Do you know these 6 Vermont facts?

1. As of January 2016, Vermont is ranked as the safest US state.

2. New England's largest producer of apple cider (and it produces both hard and sweet cider) is Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury Center (on the way to Stowe). There's a gift shop and a Vermont-centric tasting room.

3. Vermont is the second least populous state (Wyoming has about 40,000 fewer people), and Montpelier is the least populous capital city in the United States. In 2010, 7,855 people lived in Montpelier.

4. Before it became the 14th US state in 1791, Vermont had established itself as an independent republic and had abolished adult slavery (men were automatically freed at the age of 21; women were freed at 18).

5. Family-owned dairy farms have been declining in numbers, so there are now more people than cows in Vermont. According to a recent article, Vermont's cow to human ratio is about .41, the same as Texas.

6. We passed a famous art museum. We also drove past a hay bale dog sculpture.