Let's Go Swimming!

Ahh Burlington, what a great city we have the pleasure of attending college in. There are so many activities right under our fingertips. The best part is, many of these can be enjoyed without paying a dime.

After spending my first summer in this wonderful city, swimming has become my favorite activity Burlington has to offer. In our area there are endless swimming options. This is prime swim season and nothing compares to kickin’ back with some homies at a pristine swimming hole while sipping a few brews. Luckily, man hasn’t figured out a way to charge us for good old Mother Nature and lets hope it stays that way.

Having a car can bring you to some awesome Gnarnia-like places, such as the Bolton Potholes, or Triple Buckets. These places are siiiick. I’ve been to both of them in the past week and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough. You can either indulge in a relaxing float down a crystal clear river, or satisfy an adrenaline fix by jumping off some cliffs (just don’t drink too many beers if you’re looking to do the latter). Since you’re a college student in Burlington and you probably love nature, check these places out! They are no more than a half hour drive, and completely worth the five dollars that gas would cost to get there. The picture to the right is what you can expect.

Don’t have a car, or a friend with a car? Well don’t fret because all hope is not lost. You can still go swimming and cliff jumping right in Burlington. All you need is a bike or your own two feet. We have Lake Champlain at the bottom of the hill, and there are plenty of beautiful beaches to accompany it—North Beach, Leddy Beach and Oak ledge are some great beaches that can all be accessed by the bike path.

One of the best days I can remember in Burlington involved biking to North Beach, lounging and swimming at the beach all day, and ending it with a hike up to lone rock point to watch the sunset. This was before I had access to a car, and I didn’t need to spend any money to make it happen.

So there’s my personal favorite way to have fun in Burlington with no money involved. I know I did a lot of name-dropping that not everybody will be familiar with, but if you type any of these places in on Google, you can easily find directions. Now hurry up and scour the Internet so you can explore Vermont’s swimming spots before it’s too late! Otherwise you’re going to have to wait till next spring!

-James