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Vermont is renown for being exceptionally beautiful and quaint. The rural and rugged charm of its verdant landscape, and enchanting small New England towns with their close-knit communities and old-world Victorian architecture, truly echo why it has the nickname “The Green Mountain State.”
It was a dream of ours to visit Vermont in Autumn – the forests, majestic mountains, and maple trees light up with hues of oranges, yellows, and reds.
It was just as dreamy as it sounds, and we soon discovered so many beautiful places to visit in Vermont that showcased the best of its scenic beauty.
Here’s where we discovered…
1. Manchester & Green Mountain National Forest
Our introduction to New England was the quaint town of Manchester in the valleys of the Green Mountain National Forest.
There are so many things to do in Manchester that make it an exciting place to visit, but one of our favorite attractions was the Skyline Drive to Mt Equinox.
The drive is the longest privately owned paved toll road in the USA at 5.2 miles long, and the elevation increases to 3,235 feet.
We kind of messed up on this drive by doing it in the middle of the day when the lighting is at its harshest, so my tip is to do the drive in the morning or later in the afternoon for sunset.
Manchester is also you gateway to the Green Mountain National Forest. There are lots of hiking trails here, but we only had time for one hike so we chose to do the Prospect Rock Walk Trail, as it seemed family-friendly and offered good views over the Manchester Valley.
It is an uphill 3.1 mile return walk, but going up was fairly gentle depending upon your fitness level, but our kids aged 10 and 6 managed it no problems.
The trail winds along a mountain brook before departing into birch-beech forest on a wide and open logging path, and criss-crosses the Appalachian Trail and Long Trails.
Another popular place for hiking around Manchester is at Emerald Lake State Park, which is a great place to do some kayaking.
Manchester is a lovely town to explore on foot or bicycle. Downtown Manchester is full of exciting attractions – the charming Main Street splits Manchester into two sections, and we began by exploring Manchester Village, where you’ll find many of the white-columned mansions and Victorian-era inns.
There is a gorgeous church and in the fall you’ll get golden pops framing the spire.
The popular and luxurious Equinox Hotel, built in 1769, is the centerpiece of the village.
Manchester Center is where the more unpretentious stores are – one of the most famous being the Northshire Bookstore. There are a few arts and crafts shops and restaurants here as well.
2. Bennington
Downtown Bennington is only a 30-minute drive from Manchester and has the quintessential New England feel. Walk along its Main Street lined with boutique shops, sidewalk cafés, art galleries, and museums.
There’s also a Riverwalk, a farmers market, and a thriving community center with a rich history, stunning architecture, and small-town hospitality.
Like Manchester, there Bennington has a lot to see and so, such as explore the Bennington Battle Monument, one of the best places to learn about Revolutionary War history, and The Bennington Monument, which was built to commemorate the Battle of Bennington, which occurred on August 16, 1777 and is considered to be the turning point in the Revolutionary War.
You can take the elevator to the top of the Monument (306 ft high), which offers a pretty birds eye view of the Bennington area, including where the battle was fought and all the way to New York state and Massachusetts.
Also in Bennington you can witness something unique to Vermont – covered bridges. Vermont has more than 100 covered bridges and there are several of them in Southern Vermont. Drive the Covered Bridges Drive, and check out Chiselville Bridge, which is near Roaring Branch.
We learned that covered bridges are also called kissing bridges for the lovers who’d linger as they passed through, and we explored five of them from Manchester to Bennington.
Another bridge to slow down for is West Arlington Bridge, which is just two miles from the New York border and spans the Batten Kill River.
It was built in 1852 and it sits on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s one of the most known, and photographed in Vermont.
3. Wilmington
Wilmington is a vintage village nestled in the mountains and is the nearest skiing destination in Vermont for major East Coast cities (Mount Snow, Timber Creek, and The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain).
Take a stroll around town with a dozen eateries on offer, then nearby there are miles of woodland hiking trails.
Sadly Wilmington was badly hit by Hurricane Irene in 2011 and many of the beloved historical buildings have been badly damaged by flooding, but it’s still a town worth visiting.
The Hurricane bought the town’s people together and you can really feel the community spirit as you wander the streets.
It’s also a mountain village, which means it’s the perfect place to visit in Vermont for outdoor adventures. There are many hiking trails and lakes nearby, and if you drive along the backroads you’ll see some beautiful foliage and natural landscapes.
