Stowe, Burlington & other northern VT towns filled with fun things to do

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

Discover the shores of Lake Champlain, Burlington’s cultural scene, and the Northeast Kingdom’s scenic splendor, quaint towns and some of the state’s best skiing and mountain biking. Travel the Craft Beverage Trail of vintners, brewers, distillers, cider-makers. Tag along with a llama on a walk in the woods. You’ll find original designs in crafts, jewelry, artwork, gifts and functional home decor. Hop into a hot air balloon and savor the gorgeous landscape below. There are museums to explore, a grand historic farm and cozy places to settle in by the water and relax

Basin Harbor

4800 Basin Harbor Road Vergennes, VT, 05491 Phone: 802-475-2311 Toll-Free: 800-622-4000

Just driving by? Maybe you should stay.

Not a Basin Harbor guest? Well until you make your reservation, we still want you to enjoy our 18-hole golf course or any of our delectable dining venues: The Red Mill Restaurant, The Main Dining Room or the Ranger Room. Like to eat outdoors? During the summer months, we offer al fresco dining on the dock buffet style. Visit the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and take advantage of our Three Pack deal. Lunch, lake cruise and admission to one of the most fascinating displays of maritime history. Check out our events calendar online to get more details on our annual festivals open to the public.

Lake Champlain Chocolates

750 Pine Street Burlington, VT, 05401 Phone: 800-465-5909

Come see where chocolate is made!

Take the sweetest tour in town at our Factory Store! Learn all about how chocolate is made and take in the aromas and sights — not to mention free samples, of a real chocolate factory. Watch us craft truffles, caramels, almond butter crunch and more. You might even see a giant bunny or a flock of chocolate turkeys being hatched. The through-the window tour is free, lasts about 30 minutes and is appropriate for ages 7 and older. Tours begin on the hour Monday-Friday, 11am-2pm. Self-guided tours are available after 3pm and before 10am. Saturdays and Sundays, drop in for a free chocolate tasting where you will discover the flavor profiles of four chocolates with a chocolate tasting guide.

Vermont Teddy Bear Factory & Bear Shop

6655 Shelburne Road Shelburne, VT, 05482 Phone: 802-985-3001 Toll-Free: 800-829-2327

Bears, Factory Tours and Adventures – Oh, My!

Ever wonder how Vermont Teddy Bears are made? Come visit us at our factory and Bear Store and see how our Bears come to life! Watch as our Bears take shape with sewing, stitching and stuffing. All tours are led by our knowledgeable Bear Ambassadors, and kids get to decode a secret Bear message along the way. End your tour with a visit to our Bear Shop where you can choose a new favorite Bear or make one of your own. All tour and store information is available on our website.

The Tyler Place Family Resort

175 Tyler Place Highgate Springs, VT, 05460 Phone: 802-868-4000

Bet you can't do just one

The only question here is not what to do but how to fit it all in one vacation. All inclusive means endless activity for every age. With a recreation center, 6 playgrounds, a soccer field, boating, fishing, basketball, volleyball and 6 tennis courts, an archery range, driving range and miniature golf, mountain and road biking, indoor and outdoor heated pools, field house gym and exercise and fitness center, arts and crafts studio, climbing walls and rope courses – well, you get the picture. 70 family cottages and suites, and a rambling, country Inn with a separate sleeping wing Three healthy meals daily, the Fireplace Lounge and Bar for Mom and Dad, and the age staggered children’s programs and you have one great resort to do great things. Lots of them!

Come see where Vermont Teddy Bears are created! Daily Factory Tours - Click for Times and Ticketing.

