Middlebury is an awesome small town; better yet, it is surrounded by other awesome small towns. Since yesterday was so warm and sunny, I revisited a personal favorite spot in Bristol, a town less than 15 miles from Middlebury. Just beyond the town center runs the New Haven River, with a gorge and falls where a friend and I went swimming. The natural falls are both gorgeous and exciting to watch and wade in, with tons of huge rocks on which to climb, sit, and sunbathe. The water is cold, but refreshingly so in the summer heat. And better yet, downtown Bristol has tons of great eating spots, from bakeries to artisan ice cream shops, to restaurants. We followed up our swim with an afternoon hike up the shady (and muddy) trail on Snake Mountain, and quickly realized we probably should’ve done those activities in reverse. Either way, rewarding ourselves with Noonie’s completed the trifecta of a perfect Sunday for exploring locally.