Great Things to Do in Vermont

Find fun and interesting adventures like farm and winery visits; nature museums and trails; shopping for Vermont crafts, food, and art; bookstores; mountain walks and scenic drives; historic sites and trails; old-fashioned gifts; maple and traditional foods.

Informational Listings Courtesy of VisitNewEngland.com
Central Northern Southern
Central top of listings

Antiques Collaborative at 6931 Woodstock Road in Quechee is a treasure house for shoppers and browsers who love old, beautiful things. The collaborative is is an upscale multi-dealer antiques and fine art center, just a few minutes’ drive from I-89 and I-91. More than 165 dealer display goods on three floors in a converted farm house, featuring the finest in quality antiques and decorative accessories. New England country furniture is always in stock, along with sterling and coin silver from the 17th century through the Arts and Crafts period. Open year-round, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 802- 296-5858.

3 Penny Offers Best of Craft Beers

The Boston Globe calls the Three-Penny Tap Room on 108 Main Street in Montpelier “a craft beer mecca.” The pub’s 24 taps and 60 bottled beers offer a rotating selected of stouts, IPAs, lagers, Belgians, and others. The atmosphere is warm and unhurried. And, guests can wash down the beer with soups, salads, sandwiches, and cheese plates. A friendly space to enjoy an hour or more, Open daily. Phone: 802-223-TAPS.

Artwork With Soul in the Vermont Heartland

Studio Place Art is a vibrant community center for the visual arts, offering workshops, classes, and a gallery of changing exhibits that is open to the public. The gallery is housed in a restored historic building on North Main Street in Barre. The geography and culture of central Vermont are integral to the art shown here. To see art that expresses the heart of central Vermont, visit here. Hours: Year-round, Tuesday-Saturday. Phone: 802-479-7069.

Bookstore Staff is Eager to Share Love of Reading

The Norwich Bookstore at 291 Main Street in Norwich is a special place for people and ideas to meet up. The booksellers who work here come from all over the region, and from many different walks of life, to offer you the knowledgeable customer service you have come to expect. Whether you request “that book that was on the radio last week” or “something special for my daughter’s best friend’s birthday party,” the people at this store strive to be of help. The bookstore also offers an array of traditional and unique toys and games; greeting cards and gift wrap for all seasons. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Thursdays until 8 p.m. Phone: 802-649-1114.

Ethan Allen Guards the Door

The gold-domed Greek Revival-style statehouse in Montpelier is a beauty and well worth a visit. Besides the statue of the famous Green Mountain boy, the building contains artifacts, like Spanish naval guns captured during the Spanish-America War under the command of Admiral George Dewey, who grew up across the street from the statehouse. Phone: 802-229-4619.

For the Love of Bread

King Arthur Flour in Norwich is about much more than just producing and selling flour. Its headquarters on Route 5 is the home of the company’s school, bakery, and retail store. The Baker’s Store is packed with everything you need for your very best baking, from hard-to-find ingredients, innovative gadgets, and top-quality pans, to easy mixes and a huge selection of baking basics. Grab a cup of coffee and pastry from the café as you browse the aisles; relax and check your email on free WiFi. Open daily. The company also offers plenty of classes for bakes who want to rise in the craft. Phone: 800-827-6836.

Grand View; Great Taste

Grand View Winery on Route 100 in Waterbury Center is a family-owned farm winery that produces grape wines and wines from fruits that grow easily and naturally in Vermont. While focusing on fruits that grow easily in Vermont, Grand View produces wines that are not overly sweet. The vineyard’s Strawberry Rhubarb Wine was featured on the NBC Today Show. Moreover, the vineyard is set amid 50-mile views, and replete with flower gardens. Take a lunch to enjoy with a selected wine while sitting outside. The retail shop and tasting room, at the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, are open daily, year round. Phone: 802-456-7012

Granite Memorials Create an Outdoor Art Display

Barre is sometimes called the Granite Capital of the World because of its famous quarries. The craftsmanship of its quarrymen and sculptors also is on display at the local cemeteries, where headstones are elaborate works of art, and a beautiful place to visit, stroll, and enjoy the work. Hope Cemetery at 201 Maple Avenue in Barre presents a rich and distinguished history of memorial art in stone.

