The Best Vacation Spots in Vermont
Places To See, Things To Do
Get Away to Adventure, Romance and Fun

One of the best vacation spots is Vermont where you can get back to nature, and replace big city bustle with the peace and tranquility of Vermont.

Vermont, the Green Mountain State, is one of the New England states in northwestern United States. This vacation spot has Lake Champlain and New York on the west, Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and Canada to the north. What is most memorable about Vermont is the scenery. Vermont is a state of small towns and strong regional identities. It is famous for great natural beauty, skiing, awesome hiking, brilliant foliage, and cozy country inns. The romantic song Moonlight in Vermont, sung by Rosemary Clooney, helped make Vermont a beloved vacation spot.

Cities in Vermont with the Best Vacation Spots

The towns of Vermont are small and quaint. These are the major towns with some of the best vacation spots. They are divided into three regions, Northern Vermont, Central Vermont and Southern Vermont.

1. Northern Vermont includes Burlington, the largest city, which has 211,261 residents in the metro area. Northern Vermont also has small rural towns like South Hero and St. Albans, Newport and St. Johnsbury, Shelburne, Stowe and Morrisville. A few of the best vacation spots are St. Anne's Shrine in Isle La Motte, Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury, Shelburne Farms, and the Vermont Ski Museum in Stowe.
   
   The town of Newport, Vermont, near the northern border, is a gateway to Canada. It lies on the southern shore of Lake Memphremagog, an Indian word for "beautiful waters".
   
   
2. In Central Vermont you'll find the state capital Montpelier, which has only 7,705 people. Central Vermont has many historic towns like Brandon, Rutland, Vergennes, Woodstock, White River Junction., Middlebury, Randolph, Barre, Killington, Ludlow and Springfield. The vacation spots in Central Vermont include Vermont's historic State House in Montpelier, Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream, the natural wonder of Quechee Gorge and the Rock of Ages granite quarry. There are lots of theatres, art centers, galleries, shops, museums, farms, craft studios, and historic sites.
   
   
3. Southern Vermont is full of picturesque villages and lively communities, such as Bennington, Brattleboro, Mt. Snow, Manchester, Bellows Falls, Newfane and Arlington. Vacation spots in Southern Vermont offer history, culture and entertainment. You'll see the Bennington Museum, Southern Vermont Arts Center, President Coolidge Historic Site, and much more. Bellows Falls is a scenic gorge at the bridge on the Connecticut River.

The Scenic Drives to Vermont Vacation Spots

Take a scenic drive through Vermont. The vacation spots have been mapped out for you, with directions and points of interest. You can choose the Scenic Route, the Cheese Trail, the Outdoor Trails, the Forest Heritage Trail, the Marble Trail, and the Breweries and Wineries Trail.

• Scenic Drives through Vermont offer everything from sweeping forests and farmland vistas,to intimate meanderings through villages, historic downtowns, farms and orchards. There are lots of opportunities for side excursions to local diners, barbecue and cafes; antique and curio shops; fruit and vegetable stands; and trailheads for swimming holes, waterfalls, hikes and valley views.
  
  
• Visit the farm of a cheese maker. Drive the Cheese Trail of Vermont. Vermont, home to cheese makers since the 1800s, leads the American artisanal cheese renaissance. The three dozen cheese making members of the Vermont Cheese Council produce over 150 varieties of small-batch, specialty cheeses. They invite you for a tour and tasting of a working cheese maker. You'll also find Vermont Cheeses at the summer farmers' markets.
  
  
• Take one of the Outdoor Trails of Vermont. Volunteers keep the trail maps up to date. The Trail Finder's goal is to help people get out, get active, and explore. This is your source for hiking, biking, inline skating, and cross country ski trails.
  
  
• The Forest Heritage Trail map shows you the timber business, central to the Vermont economy. The map will guide you on the drive sixty workshops, sawmills, galleries, showrooms, and managed working forests included in the Vermont Heritage Trails. You are welcome to visit showrooms and woodworking studios, tour factories and sawmills on the Forest Heritage Trail, or walk through working forests.
  
