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Beautiful (and under appreciated - I might add) section of the US.
Although we are from New York, we have spent many vacations in south/central Vermont. I wrote up something I have put on other forums. Hope it helps.....
Start in Bennington in the southwest corner of Vermont. Take in the Battlefield and the old cemeteries. They have grave markers for veterans of the Revolutionary War like most other states have them for WWI and II!! (Robert Frost is buried there). Take route 7A (not 7) north to Arlington, home of Norman Rockwell (many of his subjects still live there). Hop over to East Arlington for a picnic right by the waterfall/stream that runs through the town.
Back on 7A north to Camping on the Battenkill (like Lynn mentioned). Very woodsy, but great if you can fit and especially if you get one of the highly prized sites right on the Batenkill River. (I'm originally from Pittsburgh so it's really not a river to me more like a large stream!) Anyway, just up 7A is Battenkill Canoes they'll drive you up the river and you can canoe back down and take out at their shop. Just a little farther up is the Orvis flagship store. If you want the finest fly-fishing stuff on the planet, you are there.
Back on 7A to Manchester. Gobs of outlets if you're so inclined (we're not). Dorsett RV Park between Manchester and Dorsett is an immaculate small campground if you want a little less woods and bigger rig sites. This was our base campground for years until we got a larger camper and we stopped being tied to campgrounds with extremely clean bathrooms.
Take Route 11 east to Bromley Mountain. Take a couple trips down the Alpine Slide (small plastic sleds you ride down concrete tracks on the ski slope). Just past Bromley is Johnny Seesaw's restaurant. It's not cheap but it's the finest restaurant you will ever visit. It's an old speakeasy and house of ill repute!
Continue on 11 and then 100 north to Weston. Have a picnic lunch in the gazebo on the town square then shop at the Vermont Country Store. (If they don't have it, you don't need it!)
Continue on 11 north to Route 4 east to Woodstock. Great architecture and if you're still hungry after Johnny Seesaw's and your Weston picnic, have another picnic on the town square. Visit the Billings Farm and Museum. It's working farm with museum and lots of history. Nice hiking trails out of the farm into the mountains.
Continue on 4 east to Queechee Gorge at White River Junction. Pine Valley Campground is a very nice place to stay a couple days. Down miss the walk down into the gorge and the new raptor birds of prey center and sanctuary.
Hop on I-89 North to Montpelier. It's the smallest capital in the US. We walked in and went right into the governors office! (He wasn't in at the time).
A little longer on I-89 is Waterbury. Stop and have a tour of the Ben and Jerry's factory. Yum! Continue up 100 North to Stowe. A 5 mile paved bike trail takes you by some beautiful scenery. Shop in town and then drive up into the mountains to the Von Trappe family lodge. Remember the Sound of Music? This is where they settled and the lodge is still run by the youngest son (Maria was actually pregnant with him when they made their fateful escape). If you're lucky, there will be a Mozart festival in the adjacent field put on by the Vermont Philharmonic.
Now, that's a quick tour that gets you through the southern/central part of the state but you sure have missed a lot... Some of our other favorites....
Just east of Rutland on Route 4 is Sugar n Spice, a maple sugar shack and an incredible place for breakfast. (The pancakes come with real maple syrup you have to pay extra if you want the fake stuff!)
Burlington is the largest town (It's hard to call any place in Vermont a "city"). It's a great place for people watching since the university is there. Lake Champlain is beautiful from the city and there is at least one campground right on the lake.
South of Burlington is the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory and further on still is Shelburne Farms lots of animals and a gorgeous 5 story barn.
As you drive this state, notice there are NO billboards. They are illegal!
Stop often to take pictures of white-steepled churches, cross covered bridges and explore antique stores.
Sample the cheeses, Vermont Country Crackers and, of course, make sure you take home plenty of Vermont maple syrup.
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Rich & Kay
'89 Son, '97 Daughter
'17 Flagstaff 8528IKWS, '14 Silverado
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