Independent Bookseller
Welcomes Book-Loving Public

Bear Pond Books on Main Street in Montpelier presents a slogan “Celebrating 35 years of independent book selling in central Vermont,” and it takes pride in every word. The business opened in 1973 and has endured flooding, a major move to a beautiful historic building, and other ups and down. It offers customers a well-read staff, public readings by authors, a communal gathering place, a resource for children’s literacy, and a useful website. Book lovers who are in or near Montpelier really must visit the store; you will feel right at home. Open daily. Phone: 802-229-0774..

Indoor Golf Is the Solution to Winter Handicap

Did you think you couldn't play golf in New England when there's a foot of snow on the ground? Au contraire. At the Okemo Valley Indoor Golf Training Center at Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, your clubs won't get rusty, and neither will your golf skills. In fact, you may just be able to knock a few strokes off your handicap with the instructional programs and clinics offered at Okemo. Hourly rates are available for the Academy's Swing Stations, Computerized Golf Simulator and 700-square-foot Practice Putting Green, or ask about packages. Phone: 800-78-OKEMO.

Just Stroll and Enjoy

Drive to the town of Weston, park near the town green and simply walk. Tucked away in a valley deep in the spine of Vermont's Green Mountains is a charming village that still takes pride in the time-honored old ways. From the sparkling white churches to the Village Green, the warm inns and the charming shops, Weston is a jewel to be found and enjoyed. This lovely village seems to be virtually untouched by time; in fact, the entire village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Local Store Brims With Vermont Tradition

Deli, wine shop, bakery, general store, overall friendly place. The Warren Store on Main Street in Warren Village has been described as “…not just a store; it's a living, breathing, Vermont spirit." Open 363 and one-half days a year, Warren Store serves food, of course, and tempts shoppers at the upstairs “More Store,” packed with quirky toys for kids of all ages, clothing for men and women, jewelry, cards, gifts, and house wares. Hours: Opens at 8 a.m.; closes at 6 or 7 p.m. Phone: 802-496-3864.

Maple Sugaring Season at Sugarbush Farm

Visit sugarhouse at Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock to learn how maple trees are tapped in the spring and how maple syrup is made. The farm is open to visitors every day, year-round, but March and early April are the best time to explore Vermont’s maple sugaring traditions at Sugarbush. Savor the free samples of 14 varieties of cheese, Vermont maple syrup, and Vermont-made foods. You can learn about maple syrup making with the sugar house tour, walk the nature trail to see the sugar maple trees, make friends with the farm animals, and enjoy the lovely views. Sap flow and boiling schedule is determined by weather (freezing nights and warm days), so before planning a visit it is best to call ahead. Open daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 802-457-1757

Vermont History From 1600s to the Present

The Vermont History Museum’s award-winning permanent exhibit, “Freedom and Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories,” is a multimedia exhibit that displays Vermont's history from 1600 to the present, fills 5,000 square feet in the Pavilion building at 109 State Street in Montpelier. Visitors see a full-sized Abenaki wigwam, a re-creation of the Catamount Tavern where Ethan Allen's Green Mountain Boys gathered, a railroad station complete with a working telegraph and a WWII living room furnished with period music and magazines. Open year-round, Tuesday-Saturday. Phone: 802-828-2291.