  
• The Vermont Marble Trail is a driving tour along the geological marble corridor running the length of western Vermont. You will visit towns and villages where marble was quarried, manufactured and carved. Vermont's rich marble beds have been used to create some of the finest buildings in the world and works of art.
  
  
• Drive the Breweries and Wineries Trail. The Green Mountain State is the home of some of the best breweries, wineries and cider houses in the country. Tours and tastings of fine handcrafted beer, fruit wine and hard cider are popular.
  
  
• Take the Studios Tour. Vermont is home to an impressive number of highly talented artists and craftspeople. From printmakers, painters, and sculptors, to glass artists, furniture makers metal smiths, some work in studios their homes others villages towns renovated historic buildings.
  
  
• Take the Vermont ByWays Tours. The map leads you to the towns and villages settled when America was young. It was in these towns and along these routes that the freedom fighters planned and marched to fight the British in the Revolutionary War. Besides history and culture the Vermont ByWays Tours offer recreational opportunities for biking, walking and ski trails, canoe and kayak access, swimming holes, camping and picnic areas, and incredible scenery.

Some of the Best Vacation Spots in Vermont

• Go camping in Vermont. Thirty-nine of the 52 Vermont State Parks offer excellent facilities for camping. There are also nine campgrounds in the Green Mountain National Forest. Backwoods camping is also permitted.
  
  
• Take a walk back in time through the towns of Vermont. Sixty-one Vermont towns are at least 250 years old, and are historical treasures. These historic towns include Windsor, Guilford, Pawlet, Bennington and Brandon.
  
  
• Enjoy shopping in Vermont. Vermont is the leading producer of maple syrup in the United States. The state is also famous for its locally made cheeses, blown glass, fine jewelry, locally brewed beer, and woodworking studios. Local items marked "Made in Vermont" have a special cachet.
  
  
• Tour the 8 lighthouses scattered around Lake Champlain in Vermont.
  
  
• Vermont has just one national park, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park.
  
  
• Hike the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Vermont. The Appalachian Trail begins in Mount Katahdin, Maine, and extends south to Springer Mountain, Georgia. Completing the Appalachian Trail is a feather in the cap of any hiker.
  
  
• See Vermont autumn foliage. The forests turn fiery colors of red, orange, and gold as cold weather approaches. It's the soil and climate here that gives the sugar maple its unrivaled colors.
  
  
• Get lost in a Vermont corn maze. All over Vermont, farmers create acres of a-maz-ing fun. You can also play Barnyard Golf, Laser Tag, and visit the Petting Zoo. The exceptional Great Vermont Corn Maze is in North Danville, but you'll find others throughout the state.
  
  
• Ride the Green Mountain Railroad for an old-time family adventure along scenic rail routes. You can board one of the vintage trains in White River Junction, Bellows Falls or Burlington for a round trip. Vermont is also served by Amtrak's Vermonter and Ethan Allen Express, the New England Central Railroad, the Vermont Railway, and the Green Mountain Railroad. All aboard!
  
  
• Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes displays antique boats, shipwreck exhibits, a working blacksmith shop, and a full-sized Revolutionary War gunboat.
  
  
• Go fossil hunting in Isle La Motte, which was one of the first tropical reefs. Fisk Quarry contains a collection of ancient marine fossils such as stromatoporoids that date back to 200 million years.
  
  
• Go birding. Vermont has many species of birds. American woodcock, brown thrasher, Eastern towhee, willow flycatcher, golden-winged warbler, blue-winged warbler, field sparrow, and Baltimore oriole and ospreys are around. The Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge on the north shoe of Lake Champlain attracts large flocks of migratory birds. You’re likely to see an abundance of waterfowl, such as mallards, black ducks, wood ducks, ring-necked ducks and snow geese.
  
  
• Tour the famous businesses of Vermont. Cabot Cheese, the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Fine Paints of Europe, Vermont Butter and Cheese Company, a number of micro breweries, Burton Snowboards, Lake Champlain Chocolates, King Arthur Flour, and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream are well known around the nation.
  
