Vermont Great Things to Do include fun family attractions, farms, parks

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

Find fun things to do and places to visit on your Vermont vacation. VT offers attractions for adults, families with kids, and more, like farm and winery visits; nature museums and parks; shopping for Vermont crafts, food, and art; bookstores; mountain walks and scenic drives; maple gifts; skiing and snow sports. Find a cozy B&B and explore! Call ahead to check on scheduling details, especially for outdoor activities.

Follow these links for : Museums & Galleries - Outdoor Adventures - Beach Areas - State & Local Parks

Basin Harbor

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

So many fun things to do at this resort by the lake that you’ll have to come back!

There are so many things to do at the Basin Harbor resort that you may have to keep coming back until you’ve done them all! Start with all the water-centric activities at this resort on Lake Champlain: sailing out on a Sunfish or tubing or waterskiing behind a power boat, fishing from a floating dock, paddleboarding or kayaking. Add in the lawn games, from croquet and badminton to giant chess. And the sports, including golf, tennis, basketball, soccer, pickleball. Oh, and there’s a kid’s camp, too. Don’t forget nearby activities: hiking, biking, touring vineyards and breweries, going to ball games, visiting museums. You can relax after your busy day in your private cottage or spacious guestroom. Please review our COVID policies before placing your reservation.

Scott Farm

707 Kipling Road Dummerston, VT Phone: 802-254-6868

Stunning orchard offers pick-your-own opportunities, great market, workshops, walks

Strolling on a sunny day through a gorgeous orchard: What could be more enticing? Except, perhaps, picking apples, or peaches, right from the trees in that orchard. At Scott Farm, part of the Landmark Trust USA and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, picking your own ecologically grown fruit is one of many charms. There’s the farm’s market, for example – stocked with the historic farm’s freshly picked fruits including unique heirloom apples, pears, plums, cherries, blueberries, apricots and grapes. That’s in addition to jams, jellies, pies, cider and various Vermont products. The farm, where parts of The Cider House Rules was filmed, also offers workshops, orchard walks and crepe nights as well as Heirloom Apple Days in October.

Waterfront & Flowers - Discover Newport, VT

Discover Newport Vermont

So much to do, indoors and out, in Newport Vermont

Deep lakes, scenic mountains, a vibrant downtown and activities to please vacationers all four seasons of the year. Located on Lake Memphremagog, the only New England lake shared with Canada, Newport has great sailing and boating all summer long. Visitors often book a scenic shoreline cruise or Sunday brunch out on water. A new waterfront recreation path offers plenty of outdoor adventures including biking, walking, running, birdwatching or just exploring nature. Take a break in the shade under a lakeside picnic pavilion or head to Prouty Beach for a game of tennis, basketball, or disc golf. Listen to live music near the gazebo or dine and shop downtown at independently-owned shops and art galleries. In winter, Newport, VT offers a variety of outdoor activities including ice fishing, skiing and snowmobiling.

Horseback Riding - Mountain Top Inn & Resort - Chittenden, VT

Mountain Top Resort

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

You don’t have to leave this idyllic resort to fill your days with engaging activities

The beauty of a vacation at the Mountain Top Resort? You don’t have to leave to find every kind of activity imaginable. Stroll down to the pristine 740-acre lake’s private sandy beach and take out a kayak, canoe or paddle board, fish for bass or sunfish (or catch frogs at the kids’ pond). Play tennis, disc golf or sand volleyball or take a clay bird shooting lesson. Go hiking, skiing or snowshoeing on 40 miles of trails, or go ice skating, or sledding, then come back for hot cocoa in the tavern or s’mores by the fire pit. Go horseback riding or glide through snow-covered meadows in a horse-drawn sleigh. Then relax in the pool, hot tub or with a massage at the spa.

Trust for Public Land - Protecting Vermont's cherished trails one step at a time

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Lake Diving - Northeast Kingdom VT Travel and Tourism Association - Get NEKed

Vermont's Northeast Kingdom

There’s an adventure for absolutely everyone in this exciting region of Vermont

Exciting adventures await in the Northeast Kingdom, home to breathtaking scenery and a hub for outdoor recreation, arts and culture and a growing foodie scene. Ski, snowshoe, bike or hike the region’s gorgeous woodland, lakefront and mountain trails. Spend an afternoon at a farmer’s market (do not leave without maple syrup), in the Museum of Everyday Life or in the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium. Catch a Circus Smirkus or Bread and Puppet performance or an outdoor concert. Go water skiing, fishing, swimming, kayaking or paddle boarding in a pristine lake, take a covered-bridge tour, visit a county fair, go golfing or check out the wide range of dining options, from farm-to-table restaurants to award-winning breweries and old-fashioned diners.

Lake Morey Resort

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

List of this lakeside resort’s activities is as vast as the mountains that surround it

From biking to boating, snowshoeing to swimming, the Lake Morey Resort has dozens of activities, all year long, to keep guests entertained and as active as they like. That means you can go on a 4.5-mile ice-skating trail in the winter or a pontoon boat tour in the summer. You can golf on a championship course, paddle a kayak or play tennis or bocce ball. Or, you can just relax: in a sauna, indoor heated pool or on the beach. There’s a slate of activities for kids and families, from organized STEM activities to volley ball and classic bingo games. If you do decide to leave the resort, the local area features general stores, farms to visit, a science museum and a planetarium.