Green Mountain Coffee Visitors Center & Café

1 Rotarian Place Waterbury, VT, 05676 Phone: 802-882-2700 Toll-Free: 877-879-2326

One of a kind destination with a flavorful history

Have your first and next cup of coffee at this tastefully restored train station and visitor’s center. Set in Waterbury VT and built in 1875 with beautiful Victorian Italianate features, this stop has become a favorite New England destination with a global flavor and world-wide impact. Along with delicious cups and bags of great Green Mountain Coffee, Keurig brewers and accessories, you’ll find artisanal handicrafts, and unique items from coffee growing communities. Interactive displays and videos tell the Green Mountain Story and the café invites you to try a daily variety of free coffee samples, specialty drinks, locally made baked goods and light fare. Green Mountain Coffee is freshly brewed every day with a passion for "source to cup" authenticity.

Dogs + Sleds. Yowsah!

Mush! If you've never been dogsledding, it is time that you have this experience and put it on the list of things to do this winter. Eden Mountain Dogsledding at 1390 Square Road in Eden Mills is one place to have an authentic dogsledding experience. This is a real dog touring center where mushers and racers from all over New England come to train. The kennel of 28 Alaskan Huskies find joy in running and they will take you on a ride that you will remember for a lifetime. Cozy up in our comfortable touring sleds or learn to drive your own team. Get your family or a group together and make yourself a memorable winter experience. 802-635-9070.

Who You Calling Fat?

One of the top-rated regions in the country for mountain biking can be found near Burke Mountain, in the town of Lyndonville. Kingdom Trails is 110 miles of recreational, non-motorized trails through farmland and forest. Don’t imaging for a moment that the pace slackens in the winter. The Kingdom Trails Nordic Adventure Center, at 2079 Darling Road, is ground zero for people who want to get out on fatbikes (bikes with extra wide “fat” tires that allow travel over snow), Nordic (cross-country) skis and snowshoes. The Yurt is open 7 days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 802-626-6005. You can rent fat bikes. skis, and other equipment from Village Sport Shop Trailside located on Darling Hill and from East Burke Sports in East Burke village.

Hit the Slopes on a Cushion of Air

We didn’t see this coming. At Smugglers’ Notch ski area in northern Vermont, the classic sled, toboggan, flying saucer – pick your favorite – has mutated into an inflated cushion called an airboard. This A-shaped air cushion – which is steerable – lets you whip down the slope with wild abandon. At Smuggs’, certain trails are reserved for airboarding on weekday afternoons. Airboarding wannabees must be at least 12 years old and must take a short instructional clinic. Who’s up for a new snow thrill?

Dog Biscuits for All the Good Sports

The sled dogs at Peace Pups Dog Sledding on Cross Road in Lake Elmore are ready to stretch their legs. The dogs will pull you quietly along in a wheeled dog sled. Put on your wool sweater and take a late afternoon ride to enjoy the sunset over the Green Mountains. In fact, Peace Pups offers fun activities with Siberian Husky sled dogs all year around, including dog scooter outings, wheeled dog sled rides, skijoring, and winter dogsled tours. It is a Vermont adventure and a thing to do on vacation that you won’t forget. Phone: 802-888-7733.

Foodie Culture is Alive in Burlington

Since its beginnings in 2010, The Farm House in Burlington has prided itself on its humble farm-to-table cuisine, including its award-winning burgers and local craft beers. It has three sister restaurants, with one hosting a Taco Tuesday event every week in a beer garden. This lovely spot is constantly spicing things up by holding food-related events all summer long, including a brewer’s fest, a gin-themed evening and a celebration of summer tomatoes. If you find yourself in Vermont this summer, don’t forget to head to this unique establishment. 802-859-0888

Stowe Offers a Triumvirate of Great Country Stores

With the motto “Helping Vermonters Survive in Style Since 1895,” Shaw’s General Store on Main Street in Stowe covers most of the essentials, in products with quality and deep Vermont flavor. The Heritage Collection of rugged clothing brands includes Vermont’s Darn Tough socks. (802-253-4040). The Country Store opened in the historic Lackey Building on Maine Street in 2016 after a careful restoration of the old general store. More arty than Shaw’s, this is a great resource for artisan-made gifts. Stowe Mercantile, in the old Depot Building on Main Street, could be some version of a 1900 department store. For your needs to all kinds on a Stowe vacation or back at home, the wonderfully named Mercantile has you covered (802-253-7653).

