These 9 Towns Are Vermont's Best-Kept Secrets
Vermont is one of the most beautiful states in the New England territory of eastern US. Within this realm that produces the most amount of maple syrup in the entire nation, visitors might find it difficult to negotiate the Green Mountains and other sinuous stretches in Vermont. Fortunately, you can better prepare yourself for a long and rewarding vacation throughout Vermont by familiarizing yourself with these nine small towns that happen to be Vermont’s best-kept secrets. From mountainous towns like Stowe and Dorset to destinations like Montpelier and Manchester that bear cultural and historic significance to Vermont, you will be entrusted with Vermont’s best-kept secrets and encouraged to explore these beautiful and dynamic small towns in a state so named from the French words “vert” (green) and “mont” (mountain) as a reference to the Green Mountains. Consider visiting one or all of these nine towns that are Vermont's best-kept secrets.
Stowe
Stowe is stowed away in the high and snow-capped mountains of Vermont. Mount Mansfield, one of the highest peaks in the state, looms over the secretive and secluded resort town where one can appreciate skiing and snowboarding experiences down the mountain slopes in the region. From several scenic routes such as the Auto Toll Road, one can ascend to the top of one of the mountain summits around Stowe and gaze upon the majestic landscapes around the village. At Mount Mansfield, you can be enamored by the forested trails and woodland sceneries afforded to newcomers at the Smugglers’ Notch State Park and at CC Putnam State Forest. You can also follow the Stowe Recreation Path and the West Branch of the Little River through town for more exciting and rewarding vistas of the land.
Best of all is the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum, where one can admire and peruse the various ski gear and artifacts that many visitors have used in their merrymaking expeditions and adventures in one of Vermont’s best-kept secrets. From spring to winter, and throughout the whole year, there are many more activities and opportunities to pursue in Stowe, especially in outdoor areas like the Camel's Hump State Park to the south and Long Trail State Forest to the north. Most importantly, you can feel at east and at peace when spending your warm nights at one of Stowe’s accommodating establishments, among them The Little River Inn, the Topnotch Resort, and the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort.
Woodstock
The village of Woodstock is another serene and remarkable resort destination in Vermont’s rural countryside. There may not be many tall mountains to traverse and ascend in Woodstock, but there are several arboreal areas for you to enjoy, the best of them being both the Green Mountain National Forest and the Coolidge State Forest. Additionally, Woodstock is famous for housing the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, a forested national park replete with an 1800s Queen-Ann mansion and exhibits concerning conservation history. Around the town’s central square known as the Green, you can find several other historic abodes for you to tour, such as the 1880s pink sandstone Norman Williams Public Library. Meanwhile, within Billings Park, you can educate yourself deeply on what 19th-century farm life used to look like at the Billings Farm & Museum. There are other surprises and secrets to uncover in this small village nestled beside the Ottauquechee River, so consider booking a room in one of Woodstock’s humble dwelling places such as the Woodstock Inn & Resort or The Shire Woodstock.
Middlebury
A few miles from Lake Champlain, the body of water separating the states of New York and Vermont, the small shire town of Middlebury is home to the prestigious Middlebury College, one of the most affluent and influential colleges in Vermont. In 1810, President Timothy Dwight of Yale University once affectionally described the town as “On the whole Middlebury is one of the most prosperous and most virtuous towns in New England.” The first nail and window sash factories in Vermont were established in Middlebury, and the first marble industry was founded that supplied marble to markets from Quebec, Canada, all the way to the state of Georgia. These moments and achievements in Middlebury’s past can best be explored in the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.
The Middlebury College Museum of Art, on the other hand, enchants visitors with its impressive and immersive artworks from students in the Middlebury College. For those with an affinity for literature, you can take the road less traveled and follow the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail whose paths are laden and flanked with several displays showcasing the many poems of US Poet Laureate Robert Frost. There are many other paths less traveled to the west of town, particularly in the northern regions of the Green Mountain National Forest. Finally, there are plenty of lodgings for you to spend your evenings in Middlebury, such as the Swift House Inn, The Middlebury Inn, or the Middlebury Sweets Motel.
Montpelier
Perhaps the least-best-kept secret on this list, Montpelier nevertheless manages to surprise visitors with its hidden treasure. So named from the city of Montpellier in France, the town is also the capital of Vermont, and probably one of the smallest capital cities in the US with a population of less than 8,000 individuals. Regardless of its small stature, Montpelier has several huge attractions worth seeing, among them the Vermont State House that has retained its gold-domed, Greek Revival architecture since its construction in 1859. The Vermont State House houses a fine arts collection as well as a statue of Ethan Allen, a hero of the American Revolution, in its portico. Adjacent to the state capitol is the Vermont History Museum, where one can learn more about the history of Vermont and the background of Montpelier’s rise to prominence. At Hubbard Park, you can stand atop a stone observation tower to get a lay of the land or go traipsing through the wooded routes and trails of the area. More opportunities for exploration can be experienced when sauntering through both the Groton State Forest and the Kettle Pond State Park. As for lodgings, you can seek accommodations at either the Inn at Montpelier or High Hill Inn.
