Maps of Vermont: a Vehicle for Tourism
“Sap’s runnin’! So visit some of Vermont’s premier sugarhouses to see, smell, and try the true taste of spring! Use our map and listing to contact there sugar producers so you may stop in.”
The Spring 1997 issue of Vermont Life opened with a full page map of local sugarhouses for the sweet-toothed and maple-inspired audience the magazine drew in. In many ways, the map perfectly encapsulates everything Vermont aspires to be, or at least everything Vermont Life wants it to be; a cozy, rural, picturesque slice of northeastern paradise, embracing tourists with open arms and good-natured charm. The map showcases the rural nature of the state (“We have to take a dirt road to get to this sugar house!”) while also highlighting the traditions dating back decades, with many of the sugar houses noted as family run businesses.
The open roads of Vermont, lack of a dense highway system, and limited public transportation all urge consumers to get in their cars and explore the state for themselves. Vermont Life plays off of this, and uses maps to both encourage and benefit from the state’s propensity for automotive exploration. The map can be used as anything from a eye-catching article hook to a genuine guide to exploring the best fill-in-the-blank Vermont has to offer, be it maple syrup, cheese, beer, cider, or skiing.
This map, published in a 1948 issue of Vermont Life, showcases the best skiing in the state through a map. Not only does it show the location of all 55 skiable locations throughout the state, but it notes the various lift technologies each one has to offer, from rope tow to chairlift. Clearly, this map was designed for the powder-hungry and family-oriented skier alike, providing a powerful tool to plan one’s next ski escape.
Before the rise of the Internet and before there was Google Maps, the maps provided in Vermont Life were one of the few ways to compare destinations in a far away place, read reviews and facts about each one, and plan a road trip around the one’s you want to hit. Vermont Life realized this, and capitalized on the audience’s limited access to information to influence where vacationers traveled to throughout the year.
A Vermont Life Beer Trek
In the summer of 1993, Vermont Life published a five page article covering some of the trendiest breweries and brew pubs throughout the state. From The Otter Creek Brewery in Middlebury to Catamount Brewing Company in White River Junction, this aptly named “Beer Trek” helped readers imagine their dream beer tour through the state.
The five pages in Vermont Life are full to the brim with mouth-watering descriptions of pub food and craft beer, peaking the reader’s appetite and interest. They also cover the history of each brewery mentioned, indulging the reader’s thirst for knowledge alongside their thirst for a good brew. The founders of each brewery are often quoted, which puts an emphasis on the local, family-run side of this new craft beer scene in Vermont–tourists aren’t only coming to taste the beer, but to experience an entirely new cultural experience unlink anything they’ve seen before.
On the final page of the Brew Tour article (pictured left), Vermont Life helpfully provides addresses, hours of operation, and local-directions for each of the breweries and brew pubs mentioned. While there isn’t a specific brew tour map attached, these specific instructions on how to reach each location provide the same utility and achieves a similar result–encouraging readers to take a road trip around the Green Mountain State, enjoying beer, food, and Vermont culture in equal parts.
Touring Vermont, One Brewery at a Time
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The map above is our own, modern recreation of Vermont Life‘s touristic maps. It contains markers for various breweries mentioned in the magazine, with more information should you click on the marker itself. The map is zoomable and movable, click around and try it out for yourself!