Even though Vermont’s main agriculture sector has altered as hundreds of artisanal cheese and dairy producers revolutionize the state’s dairy industry, tourists eagerly follow the Vermont Cheese Trail to have just a tiny taste of them.
Vermont has been chosen as the finest state in the union based on factors like housing, environment, employment prospects, education, and healthcare. Tourists struggle to choose among the “best places to visit in Vermont” because there are many fantastic things to do.
The abundance of outdoor spaces in the state, including state and national forests, campgrounds, and parks, encourages residents of Vermont to enjoy very active lives.
15 Best Places to Visit in Vermont
Vermont has a charisma that other states can only envy, as it is equal parts myth and fact. Its name immediately conjures up images of sunlit meadows with black-and-white cows, beautiful white ski slopes, and buckets used to collect sap for maple syrup.
Despite the less appealing plastic tubing that has mostly taken the place of the buckets and the probability that many farms have been transformed into fancy B&Bs, these pastoral vistas are still visible when you visit Vermont.
Along with this romanticized version of this magnificent city, rural Vermont is represented by the bustle of Burlington, the outlet malls of Manchester, and covered bridges, the frenetic après-ski scene at Killington, and the peculiar fusion of gritty blue-collar workers and mature ’70s hippies in Brattleboro.
With its scenery, history, snowfall, breweries, four distinct seasons, and beautiful residents, Vermont attracts travellers who want an authentic travel experience.
Now let’s check out 15 of the best places to visit in Vermont so that you can travel to those places whenever you are in and around this state.
1. Green Mountain National Forest
The green mountain national forest line that cuts through the state’s centre divides Vermont’s enormous National Forest into two halves, making it challenging to move from east to west.
These mountains are mostly traversed by gaps, which are better for taking in the scenery than winter travel. Even during the winter, several of these routes are fully closed, making it one of the best places to visit in Vermont.
Use them to locate waterfalls, national forest campgrounds, gorgeous locations for picnics, hiking trails, and a world of nature for the rest of the year.
The Appalachian Trail traverses the National Forest’s southern section. From the Canadian to the Massachusetts borders, the long trail travels the full length of the state through the mountain range.
As it trails its way through the Northern mountains, the “Skiers‘ Highway,” also known as Route 100, connects many of Vermont’s ski resorts, from Mount Snow and Jay Peak to Stowe.
Route 73 travels through Brandon Gap, Route 125 travels through Middlebury Gap (via Texas Falls), and Route 17 ascends Appalachian Gap, the highest peak reachable in the winter at 2,356 feet. Route 9 crosses the southern Green Mountains.
2. Skiing in Stowe Mountain Resorts
Due to its covered bridge, white-spired church, dilapidated farms, and ski paths that descend the mountainside, Stowe is everyone’s conception of Vermont.
It is also the town that best represents the heyday of Vermont’s early ski business. The serenity makes it one of the best places to visit in Vermont. A tradition explored in Southern Vermont’s Ski Museum.
It is located at the state’s snow belt at the base of Mount Mansfield. Although a rope tow was built in 1937 and dedicated skiers had already ascended the mountain before that, it wasn’t until the first chairlift opened in 1940 that things took off.
It’s not only about skiing; you’ll also find shops and boutiques, art galleries, dining options, and lodging of different kinds. Artwork created by Vermont-based artists is on show at the Helen Day Art Center.
The 5.3-mile Stowe Recreation path is a multi-use paved path that runs alongside the river and through meadows and woods with breathtaking vistas of Mt. Mansfield.
You can walk or skate along it, or you can hire bicycles to ride along it as one of the premier ski resorts in New England is still Stowe Mountain Resort, where visitors may take the gondola to the summit in the summer and fall for more vistas.
3. The Governor’s Mansion at McCullough Historic Park
One of New England’s finest and best-maintained examples of Victorian architecture and ornamentation is the Park-McCullough Historic Governor’s Mansion. It is one of the best places to visit in Vermont, a collector’s paradise.
The elaborate design and ornamental features of the 35-room home are the pinnacles of the 1860s Second Empire fashion and are a must-see while visiting Vermont.
Because the same family has owned the estate for so long, it is furnished with antiques and decorative arts that capture the luxury and vogue of the mid-Victorian era.
