Central Vermont towns of Killington, Woodstock, Ludlow packed with things to do

Vermont > Central > Things to Do and See > 30 Great Things To Do in Vermont

Central Vermont offers great things to do in every season. This region is home to the Green Mountain National Forest, The stunning Quechee Gorge, and many maple sugar works. Cozy inns and full service resorts offer every kind of luxury and relaxation. Enjoy the best biking, hiking, golf, tennis, boating, fishing, swimming in warmer weather and skiing, snowboarding, ice skating and snowshoeing when winter sets in. Discover the many fairs and festivals with arts, crafts and antiques, visit local farms, and savor great food, beers, wines and cider.

Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks

1168 County Road Montpelier, VT, 05602 Phone: Toll-Free: 800-242-2740

Four-season fun and a whole lotta maple goin’ on

Morse Farm is four-season, every day fun. The Woodshed Theater has displays and artifacts and a humorous and educational video about the Morse Farm maple process. There’s a nature trail, country store, and an outdoor farm life museum with an antique replica of the Vermont State House. Sprinkled about the farm are whimsical carved soft sculptures created by Burr Morse. A maple trail leads to the trees where the 200 year Morse farm experience continues. Savor samples of Vermont Maple syrup, jams and jellies, and you’ll find local crafts and gifts. In the winter, the Ski Touring Center has cross country and snowshoe trails, sliding, snowmobiling and skating. And later in the season it’s Sugarin’ Time and the Sugar House will have its annual maple tastings.

Horseback Riding by the Lake - Mountain Top Inn & Resort - Chittenden, VT

Mountain Top Resort

195 Mountain Top Road Chittenden, VT, 05737 Phone: 802-483-2311

Something fun for everyone, every season, at this breathtaking mountain resort

Four seasons of the year, the breathtaking Mountain Top Resort provides fun, engaging, even exhilarating things to do for guests. Spring walks in the meadows and kayaking on the crystal-clear lake; summer days at the private beach, horseback-riding, fishing, paddle boarding or playing tennis; clay-bird shooting or walking among the 40 miles of trails in the fall; and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice-skating, sledding, snowmobiling and horse-drawn-sleigh riding in the winter. There’s also a heated outdoor pool with the amazing views seen everywhere at this 700-acre resort, sand volleyball and a pontoon boat. Nearby are breweries, farms, a cidery, downhill skiing, the Ben & Jerry’s factory, Vermont Country Store and Vermont Teddy Bear factory.

Lake Morey Resort

1 Clubhouse Road Fairlee, VT, 05045 Phone: 802-333-4311 Toll-Free: 800-423-1211

Over 25 activities designed to keep you engaged and entertained at this lakefront resort

With over 25 exciting, engaging and entertaining activities on site, you will be all set for that perfect I-don’t-have-to-get-in-the-car vacation at the stunning Lake Morey Resort. Warm-weather activities include kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, biking, hiking, lawn games and guided activities. You can rent a pontoon boat or motorboat; play basketball, volleyball or bocce ball; take in a movie; or relax in the heated indoor pool or sauna. In the winter, there is pond hockey on the frozen lake, a 4.3-mile ice-skating trail, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Area attractions range from classic general stores and Dartmouth’s classic college town to the Billings Farm and Museum, a planetarium and the famous Quechee Gorge.

Falls of Lana Is a Stairway of Stone

Replete with dramatic twists and turns, the Falls of Lana in Salisbury, Vermont have been likened to a giant staircase and bannister made of stone. The drop totals 160 feet in all, and this breathtaking cascade makes it worthwhile to those brave enough to climb the steep terrain leading up to the viewpoint. To Find It: Take Route 7 south from Middlebury to Salisbury, where you will turn east on Route 53 heading to Lake Dunmore. Follow Route 53 for about 3 miles, until you cross Sucker Brook, and you'll see a powerhouse on your right. Park here in an unobtrusive way. Follow the penstock up the hill until you see a wire fence on your left. This is the cliff-top viewpoint of the middle tier. [photo: Dean Goss and Northeast Waterfalls]

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Mad River; Lovely Byway

Among the country’s wonderful National Scenic Byways is the Mad River Byway, which travels along two of Vermont's most scenic roads, Routes 100 and 100B. Towns and villages along this byway include Middlesex Village (Route 2); Moretown (Route 100B); Waitsfield, Warren, Granville Gulf Reservation (Route 100); Fayston, and Buels Gore to the top of the Appalachian Gap (Route 17). The byway is heavily salted with classic New England landscape and architecture - mountain ridgelines, a winding river, hillside farms, and steepled villages.

Apple-Infused Pleasures at Cold Hollow

Vermont’s beautiful Route 100 offers beautiful views and interesting stops on all sides, and one of the more refreshing of these is Cold Hollow Cider Mill at 3600 Waterbury Stowe Road in Waterbury Center. Visitors can watch cider being pressed the old-fashioned way and taste it from a sample tank. Next, watch the activity of honey bees -- a major work force in the orchard -- in an observation hive, and see the Donut Robot churn out 800 dozen cider donuts a day. Enjoy lunch at the Applecore Luncheonette; taste the hard cider. It's all surrounded by glorious views. 800- 327-7537.

