke with lines from the final, epic scene, where love is confessed and olympic gold medals won.