Vermont Marble Is Admired
Throughout the World

The Vermont Marble Trail is a driving tour along the geological marble corridor running the length of western Vermont. Vermont marble has been used in architecture throughout the United States and in far-flung places like London, Taiwan, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. The Marble Trail leads visitors along an historic, artistic, and cultural tour of the towns where marble was quarried, manufactured, and used. Highlights include Robert Frost’s grave site in Bennington, Wilson Castle in Proctor, the Marble Works District in Middlebury, Ethan Allen’s grave in Burlington, and the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier. A highlight of the Trail is the Vermont Marble Museum on Route 3 in Proctor. Phone: 802-770-0159.
Northern top of listings

Art, History, Technology in Lively Display at Shelburne

The Shelburne Museum on U.S. Route 7 in Shelburne has so many interesting exhibits scattered among several buildings on a broad lakeside property, it is hard to know where to begin a description, but here goes. It is the home of the restored steamboat Ticonderoga, the last walking beam side-wheel passenger steamer in existence. It operated as a day boat on Lake Champlain, serving ports in New York and Vermont, from 1906 to 1953. Today the Ticonderoga portrays life on board in 1923. The ship’s carved and varnished woodwork, gilded ceilings, staterooms, grand staircase, and dining room recall the old -fashioned elegance of steamboat travel. Visitors may explore the Ti’s massive engine, four decks, pilot’s house, galley, and crew’s quarters. Buildings on the museum grounds include the Horseshow Barn and the Round Barn, a lighthouse, and several art galleries, with changing exhibits. Some of the upcoming exhibits for 2012 include American Fine Furnishings 1700-1820; quilts from the Civil War to the present; and Time Machines: Rockets, Robots, and Steampunk. Open mid-May to late October. Phone: 802-985-3346.

Covered Bridges Are a Specialty of Vermont

Vermont has the greatest density of covered bridges in the United States, and the town of Montgomery holds bragging rights as the single town with the most covered bridges. The Montgomery bridges (some with multiple names) are: the Comstock; the Creamery / West Hill / Crystal Springs; the Fuller / Black Falls; the Hectorville / Gibou; Hutchins Bridge; and the Longley / Harnois / Head.

Explore Champlain, Above and Below the Surface, With ECHO

ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center in Burlington provides a window, for study and pleasure, onto the Lake Champlain Basin. A visit to ECHO is a wonderful science and ecology expedition for children and families. Permanent exhibits include the multimedia Awesome Forces Theater, a water-play space for kids to build dams and float boats, and an Atlantic tide pool touch tank. Young visitors may enjoy the working miniature lighthouse or pop in on a painted turtle in Discovery Place. More recent permanent exhibits include Indigenous Expressions: Native Peoples of the Lake Champlain Basin, a TV studio, FrogWorld, and the Beluga Whale Dig. From Abenaki storytelling to the dynamics of Lake Champlain's underwater wave, the ECHO adventure immerses guests in the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of the Basin. Phone: 877-ECHOFUN.

Fond of Phlox and Other Flowering Pleasures

Perennial Pleasures Nursery, at 63 Brickhouse Road in Hardwick, is a nursery, retail store and tea garden. The nursery, greenhouse and display gardens are located on sunny fields behind the owners’ home, an 1840s brick house at the edge of the village. The nursery grows 900 varieties of flowers, herbs and shrubs, specializing in heirloom and medicinal plants, with a special fondness for phlox. An eclectic gift shop, specializing in summer hats, is located in the old wooden extension, and a seasonal tea-room serves English cream teas and light lunches in the display garden or conservatory. The nursery and gift shop are open daily except Mondays, early May to mid-September.

Johnson Knows Wool

The Johnson Woolen Mills tradition reaches back to 1842 when local farmers brought their wool here to have it woven into cloth. Located on Lower Main Street / Route 15 in the village of Johnson, just north of Stowe, Johnson Woolen Mills still makes the same woolen shirts, jackets, and the famous iceman's pants that have been best sellers for decades. Over the years, the business expanded and the store now includes the original, century-old factory space with a new factory is next door. There's plenty of room to browse and try on woolen clothes of all kinds for men, women, and children. The Sale Room offers real values in factory irregulars, discontinued styles, and one-of-a-kind samples. Factory store hours are Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Phone: 802-635-2271

