10 Best Things to Do in Vermont

Lake Champlain is one of the most popular areas of Vermont for outdoor recreation. The beautiful lake offers stunning woodland scenery, sandy beaches, prime fishing spots, and opportunities for boating and watersports.

Several parks are around the lake for outdoor recreation as well, including the Sand Bar State Park and Button Bay State Park, both of which have campgrounds, beaches, watersport rentals, and beach fun like horseshoe pits and picnic areas. On the waterfront, you’ll find restaurants, bars, and shopping for a night out.

Stowe is a vibrant mountain town in northern Vermont known for its ski resorts. It’s backed by Mount Mansfield, an exciting peak for skiing and snow trails, and the Smugglers’ Notch State Park, a dense forest park with a mountain pass. You could also spend time in the outdoors on the Stowe Recreation Path.

To learn more about the town’s history as a winter sports destination, visit the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum and see exhibits on vintage ski gear and memorabilia.

The Shelburne Museum displays an array of art, design, and Americana in the charming town of Shelburne. The massive museum has 39 buildings that feature over 100,000 paintings, quilts, decorative arts, antique furnishings, carriages, and other works.

Around the museum, the grounds have elaborate landscaping with a formal garden, vegetable gardens, perennial gardens, and the prize of the collection, over 400 lilacs. The Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education is also on the grounds and offers 2 galleries, a classroom, and an auditorium.

Hildene is the former summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln and his wife and is one of the most popular attractions in Vermont. Robert Todd was the eldest son of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. The estate includes a stunning Georgian revival home on a promontory surrounded by over 400 acres of land. The grounds have meadows, wetlands, and a formal garden filled with flowers. 

Inside the home, you could see Lincoln family furniture and a restored Æolian pipe organ. Another highlight of a trip to the grounds is the Rowland Agricultural Center, which has a herd of Nubian goats and a cheese-making facility.

The Church Street Marketplace in Vermont is a fantastic outdoor pedestrian shopping mall that spans 4 blocks. It’s go-to if you want to shop on your trip, offering a combination of well-known and indie brands for fashion, homewares, books, and artwork. But it offers more than just shopping pleasures.

You'll find several public art galleries in Church Street Marketplace as well, such as the Firehouse Gallery and Pine Street Art Works. The Church Street Marketplace is part of the Church Street Historic District, which has numerous buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Floating Bridge is a unique attraction on the Sunset Lake in Vermont. The only floating bridge east of the Mississippi River, it dates back to 1820 and is completely supported by pontoon boats on the water.

Along with seeing the landmark, many visitors come to the bridge to go fishing and swim in the lake. At the nearby Allis State Park, you could hike, bike, and explore the vast parkland that also has campgrounds and recreation areas for all seasons.

The Ben & Jerry’s Factory is one of the most popular attractions in Vermont which offers tours of the famous and beloved brand’s ice cream factory. Tour usually lasts about a half-hour, and you’ll watch a movie about the founders and their dream to make an ice cream brand and see the ice cream manufacturing process in action.

The end of the tour brings you to the FlavoRoom, where you can sample the delicious flavors of the day. When you’re finished, you can visit the scoop shop to get a full serving of your favorite flavor and stop in the gift shop.

The Bennington Battle Monument and Museum is a towering stone obelisk that commemorates the Battle of Bennington in the American Revolutionary War. When you visit the monument, you can take an elevator to the observatory level and take in the views of Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts.

The monument has dioramas of important battles, statues of significant figures, and other smaller attractions. One of the highlights is the statue of Brigadier General John Stark, one of the generals of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

The Brattleboro Farmers’ Market is a top shopping destination in Vermont. The farmers market hosts several individual markets for fresh produce, artisan goods, prepared foods, and other food products from local farmers, growers, and producers.

The market also regularly holds events, such as live music concerts from local bands and performers, harvest days, and kids’ days with baked goods and crafts for young children. There’s always something fun going on at the market, so be sure to see what events are on the schedule during your trip.

The Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium is a fascinating destination in Vermont for all ages, offering exhibits on natural science, history, and ethnology. Astronomy is the focus in the Lyman Spitzer Jr. Planetarium.

You could see just about anything you could think of in the museum, ranging from natural specimens to taxidermy dioramas to dinosaurs to cultural artifacts from all over the world. In the summer, you can visit the native butterfly house and see an observation beehive.