  
• Visit the Porter Music Box Company and Museum, in Randolph Vermont, the only place in the world where they make large music tabletop boxes. The museum is full of music from long ago.
  
  
• Have an adventure at Sharp Park, where they offer Segway tours, zip lines, paragliding, hot air balloon rides, helicopter sightseeing flights. Winter activities include sliding, snow tubing, skiing & snowboarding. Sharp Park is in Milton, Vermont.
  
  
• Shelburne Museum is Vermont's largest museum with an eclectic collection of art, Americana, architecture, and artifacts. Popular outdoor exhibits include 6 period houses, a lighthouse, a steam locomotive, an operating vintage carousel, a general store, a covered bridge, and a steamboat. The fine art galleries display paintings by Impressionist and famous American artists. The Shelburne Museum is in Shelburne, Vermont.
  
  
• Visit a working Vermont sugar house to watch how the famous Vermont maple syrup is made. Many working farms combine their maple syrup operation with cheese-making, farm tours and a shop. Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock, Vermont, is one of these.
  
  
• Explore the Vermont Marble Museum, the world's largest, with 100 displays, video and a marble sculptor in residence. You can try your hand at sculpting, too. The Vermont Marble Museum is in Proctor, Vermont.
  
  
• Relax at Smugglers' Notch Resort for an afternoon of fun. There are 8 pools, 4 waterslides, kids activities and a breathtaking zipline ride above the trees. Smugglers' Notch is located in Jeffersonville, Vermont.
  
  
• Visit the Brandon Museum and see an early Vermont home at the Stephen A. Douglas Birthplace. History fans know that Vermont and Douglas played an early role in the anti-slavery movement. The Museum and Birthplace are in Brandon, Vermont.
  
  
• The Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium is Northern New England's museum of natural sciences and history. One of the first teaching museums in America, and the only public planetarium in Vermont, it has over 175,000 items in its eclectic collection. The Fairbanks Museum is part of the historic district in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
  
  
• See Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home, built by Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the President. The home, gardens, views or the valley, Lincoln exhibits and walking trails are on 412 acres in Manchester, Vermont.
  
  
• Ride Jay Peak Aerial Tramway into the mountains to the summit of scenic Jay Peak. At the 4,000-foot elevation you'll see four states and Quebec. It is Vermont's only tram.
  
  
• Take a cruise on Lake Champlain, while you dine in the lounge and dance under the stars. The Northern Lights and the Spirit of Ethan Allen have a variety of theme cruises and shows. Cruises embark from Burlington all year round, weather permitting. Local ferries also run every day back and forth from cities around Lake Champlain.
  
  
• Spend an afternoon at the Montshire Museum of Science, where you and the children can enjoy 100 hands-on exhibits on space, nature and technology. The museum includes live animals, aquariums and nature trails. The Montshire Museum of Science sits on 110 acres next to the Connecticut River in Norwich, Vermont.
  
  
• Drop by the Norman Rockwell Exhibition. Norman Rockwell lived in Arlington, Vermont, for 14 years, from 1939 to 1953. He used over 200 local people as models for illustrations on cover of the Saturday Evening Post. The exhibit has many reproductions of Rockwell's work and a video that tells the story of his life. The Rockwell exhibit is adjacent to the Sugar Shack in Arlington, Vermont.
  
  
• Ride the Timber Ripper mountain coaster down Okemo mountain, for an exhilarating experience. You control the coasters as they travel half a mile along steel rails down the mountain. The Mountain Coaster is in Ludlow, Vermont, and open all year round.
  
  
• Go sightseeing at Quechee Gorge, Vermont's Little Grand Canyon. Enjoy the waterfalls and beautiful vistas from 162 feet above the Ottauquechee River. You can walk the trails along the gorge, visit the gift shop, picnic outdoors or feast at the Black Angus Cafe. The gorge is located at Quechee, Vermont.
  