4. Weston
Weston is another cute town in Vermont and is home to Vermont’s oldest professional theater company, Western Theater Company.
Stop in at the famous Vermont Country Store, an impressive art gallery, and the Old Mill Museum.
It’s a small town with only a handful of restaurants, hotels, and stores. You won’t need long to explore it all.
We had lunch at Mildred’s Grill – it’s popular so arrive early. We sat at the bar in the 1885 bar room as we were in a hurry.
It was at Mildred’s Grill that we had our first taste of hot apple cider – a Vermont specialty – absolutely delicious and something we seek out now!
5. Vermont Route 100
Not a town per say, but definitely an attraction worth checking out. One of the prettiest drives in all of New England is the Vermont Route 100, also known as “Vermont’s Main Street” and “The Skier’s Highway” as it connects some of the best Northeastern winter skiing and riding.
Route 100 Vermont is a North – South state highway running through the center of the state and is 216.59 miles long and is a great way to take in the Vermont fall foliage.
We took this route north from Wilmington to Stowe and the Vermont fall colors were on show. The route actually starts in North Adams, and ends just north of Newport on the Canadian border.
It’s a lovely drive that runs along the eastern edge of the Green Mountains with photographic opportunities along the way, as well as many scenic hiking trails and waterfalls.
6. Stowe
Stowe was our favorite destination in Vermont. This small USA town in the northern part of the state is located very near Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont.
Around town, you have 60+ unique shops and 40+ restaurants, and the church steeples and colonial-style houses dusted in snow make Stowe look like it sprung out from the pages of a children’s Christmas story.
Stowe’s proximity to the mountains means it offers endless opportunities to enjoy hiking, biking, and skiing adventures. So you can enjoy the outdoors any time of the year!
One of our favorite things we did there was biking the Stowe Recreation Path, which begins behind the community church in town and winds for 5.5 miles alongside the West Branch River, through forests and open farmland.
The trail crosses the creek over wooded bridges at 10 different places, and for us, the fall colors were sparkling. The route takes you through spectacular views of the mountain and the chance to experience a little local flavor.
Here’s a short video of the Stowe recreation path:
You can also hike Mount Mansfield. The locals told us that this was one of the best hiking trails in Vermont with great views over Mount Mansfield State Forest and Smuggler’s Notch State Park, the popular ski region of Vermont.
We pulled into the car park at The Nose, the start of the ridge walk, and hiked through scrubby woods, but it quickly opens up to be mostly over the rugged mountain peak with fragile alpine vegetation on either side of the trail.
There are views all around of the Green Mountains, Smuggler’s Notch, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondack Mountains, and even out to Canada.
You can also take the Gondola SkyRide if you don’t want to hike, but it does not go to the top of the summit, but to a viewing platform below the summit.
Stowe is also the home of Ben & Jerry’s, well in Waterbury, just 15 minutes from Stowe.
Here you can learn all about the story of Ben & Jerry’s. With a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State and a $12,000 investment, Ben and Jerry opened their first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington in 1978.
And the rest, as they say, is history. If you are looking for unique places to visit in Vermont, head over to the “Flavor Graveyard,” which is a comical attraction showcasing headstones for past flavors that are no longer in production.
You can take a 30-minute guided factory tour and learn how they make ice cream and how they put their values into action at every step of the process.
If ice cream doesn’t take your fancy, then maybe cider will? Vermont is also known for its cider mills, and one that you should check out is Cold Hollow Cider Mill.
The Cold Hollow Cider Mill are a top New England producer of fresh apple cider. At the mill, they do it the old-fashioned way, making pure cider with a traditional rack and cloth press built in the 1920s.
Explore the vintage mill and see cider being made, then sample jellies and mustards.
And in the bakery section, they make their legendary Cider Donuts — called one of the country’s four best donuts by Gourmet magazine — every day, fresh all day long.
For a lovely elevated view of Stowe Village, head up to Sunset Rock, located in the heart of Stowe’s historic village.
To get there on foot, the trail up begins at the end of Sunset Street and takes less than an hour to complete the round trip.
7. Burlington
Burlington is the biggest city in Vermont and home to the University of Vermont.
