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Vermont Travel Guide | |
| Visit Vermont for pristine forests, green mountains, rushing streams and rivers, long, narrow glacial lakes, pretty towns, cozy country inns, and New England's best skiing. | ||
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Vermont is the least-populated (625,000), most rural New England state, with one cow for every three people, and lots more trees than people. I've divided Vermont into South, Central and North regions, with a separate section on Vermont skiing and a page on Vermont's highlights. Vermont's Towns & VillagesHere's the rundown on the best places to go and best things to see and do in Vermont: Bennington"Vermont's most historic area," it boasts the Bennington Battle Monument, Grandma Moses' paintings, the grave of Robert Frost, and Bennington College. More... BrattleboroThe 19th-century red-brick mills that brought prosperity to Brattleboro lost their textile and shoe-making work, but have been recycled for shops, crafts workshops, small business offices and artists' studios. More... BurlingtonVermont's largest city (population 50,000) has much of the state's industry and commerce, not to mention the University of Vermont and lots of great cafes and restaurants. More... DorsetSettled in 1768, Dorset is a gem of a village, where even the sidewalks are of creamy white marble. The local quarries brought Dorset wealth, and wealth brought culture, fine buildings, and a noted playhouse. More... GraftonA picture-perfect Vermont village with stately trees, white churches with high steeples, gracious old houses designed with classical touches, and a fine inn. More... Killington"Killington" is the only word New England skiers have to hear to make them think of snow. It's Vermont's prime ski resort, noted for innovation in snow-making, grooming and facilities. More... ManchesterOnce a summer resort akin to those in Massachusetts' Berkshire hills, Old Manchester's wide main street, handsome Federal-style houses and grand Equinox Resort adjoin a modern commercial section filled with upscale shops and outlet stores. More... MarlboroMarlboro is a rural village: drive to the dot on the map and you'll find a church, a small town office, and a few houses. But Marlboro College and its Marlboro Music School and Festival have put this sleepy hamlet on Vermont's cultural map. More... MiddleburyReplete with beautiful old Georgian and 19th-century buildings, a renowned college of high quality, a powerful creek roaring right beneath Main Street, a pretty town green and a fine old inn, Middlebury is well worth a stop. More... MontpelierVisit the state capital of Vermont for a look at the State House (capitol), for a meal in one of its fine restaurants, and to visit the official state tourist office. More... NewfaneAnother picture-perfect Vermont village, Newfane boasts several fine old inns with good restaurants, a classic Main Street lined with sugar maple trees, and many antique shops. More... Northeast KingdomKingdom? In anti-royalist America? Somehow Vermont's beautiful rural northeastern region got this moniker, and it stuck. More...
PlymouthCalvin Coolidge was born in this tiny Vermont hamlet not far from the intersection of Routes 100 and 100A, and you can visit the Coolidge Homestead and the Calvin Coolidge Birthplace. More... St Johnsbury"The place where people and rivers come together" shows by its history that small-town Vermont can have an impact on the entire world. "Saint J" has the fine institutions to prove it. More... StoweDominated by Vermont's highest mountain, Stowe has a European feeling, as of an Austrian town amid emerald-green rolling hills, winding roads, and steep slopes. In fact, the Trapp family of "Sound of Music" fame chose it as their American refuge. More... Sugarbush & WarrenThe area centered on Warren and Waitsfield along Route 100 boasts two good—but very different—ski resorts: Sugarbush and Mad River Glen. More... West DoverWest Dover is the postal address for dozens of inns and hotels serving the Mount Snow Ski Resort, southern Vermont's most popular. More... White River JunctionIt prospered as an important 19th-century railroad junction, and is at the intersection of I-89 and I-91, but prosperity has passed it by. More... WilmingtonAn important highway crossroads town popular for summer shopping and in winter for the nearby Mount Snow ski area. More... WoodstockChartered in 1761, it became the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, which is how it escaped the ravages (and riches) brought by 19th-century industry and preserved its 18th-century beauty. More... —by Tom Brosnahan
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Above, Main Street
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