Summer Camp Bonfire - Your Place in Vermont - Okemo Valley

Okemo Valley - Your Place in Vermont

The skiing is great, but there is so much more to see and do in this scenic valley region

If you think Okemo Valley is just about skiing, think again: This picture-perfect region is rich in outdoor and indoor activities, every season of the year. But first: The skiing, both alpine and Nordic, is great. So is the snowboarding, snow tubing, snowmobiling, skating and fat-biking. But there’s also zip-lining, hang-gliding, rock-climbing, golf, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, swimming: And that’s just part of the outside list! There are museums to visit, plays and concerts to see, scenic trains to ride. Visit the Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site or a farm with baby animals. Ride a horse, hike to a mountain summit, go on a cycling tour or zip down a mountain on a coaster track. Dining and shopping are both eclectic and plentiful.

Elegant Consignments, Décor with Pizza, Local Art

Manchester is a place of high culture and good taste, applying across the tableau of vacation experiences, including usually mundane fun like consignment shopping and pizza. For instance, Perfectpiece Consignments on Maine Street in Manchester Village presents high-quality furniture, rugs, and accessories. Choose from 15,000 items in many styles and periods. Open daily. At Depot 62 bistro + café in the Depot District display high-end collectibles, art, and rugs. At Helmolz Art Gallery, the newest member of the Manchester Designer Outlets, artwork from near and far is carefully chosen for your enjoyment.

Enjoy Views of the Mountains from Dover

The Dover Town Forest Trail, located near Dover and on the eastern edge of the Green Mountain National Forest, offers an east, three-mile walk along a well-maintained trail that follows an old roadbed along a ridge to the Rock River. The trail offers views of Mount Snow and Haystack Mountain to the west and East Dover and South Newfane to the east. From the center of West Dover, take Valley View Road to Cooper Hill Road. Just before the Cooper Hill Inn turn onto Rice Hill Road. Parking and entry to the forest can be found at the end of Rice Hill Road.

Montshire Museum of Science - Norwich, VT

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.

Forest Canopy Walk at VINS

Vermont Institute of Natural Science, or VINS, at 149 Natures Way in Quechee presents 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.

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)

Stone Valley Byway Traverses Mountain Slopes

Vermont Route 30, spanning Manchester to Poultney through the Mettawee Valley, is now the Stone Valley Scenic Byway. Traveling the byway takes you through an area with a rich history in slate and marble production. A trip on the Stone Valley Byway is highlighted by mountain slopes that provide a dramatic backdrop to the rural landscape and provide access to a host of recreational opportunities. Historic, picturesque towns dot the valley floor, and rich agricultural soils have accumulated alongside the free-flowing Mettawee and Poultney Rivers. Lake St. Catherine, a state park, golf course and many smaller water bodies along the byway corridor are exceptional natural, scenic, and recreational resources.

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.

Molly Stark Trail - Wilmington, VT - Photo Credit Brattleboro VT Chamber of Commerce

Byway Follows Victory Route of Colonial General

Molly Stark Byway traverses southern Vermont along Route 9 from Brattleboro to Bennington. The byway is named after the wife of General John Stark who led the Colonial militia to a victory at the Battle of Bennington on August 16, 1777. The Molly Stark Byway winds through valleys and past historic villages, busy downtowns, and the spectacular Green Mountain National Forrest. It is anchored at either end by vibrant historic town centers in Brattleboro and Bennington, and including a classic New England crossroads village in Wilmington in between. (photo: Brattleboro VT chamber of Commerce)

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.

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.

Southern Vermont Art Center - Manchester, VT

Wonderful Artwork and Trails for Natural Beauty

The Southern Vermont Arts Center at 930 Southern Vermont Arts Center Drive in Manchester is a respite of natural beauty and human artistry. Located within 100 acres of forest in the Green Mountains, the Center offers a changing exhibitions, a sculpture park, woodland hiking on the Boswell Botany Trail, and live music in the summer at the Arkell Pavilion. Art is on display in the 28-room Yester House Gallery (formerly a mansion) and three other galleries. On the grounds: hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Prepare to be dazzled.

Spectacular Views, Hikes, Exploration at Merck Forest

Located on top of Rupert Mountain, off Route 315 on Rupert, Merck Forest and Farmland Center is thousands of acres of open land available for hikes and other activities. Parts of the property are actively farmed, with concentration on organic, sustainable agriculture. Visit the farm, explore the forest or stay overnight in a rustic cabin or lean-to. With 30 miles of trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and horseback riding Merck Forest has a multitude of recreational opportunities. Open daily, from dawn to dusk, year-round.

Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm - Waitsfield, VT

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.

Meet Vermont's Covered Bridges

Few structures in America combine architectural ingenuity, economic necessity, and romantic idealism better than the covered bridge. Covered bridges flourished in the United States in the 19th century. Pennsylvania has the greatest number of covered bridges, and Vermont, with about 104 covered bridges, has the highest number relative to the state’s size. In Southern Vermont, some highlights of the many covered bridges include the Bridge at the Green (Arlington Bridge) in Arlington and the Henry / Burt Bridge in Bennington, which is a short distance from the rebuilt Paper Mill Bridge and the Silk Bridge. Covered bridges offer a wonderful opportunity to stop, take pictures, dip your feet in the river, and even to picnic.

Dive Into the Life of the Mind at the Athenaeum

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum at 1171 Main Street in the northern Vermont town of St. Johnsbury has many great daily activities for adults and kids who want to explore the life of the mind. One example is the Frist Wednesdays series, where experts ramble about interesting topics. Recent topics were Vincent Van Gogh and the Books He Read and Bierstadt’s “Domes of Yosemite,” and the Creation of an American Icon. You can ekep uo with many other topical or quirky subjects by watching the Athenaeum’s Events page.

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