4. Market on Second Church Street Marketplace
Even in the harsh Vermont winters, Church Street in the heart of Burlington affords a sizable, traffic-free area for public events and vibrant street life.
Church Street is only four blocks long. When everyone is outside in the summer, it resembles an Italian piazza. There are sidewalk cafes, benches, and public artworks, in addition to the events scheduled throughout the year, and the neighbouring buildings house a range of shops, restaurants, and boutiques.
A block away and providing lodging near the action is the Hotel Vermont. The guest rooms of this hip, modern inn offer stunning views of Lake Champlain and a feeling of community.
It makes sense that this was chosen as one of the Great Public Spaces in America, given that it is also recognized as a National Register Historic District.
5. Mount Mansfield and Smugglers Notch
Mountain Road climbs past Stowe Mountain Resort, where a gondola carries visitors and skiers to the summit, and then as it departs Stowe, up the shoulder of Mount Mansfield. The road narrows as it passes through Smugglers’ Notch, one of Vermont’s most compelling natural landmarks, after the resort.
The road that climbs upward through this pass between Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak is so narrow and twisty that only one automobile can get around several corners.
Snowploughs cannot traverse the road when it closes shortly after the ski area in the winter. You can park your car for the year’s remaining months, wander around this massive mass of glacial granite, and look for the caverns where 19th-century smugglers once hid.
When the glacier stopped here during the last ice age, the mountain ledges were broken and sent into the notch, where they were further carved and tumbled by the glacier. The huge stones and caves were formed in this way.
6. Hildene
Robert Todd Lincoln, the president’s son, travelled to Manchester with his mother right before his father was killed. After being selected as the president of Pullman Company in the early 20th century, he returned to construct the Georgian Revival Hildene as his country residence.
Because Hildene is decorated with numerous items from Mrs Lincoln’s family, it serves as a wonderful illustration of a residence constructed as a refuge for the families of wealthy magnates.
One of Lincoln’s possessions is the fabled stovepipe hat. It is among the best places to visit in Vermont.
7. Shelburne Museum
The restored historic structures and artefacts held at Shelburne Museum highlight the rich folk and fine art traditions of Vermont and the United States.
In a charming village setting among well-kept gardens, you can explore a round barn, the lake steamer SS Ticonderoga (now on dry land), a lake lighthouse, a barn filled with antique carriages and wagons, a print shop, and collections of carved decoys, American quilts, handmade hatboxes, hooked rugs, and trains.
The museum at the neighbouring Shelburne Farms portrays basic farms, yet this is one of the best sites to visit in Vermont since tourists can witness a very different perspective of farming in New England.
8. Ben & Jerry’s
The most popular family activity in Southern Vermont, without a doubt, is the tour of the Ben & Jerry’s factory. Even adults like it!
During the 30-minute factory tour, you might see workers making and packaging ice cream. This is one of the best places to visit in Vermont, especially for kids!
On days when it is not in operation, you can still view the plant’s interior; however, a movie will show the factory in operation.
Of course, they give you a sample of the day’s flavour, and at their scoop shop, you can sample even more options before deciding which one you like most.
Ice cream is available in insulated containers in the gift store, which also carries B&J goods. Visit the Flavor Graveyard to laugh at the old flavour names and mourn the loss of the “dearly de-printed” flavours.
9. Farmers’ Market in Brattleboro
The Brattleboro Farmers Market in Vermont is a role model for other markets in a region renowned for its small farms and agriculture.
In addition to providing a place to buy freshly picked food from small independent local farmers, it serves as a social gathering place, a meeting spot, a frequent stop for Saturday lunch, and a part of southern Vermonters’ weekend routine.
With flowers, handmade bread, farm cheeses, homemade soap, local honey, maple syrup, pottery, jewellery, trendy scarves, and French pastries, you’ll discover all your old favourites and the newest trendy veggie varieties.
It is one of the best locations to go in Vermont if you have a little bit of a sweet tooth.
10. A Planetarium and Fairbanks Institution
A museum that covers a range of topics, from Vermont’s flora to the mysteries of the cosmos, was endowed by the owner of Fairbanks Scales, although it lacks the musty odour of a classic Victorian museum. It is among the best places to visit in Vermont, especially for history buffs.
