Back on US-2, midway between Montpelier and Waterbury just west of Middlesex, stands Camp Meade ($65 and up; 802/223-5537), a Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps camp that once housed workers building dams and flood control projects, and has since been turned into a summer-only restaurant and motel. It is also a shrine to America in the 1930s and 1940s, from the New Deal to D-Day, mostly the latter: A fighter plane, a tank, and military trucks adorn the grounds. A gift store sells army-surplus goods, the restaurant sports camouflage tablecloths and a bomb suspended from the rafters, and the cabins are named after notables such as Gen. Patton and Col. Oliver North. Primarily, Camp Meade draws a nostalgic crowd of retired folk swapping war stories, but it’s a fascinating and definitely unique place to stop.
