Vermont is our favorite state to visit during the peak fall foliage season for quaint towns and rolling hills blanketed in red, yellow, orange and green leaves. It’s home to the picturesque Green Mountains, ornate covered bridges and miles of scenic driving.
We’ve spent weeks exploring Vermont’s idyllic towns and stunning countryside during our two New England fall road trips, and we’re sure we’ll be back again to uncover more hidden gems.
In this Vermont travel guide we show you the most popular tourist areas to explore, along with an example road trip itinerary and when to visit.
FEATURED
15 Great Places To Visit In Vermont
Our favorite towns and countryside areas to see in Vermont.
Stowe
Okay, let’s start with our favorite place in Vermont, the awesome mountain town of Stowe. We absolutely love this fantastic four season resort town because it has a ton of fun hikes, stunning photo spots, ski runs, quality restaurants, cool breweries and Bavarian themed hotels.
Stowe is the one place in Vermont we recommend to our friends and family above the rest. It has a chilled, family friendly and outdoorsy vibe, especially around the breweries and restaurants. Plus, there’s just so much to do no matter the season.
The town is split into three areas:
- Stowe Mountain Resort – Gondola or auto toll road drive up Mt Mansfield, Smugglers Notch, hiking and skiing.
- Stowe Town – Shopping, famous white church photo spot and the recreation path.
- Mountain Road – The road connecting both has tons of hotels, restaurants and breweries.
We drove up the auto toll road and hiked across the summit of Mt Mansfield. The road was a bit sketchy, but the hike was superb. We also hiked to Bingham Falls, Moss Glen Falls and Sterling Pond which are all worth doing.
Our favorite places to photograph Stowe church are from this viewpoint and sunset rock, especially in fall when the surrounding hills are covered in an ocean of vibrant colors. But this place is very popular and it can get seriously busy in peak times!
Need help planning your New England road trip?
Our popular New England fall travel guidebook helps you with planning every aspect of your road trip, including the best places to stop, where to see fall colors, where to eat and stay, itinerary ideas and map!
View Guidebook
Woodstock
Changing the pace entirely, Woodstock might be sleepy and it doesn’t have any hikes or breweries, but it’s the most attractive and classy town in Vermont. We love walking around the independent stores, visiting nearby farms and buying delicious homemade foods like syrup and cheese.
Our top recommendation is to visit the Billings Farm and Museum, especially for families with kids. Otherwise, it’s just a lovely place to slowly walk around. On the downside, Woodstock is tiny and it’s incredibly popular so parking is a problem and hotels can be very expensive.
Nearby, we enjoyed driving to Killington Mountain Resort to see stunning fall colors and take the gondola to Killington Peak. Plus, there’s Quechee Gorge and lots of photogenic wooden covered bridges to find around Woodstock.
Manchester
The third and final place we think is unmissable on a Vermont vacation is the small town of Manchester in the southern Green Mountains. The town is split into the quiet but charming old part and the busier new part with more amenities.
We used Manchester as a base to visit Hildene, go up Mount Equinox Skyline Drive and hike Lye Brook Falls. But we also enjoyed visiting the Southern Vermont Arts Center, the Northshire Bookstore and basically just driving all the surrounding narrow rural roads.
Nearby, we also recommend visiting covered bridges and taking a short drive down to Bennington to see the battle monument. In the winter, Manchester turns into a ski town with shuttles to nearby resorts.
Where Else?
Okay, but what about the rest of Vermont? Well, there’s the biggest city called Burlington on the shores of Lake Champlain that’s well worth visiting for a more lively experience. And nearby the Shelburne Museum, teddy bear factory and orchards are all great to visit.
Montpelier is the smallest capital city in the US, but it’s a cute place to stop in for a quick visit. We actually really enjoyed touring the Vermont State House. And near Stowe in Waterbury we highly recommend touring the Ben and Jerry’s flagship store.
Route 100
Vermont’s Route 100 is a 217-mile long road running north to south through the center of the state. We’ve driven parts of it, but we’d love to drive the whole thing one day. We’d start in the north at the beginning of October and spend 4 days slowly driving down through peak fall colors.
Route 100 passes through Stowe, Killington and a lovely place we stumbled across called Weston among many others. We bought a bunch of Darn Tough socks in Weston’s amazing Vermont Country Store! We also really enjoyed stopping at Calvin Coolidge Historic Site.
10 Fun Facts About Vermont
- Vermont has the second smallest population after Wyoming.
- Montpelier is the only US capital city without a McDonalds.
- You won’t see a single billboard anywhere in Vermont.
- Vermont produces more maple syrup than any other state.
- More than 75% of the state is covered in forest.
- A gas station in Burlington was Ben and Jerry’s original location.
- Vermont has the most breweries per capita in America.
- There are more than 100 covered bridges in Vermont.
- Mt Mansfield is Vermont’s tallest peak at 4,393 ft.
- Vermont was the last state to get a Walmart in 1996.
Road Trip Itinerary
If we wanted to road trip around the top highlights in Vermont, this is how we’d plan a relaxing 10-day itinerary:
Burlington – Day 1
- Visit Shelburne
- Walk along Waterfront Park
- Cycle the Island Line Trail
- Eat and drink along Church Street
Stowe – Days 2 to 4
- Drive through Smugglers Notch
- Gondola or drive up Mt Mansfield
- Hike to waterfalls
- Relax in breweries
- Go to Ben and Jerry’s graveyard
Killington – Day 5
- Stay in the mountain resort
- Go up to Killington Peak
Woodstock – Days 6 to 7
- Visit Billings Farm
- Find the covered bridges
- Go to King Arthur Baking
- Visit Quechee
Route 100 – Day 8
- Stop at Coolidge Historic Site
- Visit the Vermont Country Store in Weston
Manchester – Days 9 to 10
- Visit Hildene
- Drive up to Mt Equinox
- Hike Lye Brook Falls
This efficient road trip itinerary stops at most of Vermont’s touristy highlights and hidden gem spots. It’s exactly how we’d do it if we had 10 days spare and wanted to stay in Vermont without crossing into New Hampshire or New York.
When To Visit
Vermont is a year round travel destination, but it’s busiest and most expensive to visit in the summer months. That said, the two other times when prices inflate each year are the few weeks during peak fall foliage colors and weekends during peak ski season. That leaves spring as the low season.
We’ve driven through Vermont in September and October during our two New England fall road trips. The first time we had super wet and rainy weather which was great for capturing photos, but the second time we had glorious sunshine which was perfect for hiking.
If we were planning to road trip through Vermont for the first time it would have to be the first week of October when colors are in peak. Otherwise, we’d go for June or September for better weather but without the worst crowds in July and August.
Keep Exploring
Are you planning a longer trip with stops in more states? Once you’re finished reading our travel guides for Vermont, keep exploring nearby areas by heading over to the following pages:
We hope our Vermont travel guide helps with planning your vacation to the American northeast!
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
Enjoy this guide? Pin it for later!
All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.