Fall Getaway to Vermont
Explore Vermont in the Fall with this guide on what to do and where to stay. This guide includes a road trip through Vermont to some of the must-see towns and spots!
Vermont in the fall was a bucket list item for me! Living in Texas, we don't really have "seasons" and I always wanted to see the colorful leaves change in the fall. Plus, the idea of Vermont in the fall seemed cozy, spooky, and like the perfect place to spend my favorite season. Here's what we ended up doing on our trip- enjoy!
Getting there
To get to Burlington, Vermont, we actually flew into Manchester, NH and rented a car. The flights were pretty cheap, and we did a quick trip to Quebec on the front end, so we drove around a lot! This was great because we got to see so many beautiful hills covered with orange, red, and yellow trees. It was a great way to see a lot of the state! Once we left Quebec, here are the towns we explored in Vermont:
-Burlington
-Stowe
-Waterbury
-Woodstock
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington felt a lot like our hometown of Austin, Texas. Located on Lake Champlain, the downtown area had lots of fun shops and restaurants. There was a main area in downtown called Church Street Marketplace where we walked, ate and shopped.
Dining:
-The Friendly Toast
-Pascolo Ristorante
-Farmhouse Tap and Grill
-Burlington Bagel Bakery
-Onyx Tonics Specialty Coffee
-Waterworks Food + Drink (Winooski)
Where to Stay:
We stayed at the Ellis Inn, a bed and breakfast up the road in Colchester. The owners live onsite, and its such a quant and cute home! They went all out decorating the inn for Halloween, and the owners gave us lots of recommendations of things to do in the area. They also made a homemade breakfast each morning, which was delicious and included with our room!
Things to Do:
-Walk around Church Street Marketplace
-Visit Winooski, a tiny town outside of Burlington located on the Winooski river with fun places to eat
-Walk around the University of Vermont
-Day trips to Stowe and Waterbury
Daytrips to Stowe and Waterbury:
One neat thing about Burlington is how close it is to some other fun cities like Stowe or Waterbury. When driving to Stowe, we went through Smugglers Notch, a mountain pass in Cambridge with giant rocks. There are lots of twists and turns, but it is beautiful!
Stowe:
Stowe is a ski town with a cute downtown area. You may recognize the big white church that sits in the middle of downtown and is a popular photo op! We spend the day walking around Stowe, popping in and out of shops, grabbing coffee, and enjoying the beautiful views. The whole area was actually quite spread out, and I was glad to have a car to get to really enjoy everything!
Things to do:
-Walk on Stowe recreation path
-Visit Stowe Community Church
-Grab coffee at Black Cap Coffee & Bakery
-Pop into the cute shops in town
-Grab a drink at The Alchemist Brewery
-Visit the Von Trapp Brewery (the family from Sound of Music!)
-Along the way, stop at the Old Red Mill & Craft Shop
Waterbury:
Waterbury's actual downtown was a small, but there were lots of fun things to do around the area! Here are some of the things we enjoyed. Although we only spent about a half day here, we could have probably made it a full day! Hiking at Camel's Hump was beautiful, but I was pregnant, so we didn't do a full hike.
-Ben & Jerry's factory tour and ice cream graveyard (Book online ahead of time!)
-Cabot creamery store
-Eat dinner at Prohibition Pig or Stone's Throw Pizza & Wine
-Hike at Camel's Hump State Park
-Cold Hollow Cider Mill for some hot apple cider
Cold Hollow Cider
Woodstock, Vermont
If I could pack up and move anywhere, it may be to Woodstock, Vermont. We fell in love with this cute town and all their covered bridges + beautiful homes! We had the best day walking around here and exploring this town as we drove back to Manchester, NH for our flight home. It was the perfect little spot to spend the day!
What to do:
-Grab breakfast or lunch at Mon Vert Cafe
-Pop into shops along Central St.
-Take a stroll through the neighborhood
-Visit Middle Covered Bridge
-Stop by Woodstock Inn & Resort's beautiful lawn
Hartford, Vermont
Just up the road from Woodstock (and the last stop on our road trip to NH!) is a little town called Hartford. Here, we visited the VINS Nature Center. They have a wild bird rehab as well as a Forest Canopy Walk, where you can walk amongst the tops of the trees. It was so beautiful with all of the fall foliage!