There’s a thriving arts scene, good shopping, and a range of outdoor activities in all four seasons due to its location beside beautiful Lake Champlain and the surrounding mountains.
Burlington is only a 50-minute drive from Stowe, which enabled us to make an easy day trip.
Our favorite thing to do was cycle the Burlington Bike and Waterfront Park that runs along the Lake Champlain shoreline towards Oakledge Park.
It’s an 8 mile paved Burlington Bike Path popular for cyclists, runners, and walkers, especially during summer, fall and spring, but the truly dedicated even get out there in winter.
We didn’t do the whole path, but being mostly flat and paved this was an easy ride for our kids, with playgrounds and food places to stop at along the path for a rest.
One place we stopped in at was Foam Brewers for a drink, a historic brick building in a great location along the Burlington waterfront.
Take a stroll along Church Street Marketplace, the outdoor pedestrian shopping and dining mall which takes up four blocks of Church Street between Main and Pearl Streets.
There are ample restaurants, cafes, and stores to look in, and historic buildings ranging in style from Victorian to Art Deco.
If you’re in town on a Saturday, the Burlington Farmers Market is popular with locals and tourists.
More than 90 stands are set up in downtown Burlington’s City Hall Park, just off of the Church Street Marketplace offering seasonal produce, artisan wares, and more.
8. Woodstock
Ahh Woodstock, you may have heard the name before as Woodstock Live Music Festival, but that’s not the Woodstock in Vermont. That festival takes place in New York State. But Woodstock, VT does have its own arts festival with live music!
The town of Woodstock is worth checking out. It’s another quaint small town in America with an old-world charm. You’ll find many boutique stores, cozy coffee shops, and live music on weekends (and yes, some festivals too).
Another reason to visit Woodstock is to visit the Quechee Gorge, the deepest gorge in Vermont. It’s said the gorge was formed by glaciers over 13,000 years ago and is still deepening thanks to the constant stream of the Ottauquechee River that cuts through 165 feet below.
Another top attraction in Woodstock is Billings Farm and Museum. It’s located just a short walk out of the town and is a pleasant day out for families.
It’s a working farm, where visitors can see the live animals in their barns and learn about the operations of the farm. The farm owner created the museum to educate visitors on America’s agriculture.
9. Shelburne
Located on Lake Champlain, Shelburn is the best place to go in the winter. The town is about 90 minutes from the slopes of Killington Resort, which is under Killington Peak – Vermont’s second highest mountain.
The peak is known as the “beast of the East” because it has the largest vertical drop in New England.
There are 155 trails and slopes that cater to skiers of all levels, from beginners to experts to cross-country skiing.
Another popular attraction is the Shelburne Museum, which has 39 historic buildings showcasing historical artifacts from former years in America. It also has an old, dry-docked steamboat, that you can explore.
Then there’s Shelburne Farms, a 1400-acre dairy farm. You can take guided tours of the farm and wander around the estate. Vermont is known for its cheese manufacturing, and this is where you can get an inside glimpse into its process.
10. Montpelier
Montpelier is the capital of Vermont, so it wouldn’t be right to forget about it on this list. It’s home to the largest urban historic district in Vermont, and is famous for its entertainment culture.
You can see performances at the local Lost Nation Theater and watch live music and movies at The Savoy arts cinema.
Montpelier has several notable attractions, including the restored Vermont Statehouse, which is known for its gold-domed Greek Revival building. Inside, you’ll find decorative and fine art collections, as well as exhibits on the state’s history.
If you’re looking for more history, the Vermont History Museum is worth spending some time in.
Montpelier, like most towns in Vermont, is surrounded by natural beauty. The wooded Hubbard Park is rich with colorful meadows and a birch grove. It’s certainly one of the best places to visit in Vermont in Spring.
Final thoughts
So there you have it, those are our top ten favorite places in Vermont. It’s a gorgeous state and easy to get around in a short amount of time.
Since many of the these places are towns surrounded by gorgeous nature spots, it’s best to explore by car. This is why a New England road trip is such a good idea. You can explore all the incredible scenery without worrying about public transport and finding a place to stay nearby.
We hope this guide helped you pick out a few places to visit and gave you some idea on what it’s like to visit Vermont.
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What places are you most excited to visit in Vermont? Let us know in the comments.
