Boating, Biking, Canoeing, and Swimming
Motor Boats, Kayaks, Canoes
Many guests bring their motor boats, kayaks, and canoes. You are welcome to leave your boats on the dock during the day but they must be moored at night. Your kayaks can be left down by the water.
Hero’s Welcome rents kayaks and canoes, and North Hero Marina rents sail and motor boats.
The front desk will have up-to-date information.
Biking
Shore Acres is located close to the Lake Champlain Bikeways Network. There are 5 loops in the network. Hero’s Welcome in North Hero and Allenholm Farms in South Hero rent bikes.
Swimming
Shore Acres has one half mile of lakeshore with a 180 foot private dock and floating swim raft. Our beach is not a sandy beach but a beautiful shale and slate beach. We recommend wearing water shoes. Our water is clean and crisp with temperatures sometimes reaching into the upper 70s.
Golf & Tennis
Golf
The “Alburg Links on the Lake” golf course is an 18-hole championship course. A smaller golf course, “Wilcox Cove”, is located in Grand Isle.
A more comprehensive list of area golf courses is available at our front desk.
Tennis
We have 2 new courts. We have tennis members that play every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and many times are looking for extra players.
Fishing
Lake Champlain has been named one of the best Bass Fishing Lakes in the United States. Other fish include Atlantic Salmon, Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Bowfin, Brook Trout, Brown Bullhead, Brown Trout, Burbot, Chain Pickerel, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Lake Sturgeon, Lake Trout, Longnose Gar, Muskie, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Steelhead, Walleye, Sauger, Suckers, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch. The forage base consists of Alewives, Blueback Herring, Smelt and Mooneyes.
The Father’s Day LCI Derby, America’s oldest, largest freshwater fishing derby, is a favorite event for fishing enthusiasts. Hero’s Welcome in North Hero sells bait and lures.
Just a quick note: Vermont requires fishing licenses. Fishing licenses can be purchased at A & B Beverage in Grand Isle. Fishing licenses can also be purchased online.
We also can recommend fishing guides. Dale Brown is excellent. In 2007 Dale published his first book, Bass Fishing 101.
Hiking
Hiking
There are some nice walking areas, mostly on back roads that tend to be quiet and traffic free.
Pelots Natural Area, owned by the town of North Hero, has an interpretive nature trail through meadows and forests, alongside a swamp and Pelots Bay.
Niquette Bay State Park in Colchester is another perfect hiking park.
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1943, is located on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain near the Canadian border in Franklin County, Vermont. This 6,642-acre refuge includes most of the Missisquoi River delta where it flows into Missisquoi Bay. There are hiking trails and an 11 mile loop for kayaks and canoes. Nearby Burlington has a scenic walking and bike path.
Day Trips
Shore Acres is a great place to strike out for many day trips around Vermont.
Locally in South Hero, Allenholm’s Apple Orchard, Hackett’s Apple Orchard and South Hero Vineyard and Winery offer year round tours.
Visit the exquisite St. Anne’s Shrine and the oldest coral reef both located in Isle La Motte.
The Hyde Log Cabin, the oldest log cabin in New England, is located in Grand Isle.
We are just a short drive from Montreal, Canada, Ben and Jerry’s and the Vermont ski town of Stowe and Burlington, our largest Vermont city offering shops, restaurants and festivals. Visit the Echo Lake Aquarium and Science Center in Burlington.
The Shelburne Farms, the Wild Flower Farm and Vermont Teddy Bear Factory are all located in Shelburne, Vermont. And this is just a small list.
Island Events
For more information on upcoming events and festivals on the island, please check these websites:
Our local Chamber of Commerce
Burlington Chamber of Commerce
Our Burlington Daily Newspaper
Our Island Weekly Newspaper