Gorge Yourself on Mountain Beauty

Quechee State Park at 5800 Woodstock Road in Hartford, is home to Quechee Gorge, the "Grand Canyon of the East," formed by glacial activity approximately 13,000 years ago. Visitors can look down at the Ottauquechee River, flowing 165 feet below viewing points along Route 4. It is a spectacular scene that awes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Near the gorge on Route 4 is Quechee Gorge Village, a favorite shopping attraction. Here you can re-up on batteries for your camera and visit the Cabot Quechee Store, Danforth Pewter, Vermont Toy & Train Museum, Vermont Spirits, The Quechee Diner, Snow Farm Gallery, and more.

Perfect Storm of Covered Bridges

Vermont has more than 100 covered bridges, the heaviest concentration per mile of any state. The earliest of these beloved and hardworking bridges, dates from 1820. The state offers a handy covered bridge map for people who like to visit and photograph these small engineering gems. Northfield, for instance, has three bridges within one-quarter mile of each other and they display two types of construction: lattice and queenpost. Vermont residents welcome visitors to enjoy these beautiful artifacts of the past.

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Play on the Trails, in the Water, at Montshire

Montshire Museum of Science, in the Vermont town of Norwich on the Vermont/New Hampshire border, offers lots of outdoor and nature-enhanced learning for families. Visit to hike the nature trails, which include the Planet Walk, where you can skip among the Sun, the planets, and asteroid belt. Splash in the water play areas of the David Goudy Science Park. Frolic at the The Play Grove. See museum website for hours. Email: mary.gaetz@montshire.org. 802-649-2200

Beautiful Place, Refined Pottery

The town of Woodstock is as close as you can get to an idyllic New England small town, and it’s all a genuine, working community, with plenty of interesting fun for visitors. The fun includes shopping, because the town and nearby neighbor are home to two refined pottery makers: Farmhouse Pottery, headquartered in Woodstock, and Miranda Thomas Pottery in nearby Bridgewater. Farmhouse describes itself as a place of “old-world potters with simple tools and strong beliefs in process and authenticity.” Its products – like the best-selling bowls, crocks, and candlesticks – are simple and exquisite (802-457-7486). It offers “clay dates,” where guests may work alongside a potter to create their own memento from the studio, Miranda Thomas Pottery in Bridgewater is a traditional workshop studio of experts making and decorating pots by hand. (802-672-5175)

Ride the Trails on an Icelandic Horse

The tireless movement of the Icelandic Horse makes it the ideal saddle horse, and you can take a trail ride on the Icelandic at the Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm at 3061 North Fayston Road in Waitsfield, in the heart of the Sugarbush area. The farm hosts full-day and half-day trail rides as well as two- to six-day treks. In winter, the Icelandic Horse is at its best, growing a shaggy coat and reveling in the snow. Rides accommodate all levels of riding skill, including novices. Children over 10 years old with riding experience are welcome. Phone: 802-496-7141

Mad River Antler – How Wild Does That Sound?

If you want to go home from your Vermont vacation with a really Vermont-y artifact, consider a chandelier, lamp, candle holders, or wine rack made from antlers of moose, elk or deer. The artists of Mad River Antler hastily note that that antlers used in these artworks are shed naturally by animals and later retrieved from the forest floor. And the artworks are beautiful. Tour the retail space at Bridge Street Trading Co., 40 Bridge Street in Waitsfield to enjoy this melding of nature and artistry.

Independent Bookseller Welcomes Book-Loving Folks

Bear Pond Books on Main Street in Montpelier presents a slogan “Celebrating 35 years of independent book selling in central Vermont,” and it takes pride in every word. The business opened in 1973 and has endured flooding, a major move to a beautiful historic building, and other ups and down. It offers customers a well-read staff, events such as public readings by authors, a communal gathering place, a resource for children’s literacy, and a useful website. Book lovers looking for things to do who are in or near Montpelier really must visit the store; you will feel right at home. Open daily. Phone: 802-229-0774

Enjoy Awesome Nature AND Shopping at This Gorge

Quechee Gorge is one of New England's most popular natural wonders. The 165-foot cleft in the mountain and its plunging stream can be seen from the Route 4 bridge and neighboring paths. When you are sated by the natural beauty, man-made fun is accessible at the adjacent Quechee Gorge Village at 5573 Woodstock Road, Quechee.. Twelve small shops sell artisan crafts like gold jewelry, alpaca clothing, antiques, home décor, gifts, and spa products. Visitors can chat with artists as they work. The Vermont Toy & Train Museum has added several new exhibits. You can rent Segways and take a ride.

Forest Canopy Walk at VINS

Vermont Institute of Natural Science, or VINS, at 149 Natures Way in Quechee opens in fall 2019 a new exhibit Forest Canopy Walk that accommodates people of all physical abilities. Because the VINS property drops in elevation as it slopes toward the backwater of the Ottauquechee River, the boardwalk to the canopy walk remains mostly level while the land drops away beneath. At the highest points, visitors will be 65 feet above the forest floor, sharing the space in the tree tops with birds, squirrels and other treetop life. The canopy walk includes a giant spider’s web and an eagle’s nest. VINS is open year-round, daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Call for canopy walk hours. 802-359-5000

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