Ribbet

Wonderful artwork with a very Vermont-y sensibility can be enjoyed at the Frog Hollow craft gallery on Church Street in Burlington, located in charming, all-pedestrain shopping district in the center of the city. The gallery features art from artists throughout the state, from pewter and glassware to high-end oil paintings and furniture. Open year-round, every day except Mondays. Phone: 802-863-6458

The Half That Satisfies

The One-Half Lounge on Church Street in Burlington meets all the guidelines for a cozy, romantic evening of comfort, well-made drinks, professional hospitality, live music and that special low-key Burlington atmosphere. The place is split into a live music venue upstairs and a quieter downstairs, with dim and grotto-like spaces that a uber-romantic for Valentine season or any other time. The staff is friendly and the bartenders know their trade, recommending a variety of excellent drinks. Nice, interesting artwork on the walls and an altogether quaint, quiet-ish and fancy crib for conversation, drinks, music.

Up and Away

If you’ve never lifted off in a hot air balloon and floated freely above a beautiful landscape of fields, farms, and villages, you are missing an unforgettable experience that can be rectified with help from Above Reality Hot Air Balloon rides in Jericho. The company takes guests aloft in appropriate weather conditions year-round for one-hour flights that literally go where ever the wind is going. Flights depart from the Inn at Essex in Essex and travel above the foothills of Mount Mansfield. Balloons operated by the company can take from two to eight passengers. It is a trip to remember. Phone: 1-877- 386-7473.

Urban Chic, Outdoors

Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, an outdoor pedestrian mall covering four historic blocks in downtown Burlington, offers casual strolling to serious shopping, dining of every description, street vendors, and lots of public events. The shopping and dining are great; strolling and people-watching are entertainment all by themselves. Phone: 802-863-1648

We All Scream for Ice Cream

We all have some level of acquaintance (adoration?) with Ben & Jerry’s ice creams, so a trip into northern Vermont practically begs for a visit to the factory store at 1281 Waterbury-Stowe Road in Waterbury. The company and its very pretty cows (see its website) are located on rolling pasture overlooking the Worcester Range. Don’t miss the guided factory tour of the ice cream production process. The tour starts in the Cow Over the Moon Theater with a 7-minute movie. Followed by a tour of the factory floor and then a stop in the FlavoRoom for tasting. Phone: 802-882-1240.

Wine, with Canoes on the Side

Boyden Valley Winery AT 70 Route 104 in Cambridge is part of a fourth-generation farm producing Big Barn Red, a bold red wine, Vermont white wines and ice wines. Whether you are looking for a red wine for a casual dinner or an ice wine for a special occasion, you will find something pleasing here. Tours and tastings are conducted daily. Also, the business offers “Water and Wine: and “River and Spirits” canoe trips that include a guided canoe tour of the Lamoille River followed by a tour and tasting. Open year-round. Daily, May 1 to December 31; weekends, January 1 to April 30. Phone: 802-644-8151.
Southern top of listings

Artifacts of Dairy Farm Are
Scattered on This Woodland Trail

The New England Tropical Conservatory is an education and conservation organization at 940 Water Street in Bennington a mere mile from the town’s Main Street. The property is home to the Greenberg Reserve, 96 acres of open meadow, wetland, and woodland. Once a dairy farm, today it is a classroom for children and a favorite spot for recreation by residents and visitors alike. The main trail cuts through an open meadow and across the wetland to link to the network of trails beyond the fast-running Jewett Brook. The Trolley Trail follows the roadbed of an abandoned trolley line, offering vistas over the wetland and a panoramic view of surrounding hills. Woodland trails wind through the hillside to the Birch Overlook, a kettle pond turning alder swamp, and artifacts from the time when the land was a working dairy farm. A beautiful outdoor walk and lots of fun for active kids. Phone: 802-447-7419.

