Vermont town among top 10 destinations in American Express Travel list

IT’S BEEN CALLED ONE OF THE “PRETTIEST TOWNS IN AMERICA”… BUT THERE’S MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE IN THIS VERMONT COMMUNITY. IN THIS WEEK’S “THIS IS OUR HOME” WE TRAVEL TO WOODSTOCK, AND MEET ONE MAN WHO’S BRINGING SMILES TO THE STREETS… ONE CHALK DRAWING AT A TIME. IT USED TO BE CALLED THE “TOWN CRIER” … A BULLETIN BOARD ON ELM STREET IN WOODSTOCK. BUT WHEN IT BECAME BARE DURING THE PANDEMIC, LOCAL ARTIST ADRIAN TANS SAW AN OPPORTUNITY. <11:35:12 ADRIAN TANS "I ASKED THE HISTORY CENTER, WHO OWNS THIS FREE-STANDING CHALKBOARD, IF I COULD MAKE A DIFFERENT USE OF IT FOR A TIME... THEY SAID 'THAT'S FINE!'"> FILLING THE BOARD WITH ELABORATE CHALK DRAWINGS, ADRIAN REBUILT IT INTO THE “TOWN SMILER” <11:35:25 ADRIAN TANS "I COULDN'T HELP BUT PUT SMILER OVER CRYER BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S WHAT WE ALL NEEDED, MORE SMILES... AND I STARTED MAKING THESE ILLUSTRATIONS"> HIS ILLUSTRATIONS ARE TOPICAL, CHANGING TO MATCH THE SEASONS OR LOCAL EVENTS. <11:36:28 ADRIAN TANS "IN THE SUMMER I TRY TO GET OUT HERE EVERY COUPLE WEEKS. IN THE WINTER, ONCE A MONTH"> AND IT’S BEEN A HIT IN THE WOODSTOCK COMMUNITY, HELPING ADRIAN KEEP THE SMILES COMING. <11:35:54 ADRIAN TANS "PEOPLE REALLY EXPRESSED THEY ENJOYED SEEING IT. AND I REALLY ENJOY DOING IT, SO I STILL DO"> OF COURSE, IT’S HARD ááNOT TO SMILE IN THIS QUINTESSENTIAL VERMONT LANDSCAPE. <11:44:36 MICHAEL ZSOLDOS "I MEAN THEY'RE HANGING CHRISTMAS LIGHTS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET, IT LOOKS LIKE A POSTCARD"> <11:50:35 BEN KOGAN "I'VE NEVER LIVED IN A PLACE LIKE THIS BEFORE WHERE YOU CAN'T WALK MORE THAN 100 FEET WITHOUT BUMPING INTO SOMEBODY YOU KNOW"> FROM THE WHOLESOME SCENES OF DOWNTOWN, …TO A WORLD OF WHIMSY AND WONDER IN THE UNICORN GIFT SHOP. <10:56:30 LINDA WHITE "WE HAVE THINGS FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS"> FEATURING AN ECLECTIC MIX OF TOYS AND GIFTS FOR ALL AGES. <12:22:08 JEFFREY KHAN "THERE YOU SEE SOME IMAGES OF THE EARTH. THIS IS ONE, THERE'S 69 MORE SHAPES TO GO!"> SHOP OWNER JEFFERY KHAN HAS BEEN HERE FOR 45 YEARS… CURATING THIS MASSIVE INVENTORY OF FUN. JUST ONE OF ááMANY VIBRANT SMALL BUSINESSES IN WOODSTOCK. <12:18:45 JEFFREY KHAN "IT'S ALL MOM AND POP STORES LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED. AND THAT'S DISAPPEARING ACROSS THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE UNFORTUNATELY. BUT IT DOES STILL EXIST IN THIS TOWN"> AND EVEN WITH A STEADY STREAM OF TOURISTS, THE LOCAL IDENTITY HERE IS AS STRONG AS EVER. <12:13:05 JEFFREY KHAN "EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE A VERY STRONG TOURIST TRADE, THANK GOODNESS, THOSE OF US THAT LIVE AND WORK HERE AS A COMMUNITY ARE VERY STRONGLY BONDED"> <12:12:19 JEFFREY KHAN "WOODSTOCK IS AN AMAZING PLACE TO LIVE AND BE INVOLVED IN DIFFERENT WAYS"> SO WHETHER YOU’RE HERE TO SHOP DOWNTOWN, TAKE IN THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERY, OR CARVE YOUR NAME ON THE FAMOUS “MIDDLE COVERED BRIDGE” … WOODSTOCK IS READY TO WELCOME YOU. AND I WANTED TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU… A NEW TOWN SMILER FROM ADRIAN SINCE WE SHOT THAT STORY! CELEBRATING THANKSGIVING WITH LOTS OF TASTY TREATS ON THE TABLE.

Vermont town among top 10 destinations in American Express Travel list

Updated: 4:07 PM EST Nov 29, 2022

What do the Florida Keys, Lisbon, Paris and Woodstock, Vermont, all have in common?They’re all on the list of top travel destinations in a recent list compiled by American Express Travel.The small town of Woodstock ranked as one of the top ten most-desired travel destinations for American Express card members based on travel reservations made between 2019 and 2022.American Express Travel said 70% of respondents said they want to travel to wish list destinations in 2023, and 50% are already planning summer vacations for next year, according to an NBC News report.Woodstock is one of only two destinations within the United States to make this year’s list.The town is known for its local shops, excellent leaf-peeping opportunities and being home to the Billings Farm & Museum and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park.The full list of top travel destinations is as follows:Copenhagen, DenmarkFlorida Keys, FloridaIstanbul, TurkeyLisbon, PortugalMexico City, MexicoMontenegroParis, FranceSydney, AustraliaWoodstock, VermontYakuve Island, FijiRelated video: Woodstock officials look to bring new local businesses with 30,000 grant

WOODSTOCK, Vt. —

What do the Florida Keys, Lisbon, Paris and Woodstock, Vermont, all have in common?

They’re all on the list of top travel destinations in a recent list compiled by American Express Travel.

The small town of Woodstock ranked as one of the top ten most-desired travel destinations for American Express card members based on travel reservations made between 2019 and 2022.

American Express Travel said 70% of respondents said they want to travel to wish list destinations in 2023, and 50% are already planning summer vacations for next year, according to an NBC News report.

Woodstock is one of only two destinations within the United States to make this year’s list.

The town is known for its local shops, excellent leaf-peeping opportunities and being home to the Billings Farm & Museum and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park.

The full list of top travel destinations is as follows:

• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Florida Keys, Florida
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Lisbon, Portugal
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Montenegro
• Paris, France
• Sydney, Australia
• Woodstock, Vermont
• Yakuve Island, Fiji

Related video: Woodstock officials look to bring new local businesses with 30,000 grant