It's Miller Time 2015: Guest Bloggers Brian and Lori Miller Explore Groton

Once again the season is upon us to get outside and hike, bike, camp, fish, swim, and just enjoy the outdoors. It’s a short but sweet season in Vermont, all the more appreciated after the long, sometimes endless seeming winter we just had.

This year our family is continuing our quest to visit all of the state parks in Vermont.  The adventure started three years ago with a weekend camping trip to Grand Isle State Park. Our kids, who were four and two at the time, enjoyed sleeping in the tent, sitting around the campfire, and of course, roasting marshmallows (very closely supervised).  They have grown a lot in two years and now they are both biking around the campgrounds! It’s true what people say about kids growing up fast!

Last year we enjoyed a weekend at Groton state forest. We camped at Ricker pond and swam at Boulder Beach. Boulder is definitely one of the nicest beaches we have seen so far; there is lovely grass, rocks to climb on, a playground, and a great beach. We highly recommend it!


One of the highlights of last summer was when our six-year-old daughter was able to swim across the
pool at Button Bay with out any assistance (the requirement for using the slide) and then was allowed

to go down the slide all by herself. I should mention that this comes after the prior year at Button Bay when we had to literally carry her out of the pool kicking and screaming because she kept trying to swim across the pool and couldn’t. I think the whole campground heard her and the people at the pool certainly got a show of this lovely parenting moment.

If you’re a parent reading this, I know you understand. So you see? What a difference a year makes! After the historic water slide incident, she worked the whole year on her swimming skills and every time her comment was, “So I can go down the slide at Button Bay.” The smile she had on her face when she finally came sliding down a year later was brighter than Fourth of July fireworks!

This year the first park on our list is Maidstone. We will also be returning to Groton for camping at Stillwater and hopefully start to hit some of the state parks in southern Vermont. So get out there and take full advantage of the beautiful Vermont summer! I’m not going to lie. Camping with kids is work, and you might have to carry your child kicking and screaming from the pool, or lake, or anywhere. But that too, shall pass, and you will be left with truly wonderful memories (and a good story to tell) and the gift of having children who love and appreciate the outdoors.

Our tally is 17 out of 52 parks and counting. Where will your next state park adventure be?