Arts Are Alive and Local at the Hooker-Dunham

For a visit to authentic local visual and performance art, visit the Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery at 139 Main Street in Brattleboro. Located one floor below street level in a former shoe warehouse, the Hooker-Dunham Theater is one of the Brattleboro area's most dynamic centers for arts and culture. An eclectic variety of music, spoken word, and live theater performances are featured year-round. The theater hosts a regularly scheduled comedy series; in late 2007 Twilight Music began to present monthly stand-up comedy acts that continue to grow in popularity. Check out the website for exhibits and performances at this grassroots arts center.

Bennington Potters Can Stock Your Kitchen

Bennington Potters on County Street in Bennington has been making beautiful, durable, and functional handmade stoneware pottery since 1948. A special highlight this year is the stoneware dinnerware collection and the stoneware pottery bakeware, mixing bowls, and batterbowl. Come visit and shop at Potters Yard in Bennington and take a tour of the factory. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Phone: 800-205-8033.

Books About Vermont Life
and Anything Else You Can Name

The independent, family-owned Northshire Bookstore at 4869 Main Street in Manchester Center, in business since 1976, is a paradise for browsers and literature fiends of every variety. All kinds of books for all kinds of readers, along with DVDs, gifts, music, readings by authors, and book discussions. Lots of Vermont authors and Vermont-oriented reading matter. And if you don’t know quite what you want, the well-read staff is on guard to offer big ideas. The neighboring Spiral Press Café offers sustenance to keep you going. Hours: Sunday-Monday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Phone: 802-362-2200.

Come and Meet Vermont's
Covered Bridges

Few structures in America combine architectural ingenuity, economic necessity, and romantic idealism better than the covered bridge. Covered bridges flourished in the United States in the 19th century. Pennsylvania has the greatest number of covered bridges, and Vermont, with about 104 covered bridges, has the highest number relative to the state’s size. In Southern Vermont, some highlights of the many covered bridges include the Bridge at the Green (Arlington Bridge) in Arlington and the Henry / Burt Bridge in Bennington, which is a short distance from the rebuilt Paper Mill Bridge and the Silk Bridge. Covered bridges offer a wonderful opportunity to stop, take pictures, dip your feet in the river, and even to picnic.

Come to the Country for Some Really Fun Shopping

The Vermont Country Store, on Main Street in Weston, is the first restored rural store in the nation, stocked to the rafters with thousands of practical and intriguing necessities for daily living. Amid countless antiques and oddities from floor to rafters, you'll discover long-forgotten essentials and toys and household products that you remember from childhood. It's all here, from apothecary goods and granny forks to socks guaranteed to fend off temperatures of 30 degrees below zero. Open daily, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Phone: 802-824-3184

Contemplation and Quiet Next to the Forest

The Benedictine Monks of the Weston Priory at 58 Priory Hill Road in Weston is a Benedictine community founded in 1953 and inspired by a monastic tradition reaching back to the earliest centuries of the church, and shaped by the Rule of Saint Benedict. All people are welcome to visit the priory and to join in our celebrations of common prayer each day. The chapel, visitors' center, and grounds afford an atmosphere in which quiet reflection and prayer are accessible to all. The monastery is situated four miles north of the village of Weston at the edge of the Green Mountain National Forest. Phone: 802-824-5409.

Cookery Store Welcomes Vacationers

You may not have to cook while you’re on vacation, but that doesn’t mean you cannot think about it. J.K. Adams Kitchen Store on Route 30 in Dorset is a three-level cornucopia of tools and resources for the home chef. The staff of 12 people can tell you anything you want to know about cheeses from the neighboring farms to the intricacies of the newest coffee brewer. Throughout the year, J.K. Adams offers tastings of products and demonstrations of the latest gadgets. From time to time, the store sponsors themed cooking workshops offering techniques for home cooks. During the cold months, the Dorset Farmers Market operates an indoor market in this store’s facilities. Phone: 866-362-4422.

