Morse Farm Montpelier, Vermont Morse Farm in Montpelier, Vermont is open year-round with each season offering
Shopping, Dining & Lodging
a memorable outing for bus tour passengers. Enjoy a live presentation or video about maple sugaring and the Morse family in the woodshed theater, examine the equipment used for maple sugaring in the Sugar House, trek the Maple Tree Trail or witness how the sap is collected. Visitors can also sample a variety of maple syrups and maple-flavored treats; visit an outdoor museum that includes an antique replica of the Vermont State House or shop for authentic maple syrup, other specialty foods and gift items. Selections can be mailed from the store or carried out. The two most popular seasons for tours are spring and fall. Tree-tapping (or sugarin’) takes place in the spring, has a short threeto five-week run, beginning anywhere from late February to mid-March and ending early April, depending on weather conditions. During this harvest, tour passengers can witness
Morse Farm
the maple sap being boiled down into syrup in the Sugar House and get a taste of Sugar
the stop. For more details and reservations,
niques are overwhelmingly Navajo: stamp
on Snow – hot maple sugar that turns to taffy
e-mail Glee@MorseFarm.com.
work and tufa casting. Tufa casting is the art of carving tufa stone, compressed volcanic
when it is drizzled over shaved ice. This is served with a fresh donut. Fall is the prime tourist season in Ver-
The City of Gallup
ash, into a mold for silversmithing. These
Gallup, New Mexico
traditions are alive and well today and take
mont. At Morse Farm, tour passengers can
Come to the epicenter of Native American
on new life with contemporary art influences.
enjoy a maple creemee (soft serve ice cream
arts and shopping: Gallup, New Mexico.
Zuni Pueblo artists are known for using
flavored with authentic Vermont maple) and
Gallup is 45 minutes from both the capital of
intricate stone inlay in their silverwork. Zuni
stroll the nature trail to take in the brilliant
the Navajo Nation and from the Zuni Pueblo.
artists create refined cluster work – a tech-
colors of the sugar maple leaves. No on-site
Located 30 minutes from Arizona on Inter-
nique where a group of shaped stones rest
dining is available, but maple creemees,
state 40 and historic Route 66, this cozy town
in a bezel setting. The stone inlay of the Zuni
Sugar on Snow and other treats, such as
provides a lot for shoppers with an eye for
Pueblo often involves animal shapes, use of
milkshakes and floats, are offered for sale.
art and culture.
bold color and small intricate pieces that take
Drivers and escorts get a free sample.
The Navajo and Zuni are the largest sil-
hours to craft.
Morse Farm welcomes bus tours any-
versmithing tribes in the United States and
In the Gallup area, groups have ample
time of year. Self-guided tours are free, and
produce a significant portion of fine Native
opportunities to connect with Native artists
20-minute guided tours are available for a
American jewelry. With these tribes as neigh-
and to purchase one-of-a-kind arts and
small fee. Reservations are required from
bors, it is no wonder that an estimated 70
crafts. From Zuni Pueblo programs such as
mid-September to mid-October due to the
percent of Native jewelry sales come from
the Zuni Art Walk, where guests can visit
high volume of visitors. Buses can drop off
the Gallup area.
artists in their home studios, to the Gallup
and pick up passengers at the main
Navajo jewelry is known for its stunning
Native Arts Market, held every August with
entrance and park in the adjacent lot. Tour
silver work, which is complimented by nat-
more than 100 artists from six tribes in
planners should allot at least one hour for
ural gem-quality stones. Two jewelry tech-
attendance, groups have a lot to explore in
16 • Bus Tours Magazine / January, 2020