  
• Drop by the VINS Nature Center, near Quechee Gorge, to see magnificent live raptors, Bald and Golden Eagles, Snowy Owls, Peregrine Falcons, Red-tailed Hawks and more. They have bird-on-glove and flight programs, nature trails and a nature shop.
  
  
• Stop in at a working farm. Many farms entertain visitors with tours, a hay-wagon ride and a petting farmyard for children. You can pick your own fruits, gather your own eggs, watch them make Vermont Cheddar cheese, visit the animals, milk a cow and brush a draft horse. Shelburne Farms, in Shelburne, Vermont, is one such farm to visit.
  
  
• Take a historic tour of Vermont. History buffs will enjoy the opportunity to go back in time by visiting Revolutionary War sites, presidential birthplaces and stately houses: the Bennington Battle Monument in Old Bennington, the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth Notch, the President Chester A. Arthur State Historic Site in Fairfield, the Chimney Point State Historic Site in Addison, the Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site in Hubbardton, the Hyde Log Cabin in Grand Isle, the Justin S. Morrill State Historic Site in Strafford, the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell, and the Old Constitution House in Windsor.
  
  
• Swim and sun at the beaches on Lake Champlain. Alburg Dunes State Park, in Alburg, has one of the longest beaches.
  
  
• Enjoy the nostalgia at a county fair. Almost every county in Vermont hosts an agricultural fair with rides, games, farm produce, contests, barkers and cotton candy.
  
  
• Visit the site where Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was born in 1805. A granite shaft 52-feet tall marks the spot. Visitors can tour 350 acres at the site in South Royalton, Vermont.
  
  
• Tour Vermont's barns. You'll see them everywhere in the landscape. These iconic structures are still a busy part of Vermont agricultural life, and many farms are open to visitors.
  
  
• Go fishing. Vacationers will find trout fishing, lake fishing, and ice fishing.
  
  
• Get out in the snow. Vermont is just as exciting in winter, when skiers and snowboarders visit the state's ski resorts. The resort areas for winter sports include Burke Mountain Ski Area, Bolton Valley, Stowe, Smugglers' Notch, Killington Ski Resort, Mad River Glen, Sugarbush, Stratton, Jay Peak, Okemo, Suicide Six, Mount Snow and Bromley. Annual snowfall is from 60 inches to 100 inches, depending on elevation.
  
  
• Snowmobiles are popular in Vermont. In this state, there are 35,000 members of 138 snowmobiling clubs Together the clubs maintain 6,000 miles of trails for snowmobiles, often over private lands.
  
  
• In winter, nordic and backcountry skiers can travel the length of the state on the Catamount Trail.
  
  
• Tour the summer resort towns like Stowe, Manchester, Quechee, Wilmington and Woodstock, where you'll find resorts, hotels, restaurants and shops.
  
  
• Hike the Long Trail through Vermont along the main ridge of the Green Mountains.
  
  
• See the quarries of Vermont. Vermont is the largest producer of slate in the country. Marble and granite are quarried and carved in the towns of Rutland and Barre. You can take the "Quarry Tour" up the western side of the state through the Marble Valley, then the Slate Valley, and finally the Granite Valley around Barre. That's where you'll find the Rock of Ages quarry, the largest granite quarry in America. See the stone blasted from pits, lifted by cranes, sandblasted and cut, and finally sculpted into statues and other objects. Then stop at the nearby Hope Cemetery to see the unusual granite gravestones and mausoleums.
  
  
• Root for the local sports teams. Vermont does not have a major league sports team. However, the Vermont Lake Monsters are a single-A minor league baseball team, and an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. The Lake Monsters play on the campus of the University of Vermont.
  
  
• Join the locals at a Vermont festival. These celebrations are held throughout the state: the Vermont Maple Festival, Festival on the Green, the Vermont Dairy Festival in Enosburg Falls, the Apple Festival in October, the Marlboro Music Festival, the Vermont Mozart Festival, and the Vermont Brewers Festival. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra performs at outdoor concerts around the state.