The National Register of Historic Places-designated 1891 structure is home to various expected and unexpected exhibits, such as mounted birds and animals, Native American stone tools, and Civil War artefacts.
Look at the odd collection of Victorian portraits of people like Washington, Lincoln, and other historical figures made completely of insects and beetles.
A well-liked tourist attraction is the live broadcast studio for Vermonters’ favourite weather show, Eye on the Sky. The planetarium shows focus on the sky over St. Johnsbury and beyond.
Downstairs is a kid-friendly nature centre featuring wasp colonies, frogs, iguanas, and other creepy animals.
11. Lake Champlain Valley
Lake Champlain, which is largely in Vermont and covers 120 miles between Vermont and New York with its northern point in Canada, is popular with tourists and one of the greatest places to visit in Vermont due to its recreational options, wildlife, and historical sites.
In Vergennes, the Basin Harbor Lake Champlain Maritime Museum explores the significance of the lake to the War of 1812 and the American Revolution.
Across the lake from Fort Ticonderoga in New York, which was assaulted in July 1777, is Mount Independence, a significant sister fort. After learning more about the visitor centre, use the trail maps with historical information to explore the 400-acre park.
12. The National Historical Park of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller
The operating farm and the Victorian home atop the hill are a part of the only national park in America that strongly emphasizes land stewardship.
The National Historical Park of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller is one of the best places to visit in Vermont- a tourist destination, the formal gardens surrounding them were created by some of the country’s best landscape architects.
The finest works of Victorian art, such as Tiffany & Co. stained glass windows and embossed wallpaper, are used to decorate the Queen Anne-style palace. The residence also showcases works from the Rockefellers’ Hudson River School artists collection.
13. Quechee State Park
The Ottauquechee River, which you can see flowing 165 feet below, has continuously laboured to make Vermont’s deepest valley deeper since glaciers excavated it around 13,000 years ago. The walkway along the arched iron bridge that carries Route 4 across the peak is the finest route to get to the Canyon.
The majesty of the Quechee State Park makes it one of the best places to visit in Vermont.
You can see the gorge’s lowest point because of the water level close to the gorge’s bottom, where a trail winds through a forest close to the rim.
The spectacular Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences (VINS), a wildlife rehabilitation facility where injured raptors are treated before being released back into the wild, is located close to the canyon and on Route 4.
14. Vermont Ski Resorts
From Jay Peak in the north to the slopes of Mount Snow in the south, skiing is accessible throughout Vermont. The roughly twenty ski mountains in the state provide downhill skiing opportunities for all levels of skiers, from novices to Olympic-bound professionals.
Modern snowmaking and grooming techniques are used to maintain slopes and trails in excellent shape from December through March. Here are some of the eastern United States’ top ski areas.
The ski resorts in Vermont, meanwhile, are open all year long. Mountain biking, ropes courses, mountain slides, and breathtaking lift rides that transport skiers to the peaks in the winter are among the year-round sports available on the larger ones.
Spas, swimming pools, Segway tours, golf courses, and family-friendly activities in resorts close to the base. Making it one of the best places to visit in Vermont.
15. Burlington Bike Park and Waterfront Park
From Oakledge Park northward to the Winooski River, a paved bicycle track encircles eight miles of Burlington’s Lake Champlain waterfront.
Burlington Bike Park and Waterfront Park is one of the best spots to visit in Vermont because of the gradated course and carefully positioned benches that give walkers and runners the best views of the lake.
There is a promenade built, and a boardwalk links the numerous parks that border the shoreline in the middle of it.
The ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center are located here, along with Vermont’s first All-America Display Garden, which features stunning ornamental plants that bloom in the summer and fall.
Summer festivals are held in Waterfront Park, and picnic tables are closed for a lakeside dinner. The route is bordered by azaleas that bloom magnificently in the spring. It is one of the best places to visit in Vermont.
Key Takeaways
There are several important tourist sites in the state of Vermont. The state is brimming with breathtaking natural beauty and other incredible attractions. A beautiful estate to explore in Vermont. The best places to visit in Vermont listed above should assist visitors in choosing the ideal travel plan and locations within this magnificent state.
Also read:
Which is the Biggest Mall in the USA