This Place Hits the Sweet Spot

Prepare for a sweet welcome at April’s Maple, a family-owned maple farm, restaurant, and gift shop in Canaan, in gorgeous and quiet mountain country just a stone’s throw from the Canadian border. This operation harvests thousands of maple trees, makes syrup and many other maple treats, and hosts guests for lunch at a large, bright, building where all the maple inspiration comes together. It is a wonderful place to stop for refreshments and gift-shopping while hiking, driving, or riding nearby ATV trails in northern Vermont and New Hampshire grand country. 802-266-9624

The Governor’s House at 100 Main Street in Hyde Park Vt-credit-shutterstock

Tea Served in High Style, or Take-and-Make

Tea is served in high style and sold in glorious variety at two unique locations in northern Vermont. The Governor’s House at 100 Main Street in Hyde Park is an elegant bed-and-breakfast inn that serves tea in all appropriate high style on Thursday and Sunday afternoons (other times by pre-arrangement). The cream tea menu consists of warm freshly-made scones served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Relax and indulge! (802-888-6888)
Dobra Tea , in Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace, welcomes you for quiet refreshment and hard-to-find teas from remote places like India, China, and Japan. This Bohemian tea room also serves light foods and desserts. Taste and decide what to take home, The tea room also sells artisan tea serving ware. Wonderful for gifts. (802-951-2424)

Vermont Comedy Club at 101 Main Street in Burlington vt

Cow-Tipping and Other Yucks

Yeah, Vermont does comedy, above and beyond cow-tipping and cracker barrel humor. Vermonters can crack wise on themselves, and you, too. A husband-and-wife pair of comedians has opened Vermont Comedy Club at 101 Main Street in Burlington. The comedy space, built inside the old Armory, consists of a 150-seat showroom, a bar/lounge with craft cocktails and snacks, and a classroom for anyone who wants to do it himself. The weekly calendar is packed, including open mic nights and comedy jams. Drop in!

Kingdom Trails Open All Year to Skiers, Bikers, You Name It

One of the top-rated regions in the country for mountain biking can be found at and around Burke Mountain and Darling Hill near East Burke. Kingdom Trails is 110 miles of recreational, non-motorized trails through farmland and forest for bicycling and cross-country skiing, designed for people of all levels of ability. In snowy months, bring your cross-country skis or snowshoes and have at it. Fatbiking is big, too! Open year-round but call ahead for temporary restrictions between seasons, when trails are protected. Phone: 802-626-0737.

ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center on Lake Champlain in Burlington vt

Fun with a Water Monster at Champ Lane

Champ Lane, a new and brilliant play space for kids age 6 and younger, opened in February 2016 at ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center on Lake Champlain in Burlington. In addition to a fabulous indoor tree house (move over, Tarzan), Champ Lane has a deluxe water table, puppet theater, multilevel boat, play café, and mini French market named after Marché Atwater in Montréal. A book nook offers space for quiet reading, nursing and relaxing. There's also a classroom and lab that will be used to teach about animals and scientific inquiry. Fun for every style of kid. Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 802-864-1848.

Beers by Hill Farmstead Brewery in Hillsboro vt

Farm-Made Beers Generate National Excitement

A farm-based beer brewer that is quickly developing a national reputation for unique beers is found waaay up in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, near the town of Greensboro. Beers by Hill Farmstead Brewery , at 403 Hill Road, are hand-crafted and the outcome of years of experience and education. The brewery is based on farmland in use by a family for 220 years. The retail shop, open Wednesdays to Saturdays, noon-5 p.m., is the only place the beer is regularly available. Twelve beers on draft are available at any given time, in 2-liter and 750-ml, bottles. These folks are serious about hand-crafted beers; they even host a Festival of Farmhouse Ales in August.

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