Best Vacation Spots in Burlington Vermont

Burlington, situated near Mount Mansfield on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, is the largest city in Vermont. Forbes magazine selected the city as one of the prettiest cities. The Church Street Marketplace, a four-block pedestrian mall in the heart of Burlington, has over 75 specialty shops and 15 national retailers. It has been called one of America's "Great Public Spaces." Many festivals are held here throughout the year, like the South End Hop, a Festival of Fools, and Vermont Brewers Festival, and the Giant Pumpkin Regatta and Festival. Dragon boat races are held in Lake Champlain.

The famous Vermont Teddy Bear Company started out on a street cart in Burlington. Corporate headquarters for Burton Snowboards, Bruegger's, Seventh Generation Inc., and Lake Champlain Chocolates are also in Burlington.

On the waterfront, ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center presents 70 live species and 100 interactive exhibits. it also includes the Lake Champlain Navy Memorial, a gift shop and cafe.

Other vacation spots of interest in Burlington are the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, the Chittenden County Historical Society & Museum, Robert Hull Fleming Museum the University of Vermont and Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. Ohavi Zedek, built in 1885, is one of the oldest synagogues still standing in the United States.

Best Vacation Spots in South Burlington, Vermont

The city of South Burlington, on Lake Champlain near Burlington, is the second largest city in Vermont. For shoppers it has University Mall, the largest mall in the state. For fans of craft beers, it has the Magic Hat Brewing Company, one of the larger craft breweries in the US. You are invited to the brewery for tours, samples and entertainment. Burlington International Airport is also located in here.

Best Vacation Spots in Rutland Vermont

Rutland is the next largest city in Vermont. One hundred and eight buildings in downtown Rutland are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The downtown section contains Merchant's Row, a restored street dating back to the mid-19th century. Rutland also has a 275-acre Pine Hill Park for mountain biking and hiking. Or take your skateboard to the Flip Side Skatepark. The Rutland Halloween Parade was used as the famous setting in many superhero comic books in the 1970's. The kids enjoy Hathaway Farm & Corn Maze, a working farm with a corn maze, livestock to pet, wagon rides and maple sugaring. Rutland is also know for its marble and granite quarries. The New England Maple Museum in Rutland was chosen by Food and Wine magazine as one of the "Top 10 Food Museums." You'lll see how maple syrup is made, with a sugar house, tastings, and maple products for sale and gifts.

Best Vacation Spots in Bennington, Vermont

Bennington, Vermont's first town, was settled in 1761. The town is known as the site of the Battle of Bennington during the Revolutionary War. The battle was won by the Green Mountain Boys, the Vermont militia founded by Ethan Allen, led by General John Stark. It was Stark who is remembered for his quote, "Live free or die." Here you can visit the Bennington Battle Monument, which is the tallest structure in the state of Vermont. From the top of it you can see Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts. Drop in Catamount Tavern, favorite gathering spot of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys.

Visit the Grandma Moses Gallery at The Bennington Museum. "Grandma Moses", was a renowned American folk artist, and a self-taught farm wife and mother.

Tour the home of poet Robert Frost in Ripton. He taught every summer for 42 years at the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College in Ripton. After Frost died on January 29, 1963, he was buried at the Old Bennington Cemetery in Bennington. His epitaph quotes a line from one of his poems: "I had a lover's quarrel with the world."

Another vacation spot in Bennington, the Park-McCullough Historic House, built in 1865, is one of the finest and best-preserved Victorian mansions in New England. It is a thirty-five room mansion, set on 200 scenic acres.

Bennington is the home of the Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East, a summer institute for amateur musicians held here since its founding in 1946.

Best Vacation Spots in Barre, Vermont

The town of Barre, Vermont, near Montpelier, where vast granite deposits were discovered, calls itself the "Granite Center of the World." Other vacation spots of interest are the Barre Opera House, the Barre Museum, the Vermont Granite Museum and Studio Place Arts.