Enjoy Views of the Mountains from Dover

The Dover Town Forest Trail, located near Dover and on the eastern edge of the Green Mountain National Forest, offers an east, three-mile walk along a well-maintained trail that follows an old roadbed along a ridge to the Rock River. The trail offers views of Mount Snow and Haystack Mountain to the west and East Dover and South Newfane to the east. From the center of West Dover, take Valley View Road to Cooper Hill Road. Just before the Cooper Hill Inn turn onto Rice Hill Road. At the end of the road on the left is a small parking lot on Dover Town Forest land. This is a beautiful and not difficult walk through the best views of southern Vermont.

Falcons, Aloft

The British School of Falconry is the nation's first school of its kind to offer hands-on lessons with trained birds of prey. Guests at the Equinox Resort, 3567 Main Street in Manchester Village, are invited to try one of the world's oldest sports in the picturesque setting of Hildene's meadows and enhance their appreciation of these magnificent birds. During a session, guests will learn to handle and fly Harris hawks. Introductory lessons and Hawk Walks are offered to give guests the opportunity to appreciate these amazing animals. Handling of the hawks is for people age 12 and older. Phone: 802-362-4780

Gallery Walk

Brattleboro is a lovely and artistically hip small town with a classic Victorian Main Street. On the first Friday of each month Main Street turns into a moving party and celebration of the arts during the monthly Gallery Walk. From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. the town's many art galleries are open, street musicians make outdoor music, stores stay open late, and cafes and restaurants fill with art lovers. Come join the fun!

Go to Camp With Your Dog

Do you hate to take a vacation without your dog? Do you find anything you do is more fun with your canine buddy beside you? Do you really enjoy watching your dog have a great time? If this sounds like you, Camp Gone to the Dogs may be your dream vacation. Camp is a celebration of dogs and all the ways they bring joy into our lives. Camps in 2012 are one week in early June in Marlboro and two separate weeks in September in Stowe. The larger, summer camp takes place on the 250-acre campus of Marlboro College, with an on-site pond. You and your dog will find a huge variety of activities: herding, hunting, breed handling, teaching obedience classes, Tellington Touch. You can do it all or just sit around, kiss your dog and eat bonbons. Accommodations are dorms or woodsy cabins, or an inn 1.5 miles away. Picture yourself and your dog enjoying the great outdoors as you train on lush green fields, with vistas of distant mountains on the horizon. All of camps take place in quintessential Vermont settings. Phone: 888-DOG-DAZE

If It’s Not Here, You Probably Don’t Need It

H.N. Williams General Store on Route 30 in Dorset has been owned and operated by the same family since 1840. Shopping at Williams is a bit like stepping into pre-Civil War Vermont. The building retains the feel and smell of another century and ancient advertisements adorn the walls. A wood-burning stove retains its prominent position, though its service has ended. Packed into a succession of small rooms is everything from garden tools to winter boots to groceries to reams of heavy-duty clothing. Phone: 802-867-5353

Ranges Upon Ranges

Where can you see panoramic views of the Green, White, Adirondack, Berkshire and Taconic mountain ranges in one trip? Easy. Take a drive up Skyline Drive to the top of Equinox Mountain near Sunderland for a spectacular sunset over the Adirondack Mountains to the west. The route starts at historic Route 7A.

Spectacular Views at Merck Forest

Located on top of Rupert Mountain, off Route 315 on Rupert, Merck Forest and Farmland Center is thousands of acres of open land available for hikes and other activities. Parts of the property are actively farmed, with concentration on organic, sustainable agriculture. Wonderful views -- and spectacular sunsets -- for winter hikes and cross-country skiing.

Udderly Delightful

Taylor Farm, at 825 Route 11 in Londonderry, operated by the Wright family, welcomes visitors who are curious to see a dairy farm at work. Come see the cows being milked or watch as the farm workers make a batch of award-winning Gouda cheese. Feed the chickens and scratch the pigs behind their ears. Wagon rides in the summer or sleigh rides in the winter are by appointment and require a reservation. At the end of your visit, stop by the Pantry, a retail shop stocked with a selection of Vermont-made products and Vermont artisanal cheeses. Phone: 802-824-5690