Concierge.com's insider take:

From cheddar to beer, lots of good things are produced in Vermont, and some of it is given out as free samples on factory tours. For the cheesiest stuff, find the Cabot Creamery in, naturally, Cabot (Rte. 215, Cabot; 800-837-4261; www.cabotcheese.com). Its annex store near Stowe also offers cheddar galore (Rte. 100, Waterbury Center; 802-244-6334). While in Waterbury, hit Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's for a 30-minute shtick on the company, ice cream tastings, and goofy photo ops (Rte. 100, Waterbury Center; 866-258-6877; www.benjerry.com). Beer lovers might make a stop in Burlington's Magic Hat Brewery (5 Bartlett Bay Rd., South Burlington; 802-658-2739; www.magichat.net), Otter Creek Brewing in Middlebury (793 Exchange St., Middlebury; 800-473-0727; www.wolavers.com), or the Long Trail Brewing Co. in Bridgewater Corners (Rte. 4 and 100A, Bridgewater Corners; 802-672-5011; www.longtrail.com).