The Vermont State House will surprise you: it's so small, but then you'll notice that the capital city, Montpelier, is pretty small too; and thus you realize that you are in the midst of the most rural state in the Union, 48th in population (only somewhat more than a half million Vermonters in all, spread through almost 10,000 square miles).

In fact, a Vermont schoolchild once wrote, in Vermont "the trees are close together and the people are far apart."

The State House is constructed of Vermont granite from nearby Barre, but the dome is of wood covered in gilded copper.

While you're in Montpelier, it's worth going the few miles to neighboring Barre to visit a granite quarry, and also Hope Cemetery, filled with the fascinating, fanciful, artistic gravestone monuments created by Barre's master stonecarvers.

Montpelier has several good restaurants, hotels, inns and the official state tourist office.

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