Towns & Places in Vermont
The places worth your time in Vermont, from headline parks to the towns you will actually base in.
Stowe
Vermont's signature mountain town below Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in the state. Stowe Mountain Resort for skiing, the 5.3-mile paved Stowe Recreation Path, a walkable village, and the Route 108 drive up through Smugglers Notch (closed to cars in winter). The classic ski-town base in the north.
Explore
Burlington
The largest city in Vermont, on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain. The pedestrian Church Street Marketplace, a lakefront bike path, breweries, and the University of Vermont. The best-connected base in the state (BTV airport) and an easy launch point for the islands and the north.
Explore
Ben & Jerry'S and Waterbury
Waterbury is Vermont's unofficial food-and-beer capital, halfway between Burlington and Stowe off I-89. The Ben & Jerry's Factory in Waterbury runs guided tours and scoops daily, and the village packs in cideries, the Cold Hollow cider mill nearby, and one of the state's best brewery scenes.
Explore
Lake Champlain
The sixth-largest freshwater lake in the country, running about 120 miles along Vermont's western edge between the Green Mountains and New York's Adirondacks. Sailing and swimming in summer, ferry crossings to New York, and the Champlain Islands chain reaching north toward Canada.
Explore
Mount Mansfield
Vermont's highest peak at 4,395 feet, above Stowe. Hike the ridgeline to the summit (the Chin) in summer for long views into New York, New Hampshire, and Canada, or ride the resort gondola. The auto Toll Road climbs partway up from late spring through October.
Explore
Killington
The largest ski resort in the East at around 1,500 acres across six peaks, in the central Green Mountains. Known for the longest season in the region (it often opens earliest and closes latest), plus a downhill mountain-bike park and golf in summer.
Explore
Woodstock
One of the most photographed villages in New England, on the Ottauquechee River near Quechee. A green-centered downtown, the Billings Farm & Museum, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, and covered bridges within walking distance. A favorite leaf-peeping and weekend base.
Explore
Montpelier
The smallest state capital in the country, with no chain restaurants downtown. The gold-domed State House, a compact walkable center, a strong independent food scene, and an easy stop off I-89 between Burlington and the Upper Valley.
Explore
Manchester
Southern Vermont's polished base: designer outlets along Route 7A, the marble sidewalks of Manchester Village, the Equinox resort, and Hildene (Robert Todd Lincoln's estate). Close to Stratton and Bromley for skiing and the Battenkill for fly fishing.
Explore
Quechee Gorge
Vermont's deepest gorge, about 165 feet down to the Ottauquechee River, spanned by the Route 4 bridge near Woodstock. A quick roadside overlook plus short trails to the bottom, the VINS nature center, and Simon Pearce glassblowing in Quechee village nearby.
Explore
Smugglers Notch
A narrow mountain pass on Route 108 between Stowe and Jeffersonville, walled by 1,000-foot cliffs and house-sized boulders. The road closes to cars in winter. Smugglers' Notch Resort on the Jeffersonville side is one of the best family ski destinations in the East.
Explore
Shelburne
Just south of Burlington on Lake Champlain. Shelburne Farms, a working farm and education center on a Gilded Age estate, the sprawling Shelburne Museum with 39 buildings of Americana, and Shelburne Vineyard. An easy half-day from the city.
Explore