There are excellent towns to visit in Vermont. You can get there from here, in Central Vermont (with a little help from Google Maps). Whether you are looking for a local weekend getaway with lodging or a short day trip, you are certain to find something of interest to you, your friends, and your family when you find the home of your dreams here. Have a safe trip!
Local Weekend Getaways
Manchester Vermont: Enjoy a weekend getaway in nearby Manchester Vermont. Hotel & resort lodging choices include The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa (which features a Walter Travis course ranked as one of the “Top 75 courses in the U.S.”), Hampton Inn & Suites Manchester, and the Kimpton Taconic Hotel. There are also a handful of smaller family owned and operated bed & breakfasts and inns located in Manchester.
The fly-fishing company Orvis was founded in Manchester in 1856. The Orvis flagship store is located in town and their fly-fishing school is right across the street. Anglers can enjoy shopping for gear, take a tour of the rod shop and take a class. Orvis offers 1-day and 2-day fly-fishing classes for those new to the sport.
Area attractions include the American Museum of Fly Fishing (just a short cast away from the Orvis store), hiking at Lye Brook Falls, swimming and kayaking at Emerald Lake State Park, estate tours of Hildene The Lincoln Family Home and enjoying artwork at Southern Vermont Arts Center.
Woodstock Vermont: This small town community is made up of a rich mixture of farmers, artists, craftspeople, and vendors. They love visitors and have the lodging to prove it. There are many farmhouse style bed and breakfasts, historic Victorian inns, and hotels to choose from in the area. The Jackson House was a Yankee Magazine Editors’ Choice for “best couples retreat”. The Fat Sheep Farm and Cabins in neighboring Hartland (11 miles south of Woodstock) offer guests lodging on a working farm! There are five private cabins with all the necessary creature comforts (including Wi-Fi). Guests can help with the chores (feed the animals, collect eggs, and milk the sheep) during this unique farm experience weekend getaway.
Winter attractions include the Saskadena Six Ski Area (four miles north of Woodstock) for downhill skiing and snowboarding and hundreds of miles of groomed VAST trails for snowmobiling. There are excellent farm-fresh diners, cafes, and restaurants for the perfect meal. The Woodstock Town Theatre is managed by Pentangle Arts and is home to musical performances, stand up comedy, and movies.
Stowe Vermont: Lodging choices in this Vermont ski & ride town range from low-key to high-society.
The Trapp Family Lodge is a popular choice. The Trapp Family singers (made famous by the 1965 film The Sound of Music) toured the United States in the 1940s and settled in Stowe, Vermont in 1950. It reminded them of the beautiful Austrian landscape they had to leave behind. They opened a lodge on a farm. It is owned and operated by the von Trapp family to the present day. The upscale lodge is located on 2,500 acres in Stowe and features an abundance of activities on the property including snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, backcountry skiing, 20 miles of mountain biking trails, yoga, tennis, disc golf, hiking, and horse-drawn wagon rides through the scenic pastures and woods.
Stowe area attractions include Stowe Mountain Resort (excellent downhill skiing and riding when the time is right) breweries, wineries, art galleries, canoeing, kayaking, disc golf, fishing, road biking, hot air ballooning, and dog sledding. You will soon discover what the von Trapp family discovered in 1950, Vermont is great!
Day Trips
Shelburne Farms: Located in Shelburne Vermont, this upscale farm has all the makings of a great family day trip. The 1,400 acre working farm established by descendants of the Vanderbilt family has 10 miles of walking trails to explore, a beautiful Children’s Farmyard (with horses, dairy goats, dairy cows, heifers, beef cows, sheep, rabbits, pigs, chickens, and turkeys), cheesemaking, and formal gardens. You can even stay the night (they have 24 guest rooms at the inn and 4 guest cottages) and drive home the following day.
Montshire Museum of Science: This is a wonderful hands-on science museum for your younger family members (4-10 years of age) in Norwich Vermont. There are rotating exhibits and indoor and outdoor activities to better inform the imaginations of future scientists, engineers, musicians, artists, and naturalists alike. The upcoming exhibit “Under the Arctic, Digging into Permafrost” is produced and toured by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Your children will fondly remember the science museum day trips of their youth, and reflect on what they first discovered here throughout their illustrious careers.
Boyden Valley Winery & Spirits: Take a lovely drive to the town of Cambridge Vermont and taste a fine collection of distilled cream liqueurs from Boyden Valley Winery. The liqueurs feature apple brandy made from local apples, local cream, and wood-fired maple syrup produced on the family farm. The tasting room is closed for the season, but it will be open in the summer of 2023. You can sample the liqueurs, bourbon, and wines after the spring thaw (or stop by a local market and pick up a bottle today). Stay warm!
Our agents would like to help you find your perfect home in Central Vermont. This is where we live, work, and play. We love it here and think you will too. Contact Heney Realtors today!