Best Vacation Spots in Montpelier, Vermont

The little city of Montpelier, near the geographic center of Vermont, is the state capital. Barre and Montpelier, side by side, are known as the twin cities. Vacation spots in Montpelier are the Vermont History Museum and the New England Culinary Institute. The annual Green Mountain Film Festival is held in Montpelier. The Bragg Farm Sugarhouse and Gift Shop has made maple syprup for five generations. It has a Maple Ice Cream Parlor, guided tours, tastings, products for sale and a covered bridge. Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks provides guided tours of sugaring, farm views, a theater, and country store. On Valentine's Day in Montpelier, all the downtown storefronts and public buildings are covered with red hearts.

Best Vacation Spots in St. Albans, Vermont

St. Albans is a small town that calls itself "The Maple Syrup Capital of the World," and sponsors the annual Vermont Maple Festival in April. Who knew you could make so many products with maple syrup! History buffs will remember that the northernmost engagement of the Civil War, known as the St. Albans Raid, occurred here on October 19, 1864.

Best Vacation Spots in Brattleboro, Vermont

Brattleboro was settled around an army stockade built in 1723 during the French and Indian Wars. Brattleboro has a number of hotels, art galleries and stores. It became famous after it was listed in John Villani's book "The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America."

Vacation spots include the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, the Hooker-Dunham Theater and Gallery, the Brattleboro Music Center, the Vermont Theatre Company, the New England Youth Theater, the Brattleboro Women's Chorus, the Brattleboro School of Dance, Luminz Studio dance and performing arts center, and the New England Center for Circus Arts. Fort Dummer State Park near Brattleboro offers camping and camper sites. You can also visit Townshend Dam and the covered bridges.

Near Brattleboro, you can stop in the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum, a wonderful natural history museum at the Hogback Mountain Scenic Overlook. Its large taxidermy collection has 600 creatures displayed in small dioramas, along with unusual specimens of albino mammals and three extinct birds.

Trivia About Vermont and Its Vacation Spots

• Vermont is the sixth smallest state in land area. It is only 159 miles long. Its widest point is 89 miles.
  
  
• Vermont was for a time an independent republic. The Republic of Vermont was founded in 1777, during the Revolutionary War, and lasted for fourteen years.
  
  
• While Vermont was an independent republic between 1777 and 1791, it abolished slavery. Vermont is proud that it was the first state to have abolished slavery.
  
  
• The Battle of Bennington, fought on August 16, 1777, when General Stark defeated British General Burgoyne, was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The anniversary of the battle is still celebrated in Vermont as a legal holiday.
  
  
• In 1791, Vermont joined the Federal union as the fourteenth state, and the first to enter the Union after the original thirteen colonies.
  
  
• The west bank of the Connecticut River marks the eastern border between Vermont and New Hampshire.
  
  
• Lake Champlain, the major lake in Vermont, is the sixth-largest body of fresh water in the United States. It separates Vermont from New York.
  
  
• There are fifteen US federal border crossings between Vermont and Canada.
  
  
• The origin of the name Vermont is uncertain, but likely comes from the French "Verts Monts", which means "Green Mountains."
  
  
• Why are the Green Mountains of Vermont so green? One reason is because they have more forests than the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Adirondacks of New York. Another reason is the predominance of mica-quartz-chlorite schist, a green-hued metamorphosed shale.
  
  
• Besides the Green Mountains, Vermont has the Taconic Mountains in the southwest and the Granitic Mountains in the northeast. Mount Mansfield is the highest mountain in the state; Killington Peak, the second-highest; amd Camel's Hump, the state's third-highest peak.
  
  
• About 77 percent of the state is covered by forest. The rest is covered in meadow, uplands, lakes, ponds, and swampy wetlands.
  
  
• Insurance is big business in Vermont. Vermont is the world's third-largest home for captive insurance companies, following Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. Captive insurance companies are organized by corporations to insure their own risks. There are more than 900 such companies in Vermont.

I wish you a trip full of adventure and happy memories at the best vacation spots of Vermont.

Please return to the top > >
Best Vacation Spots in Vermont





Share this page with someone, by Email, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, and your favorite social site