Northern Vermont is a great place to visit year round for its winter activities, spectacular fall foliage, hiking and biking trails, water activities, city attractions, great food, cider and beer, and much more. A popular loop route connecting Burlington and Stowe is a great way to partake in these activities.
After spending a week along the Maine coast, we spent a few days visiting our friend Amy, who lives in Burlington’s South End neighborhood. She offered us a stay in her beautiful AirBnB that is perfectly located and accessible to the various attractions in the area. We visited numerous places in Burlington, and then explored other nearby sites to the east including Waterbury, Stowe, and Smugglers’ Notch using the loop route.
Burlington
Located in the northwest part of the state on Lake Champlain, Burlington is the largest city in Vermont, but very manageable with less than 50,000 people. This would be considered a small city in most places. While Burlington is small, it has a lot to offer ranging from surrounding natural beauty, a thriving downtown, several colleges, arts and cultural activities, plenty of great restaurants and craft breweries, and unique sites such as the world’s tallest filing cabinet. Burlington is also known as a progressive city. In 2015, it became the first city in the U.S. to run entirely on renewable energy.
The downtown area of Burlington is focused on the Church Street Marketplace, which is a four block long lively outdoor pedestrian mall. Church Street dates from the 19th century and has always been a major commercial street. Like most cities throughout the US, the 1960’s and 70’s saw many downtown businesses move to suburban shopping centers. To reverse this trend, vehicular traffic was removed and the street was redesigned as an attractive pedestrian focused commercial zone. Similar designs were done in many cities, but failed to sustain enough activity over the long term. Burlington’s Church Street, however, has been considered a success. Today the marketplace has nearly 100 shops and restaurants, craft breweries and bars in an attractive and historic setting. The marketplace is filled with artwork, colorful murals, street performers and live music, and there are events held throughout the year, such as the Festival of Fools, the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival and the Santa Run.
Nearby is the Lake Champlain waterfront, which is a perfect spot for watching the sun set behind the Adirondack Mountains. The Waterfront Park is where most people go to enjoy the waterfront and take in the view. It’s here that you can walk or bike numerous trails, take a boat or ferry excursion or visit the Echo Leahy Center, a science and nature museum which has 100 interactive exhibits, 70 species of fish, reptiles and amphibians, major changing exhibits, and a 2,500-square foot early learning interactive space.
North of downtown is historic Winooski, an old textile mill town overlooking the Winooski Falls. Once neglected, Winooski’s large old brick mills have been restored for new and creative uses, such as the Heritage Winooski Mill Museum. The small downtown offers great restaurants and shops surrounding Rotary Park. We had dinner at Waterworks Food and Drink which has a large eclectic menu, and is housed in a historic mill offering a pleasant view of the Winooski River. I tried a couple of small plates including Korean meatballs and pineapple peanut rice. Adjacent the restaurant is the Winooski River Walk, a path that provides scenic views of the river and falls.
The South End of Burlington is an eclectic neighborhood filled with restaurants, coffee shops, brew pubs, art galleries and studios, many along the Pine Street corridor. One of the big events held annually is the South End Art Hop sponsored by the South End Arts District. The three day event held the weekend after Labor Day attracts thousands of visitors to artist studios and galleries, glass and pottery studios, breweries, and features a diverse selection of food and music. The Burlington Farmers Market is held on Saturdays between 9am and 2pm (Spring to Autumn) and has dozens of vendors that sell crafts, produce, coffee, bakery items and other food items. The market is held at 345 Pine Street. The South End is also home to the world’s tallest filing cabinet which contains 38 drawers. This quirky art piece, located at 208 Flynn Avenue, was created by local artist Bren Alvarez as a statement on bureaucratic delays for a proposed highway in the area.
The South End offers a wide array of dining options. As a homage to Vermont, I tried the maple syrup latte at Speeder and Earl’s Coffee, a family operated, cheerful roastery on Pine Street. Later, Amy took us to Zero Gravity Brewery, which has a large beer hall and a great food menu including plenty of vegan items.
Waterbury
From Burlington, the loop route takes I-89 east to the village of Waterbury which is surrounded by the Green Mountains. The quaint downtown and historic district is focused along the intersection of Route 100 and Stowe Street. Waterbury’s most popular attraction is the Ben & Jerry’s Factory, located just north of town on Highway 100. Here you can take a tour of the factory, visit a graveyard of discontinued flavors, buy a scoop of ice cream at the flagship store, or visit the gift shop. Visitors are encouraged to buy the tour tickets ahead of time.
Continue north on Highway 100 a few miles to the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, known for its legendary cider doughnuts. The large complex and gift shop has a huge variety of products ranging from ciders, bakery items, maple products, pantry products and more. We tried a flight of ciders at the onsite restaurant and tasting room.
Stowe
From Cold Hollow Cider, continue another six miles north on Highway 100 to the village of Stowe, which sits below Mount Mansfield. Stowe is nicknamed the Ski Capital of the East, and while it’s mostly known as a winter resort, there are plenty of activities to do year round. In fact, Stowe was a popular summer resort in the mid nineteenth century, well before it became a ski resort. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps developed ski tracks on Mount Mansfield, which lead to Stowe becoming an early mecca for downhill skiing in the US. Today, Stowe is one of the most popular ski resorts in the US, and is also a great place to snowmobile, snowshoe, or ride a sleigh. Some of the best fall foliage can be found near Stowe, while the summer is popular for hiking, biking, golf, and water activities.
The quaint and historic village center includes numerous restaurants, boutiques, inns, and galleries. The village seemed to be much more polished than the last time I had visited nearly twenty years ago.
Just outside of Stowe off Highway 108 is the Trapp Family Lodge which was established by the Trapp family, made famous by the musical The Sound of Music. After fleeing Austria during World War II, the family settled in Stowe because the surrounding scenery reminded them of their homeland. Several years following the death of Baron George von Trapp in 1947, his family opened a ski lodge. The lodge has expanded over the years and is now popular year round, offering cross country skiing, mountain biking trails, pools, a fitness center, tennis courts and wagon and sleigh rides. The lodge also operates von Trapp Brewing which serves traditional German and Austrian style lagers. We stopped at the restaurant for a tasty German style lunch where we tried a spaetzle, a selection of wurst, and chicken schnitzel, all while enjoying the peaceful mountain views.
Four miles further up Highway 108 is Stowe Mountain Resort which covers Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak. The resort offers 40 miles of downhill skiing on 116 trails and 12 lifts, including a gondola that connects the two mountains. Ski Magazine ranked Stowe as the #1 ski resort in the Eastern US. While downhill and cross country skiing are the primary activities at the resort, it is popular all year round. The gondola offers spectacular views and provides access to numerous hiking trails. The beautifully designed resort village, located at Spruce Peak, offers lodging, nine restaurants, numerous shops, a spa, the Stowe Rocks climbing center, and the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, a 420 seat multi-use theater that operates all year.
Smugglers’ Notch
Continuing north on Highway 108 will take you through Smugglers’ Notch. Here, the highway makes many tight hairpin turns through the pass which separates Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak. The pass got its name because smugglers used the rugged path through the mountains to move supplies to and from Canada during the War of 1812. Fugitive slaves also used the pass as an escape route to Canada. In 1922, the road was built to accommodate automobiles, and it became a popular route for liquor to be brought in from Canada during the Prohibition years. Some popular destinations include the Smugglers’ Notch State Park which offers plenty of hiking opportunities, the Smugglers’ Notch resort, and the Smugglers’ Notch disc golf facility. From Smuggler’s Notch, take Highway 15 west of Cambridge to loop back to Burlington.