Dorset
Ever since it was chartered in 1761, the humble village of Dorset has welcomed and entreated various newcomers in the hills of Vermont. The town was popular for housing Cephas Kent's Inn, the precise location where four meetings of the Convention led to the signing of the Dorset Accords which created the independent Vermont Republic and the region’s future statehood. The Dorset Historical Society’s Bley House Museum explains more about this pivotal moment in Vermont’s history, while destinations like the Wilson House serve as a museum for William Griffith Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous and its accompanying 12-step program. The Manley-Lefevre House, in contrast, is home to the Marble House Project, a multidisciplinary artist residency program which you can try out and whose resources can be found in places like the Freedley Quarry. If you are eager for more exploration, you can either ascend to the top of Owlhead Summit or go strolling through the evergreen landscapes and lakes and ponds of the Emerald Lake State Park. However, if you wish to spend a lengthy vacation in Dorset, you can seek out a place to reside at either the Aerie Inn or The Dorset Inn.
Grafton
Nestled in the high mountains of Vermont and about a few miles from the Connecticut River which marks the state border of New Hampshire, travelers will be smitten by the delightful little town of Grafton. It was once a progressive stagecoach hub for traffic across the Green Mountains into the town of Albany in the state of New York. It is also home to one of the oldest continually operating hotels in the US, The Grafton Inn, having opened its doors in 1801 and continuing to accommodate numerous visitors into its quaint abode. In the past, several historic figures like Ulysses S. Grant, Woodrow Wilson, and American Transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau once resided in The Grafton Inn in their vacation time in Vermont.
These days, visitors are encouraged to go venturing through some of Grafton’s outdoor recreation areas, such as the Grafton Village Park, Grafton Town Forest, and Mollie Beattie State Forest. At the Beaver Deceivers International, you can get a chance to spot some of the most elusive and intriguing wildlife that Grafton is famous for protecting and fostering. Meanwhile, at both the Grafton Trails & Outdoor Center and The Nature Museum, you can be better prepared and informed about the various secrets and routes you can take to see more of Grafton’s splendid countryside. Naturally, you can spend your nights at the historic Grafton Inn, or in other lodgings like The Grafton Lodge or The Inn at Woodchuck Hill Farm. In any case, you will have a fun and laidback experience in the tranquil town of Grafton.
Manchester
Less than seven miles south of Dorset, the beautiful small town of Manchester shelters one of the most historic abodes and domiciles in American history: the Hildene, the former summer residence of President Abraham Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, and his wife, Mary. Travelers are permitted to explore the Greek Revival mansion, gardens, and farm that the Lincoln family once owned within the confines of the Green Mountains and Taconic Mountain Range. In addition to this historic estate, there are several museums in Manchester each with unique features and exhibits. The American Museum of Fly Fishing, for example, showcases rods, flies, and angling-related art and techniques that many experienced fishers have used to catch many a fish on the Batten Kill River. Both the Museum of the Creative Process and the Southern Vermont Arts Center, meanwhile, exhibit unique art and sculptures for those with an interest in the unusual and extraordinary.
Within the mountains surrounding Manchester, you can venture into a handful of panoramic and photogenic landscapes such as the Dana L. Thompson Memorial Park. Additionally, you can take a few picturesque routes towards the summit of Mount Equinox to get a better view of Green Mountains and the Taconic Mountain Range. You will not be feeling so anxious or unwanted in Manchester, not when you are staying in one of the town’s resplendent establishments like The Reluctant Panther Inn & Restaurant, The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa, or The Inn at Manchester.
Shelburne
Shelburne, situated a few miles south of the city of Burlington on the eastern strands of Lake Champlain, is an amicable and amazing destination for those wanting to appreciate more of Vermont’s agrarian culture. At Shelburne Farms, you can learn from a non-profit organization about the farm-to-table products and techniques that Shelburne farmers employ to provide for their communities and beyond. You can take photographs of Lake Champlain from idyllic spots such as Scenic Beach Bench and from Coach Barn. The Ticonderoga Steamboat is a well-preserved steamboat on land that also functions as an interactive museum depicting the steamboat industry in Shelburne and in Vermont. Amazingly enough, Shelburne is famous for containing the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, where you can appreciate the processes that create one of the most adorable stuffed animals in the world. Should you wish to discover more secrets and splendors in the small town of Shelburne, you are more than welcome to roam and rove through the panoramic farmlands of this exquisite small town.
Waitsfield
So named after militia general Benjamin Wait who fought around Lake Champlain and Lake George during the French and Indian War and in the American Revolutionary War, the small town of Waitsfield is a quaint and quiet destination about midway between Stowe and Middlebury. It is the birthplace of the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and for years Waitsfield has served as a four-season vacation destination with access to the many amenities in the Mad River Valley. One can go snowboarding and skiing from the slopes all over both the Mad River Glen Ski Area and Sugarbush Ski Resort. Art lovers will adore the annual Vermont Festival of the Arts in August to be held in Waitsfield. You can also appreciate the allure of modern art at the Bundy Modern with its contemporary and immersive exhibits. Travelers with a penchant for the outdoors can savor their experiences of nature when gallivanting through the Roxbury State Forest and at the summit of Mount Ellen, the third highest mountain in Vermont. Finally, you can retire and rest up for a new day of adventure in one of Waitsfield’s lavish lodgings along the Mad River, among them The Featherbed Inn, the Lareau Farm Inn, or The Inn at the Round Barn Farm.
Secrets are often meant to stay unpublicized and unknown, yet for the sake of fun and adventure, many ought to know these nine serene and sublime small towns in Vermont which are some of the state’s best-kept secrets for you to discover. Whether you are appreciating the lackadaisical ambiance of Waitsfield, the impressive and ecologically friendly farmlands of Shelburne, or the Green Mountains in towns like Grafton, you will undoubtedly find these best-kept secrets desirable destinations that many ought to visit. Whichever small town you wish to explore first or last in Vermont, you will definitely not regret your adventures in these nine towns that are Vermont's best-kept secrets.
