8 Best Vermont Towns For A Winter Getaway
The historic Green Mountain State is renowned for its wintertime skiing, offering varied terrain and charming ski towns to suit every taste, with access to nearby trails for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and sleigh rides. From Manchester's marble sidewalks to Rutland's red-bricked downtown, explore Vermont’s best towns for skiing, historic architecture, and seasonal events.
Each town offers inviting downtown areas for winter walks, shopping, and fireside relaxation. Whether you're hitting the slopes or soaking up the New England appeal, there's no wrong way to imbibe Vermont's best winter getaways. The state's largest city on Lake Champlain delivers a one-of-a-kind winterscape.
Burlington
This city across from NY's Adirondacks savors each season along Lake Champlain's eastern shore, blending its urban charm into a quintessential wintertime by what’s often nicknamed the "Sixth Great Lake." The pedestrian-only Church Street Marketplace becomes a hub for holiday activity, featuring over 100,000 lights near the Lake Champlain waterfront. In addition to a window decorating contest, stores stay open late on Festive Fridays in December.
Next to City Hall Park, the marketplace glows with small businesses and historic architecture. It’s ideal for romantic strolls and holiday shopping. The Flynn, a 1930s art deco theater, hosts A Charlie Brown Christmas on Dec 1 and Vermont’s Own Nutcracker on Dec 20-21. Lake Champlain is known for ice fishing, including trout, salmon, and bass.
Ludlow
Chartered in 1761, this historic village at the Rt 100/103 junction is partly listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ludlow is home to shops and galleries, Okemo Mountain Resort, and the stately Black River Academy Museum, a red-brick building boasting notable alumni like President Calvin Coolidge and his attorney general. As a thriving four-season town in the heart of the Okemo Valley, there are exceptional dining and lodging options for every taste.
In addition to Okemo's classic alpine character and amenities, Ludlow is within 30 minutes of Bromley and Magic Mountain ski resorts, plus abundant snowmobiling trails in the area. You can rent ski/snowboard gear, play in the snow at the dog park, or explore nearby trails. Just off Route 103, Buttermilk Falls offers a short approach to several cascades. In winter, they freeze into beautiful formations over a popular summer swimming area.
Manchester
Manchester sits between the Taconic Range and the Green Mountains on the Batten Kill River in southwestern Vermont. It evokes a classic holiday postcard scene. Laid out in the 1840s, the unique New England style, and jaw-dropping vistas leave an indelible mark on visitors in the foothills of Mt. Equinox (3,848 feet) to the west. The nearby Hildene offers guided tours of the stately, well-preserved Georgian Revival mansion and gardens used by the Lincolns.
As an arts and culture hub proximate to three ski resorts, Manchester maintains its quaint appeal amid pastoral surroundings, including the spectacular Lye Brook Falls, and, weather permitting, take the Mount Equinox Skyline Drive. Manchester’s marbled sidewalks connect local shops, cafes, and lodging, all within easy reach of nearby ski areas, from a rave-reviewed confectionery to striking lodging options. Swing by Al Ducci’s Italian Market for holiday table staples.
Middlebury
This New England town on Otter Creek is alive with history, collegiate charm, and outdoor recreation through the winter months. Check out the two historic covered bridges and Robert Frost Wayside, a nearby interpretive trail with a boardwalk and Frost's reflections. The Henry Sheldon Museum occupies an 1829 Federal-style house with period furniture, a permanent collection, and changing art and history exhibits from 19th- and 20th-century Vermont. Round out your evening over a play.
The Town Hall Theater presents A Christmas Carol on Dec 5-7 and 11-13. The Opera Company of Middlebury performs Andrea Chénier on Dec 13 and I Puritani on Jan 10. The boutique Marquis Theater & Cafe features the newest big-screen hits across the local waterfall downtown. Accessible 20 minutes north, Bartlett Falls freezes in a 14-foot veil within the gorge of the New Haven River.
Montpelier
The vibrant small capital on the Winooski River exudes warmth all winter long through the state's largest urban historic district. Stop to admire the impeccably restored State House, one of the country's oldest. Montpelier is a mosaic of exquisite architecture, art venues, and world-class dining, including farm-to-table, craft beer bars, and cafes. From holiday shopping to fireside comforts, Hubbard Park provides an escape from it all with impressive tower views and trails downtown.
After the holidays fade, it's time to stock up on discounted decor and souvenirs through independent bookshops, fine crafts, and pastries. Winterfest, held from January 31 to February 2, features fat biking, sledding, and Soapbox races. The Spice on Snow Winter Music Festival takes place from January 17-19, featuring jam sessions and free citywide concerts.
Rutland
Rutland’s red brick downtown features historic buildings such as the Rutland Free Library, which offers a family reading area and community events. The 1913 Paramount Theater presents The Nutcracker on Dec 19-20, along with concerts, live HD shows, and classic film screenings. Much lies beyond shopping in Rutland's picturesque downtown commercial blocks of unique shops and eateries.
This four-season gateway in the heart of the Green Mountains is minutes from Killington Resort, a 3,050-ft vertical drop, 155 trails, and 22 lifts across 6 peaks for downhill and cross-country skiing. The nearby 19th-century European-style Wilson Castle stands striking under a cover of snow for a photo op, with guided tours to peek inside. During the annual Rutland Winterfest, you can go sledding down a city street turned into a snowy hill or tag along snowshoeing through the woods.
Stowe
About 20 miles northwest of Montpelier, this alpine village sits off the Green Mountain Byway at the foot of Mt. Mansfield. Vermont’s tallest waterfall lies just minutes north, a short quarter-mile walk from the trailhead. Frozen in intricate layers of ice, Moss Glen Falls is especially captivating in winter. Vermont's highest peak reaches 4,395 feet at the "chin" of its rock face. Travelers enjoy snowcapped views downtown and nearby in snowshoes, snowmobiles, and sleigh rides.
Known as the "ski capital of the east," Stowe Mountain Resort spans over two mountains with four terrain parks and 116 trails for downhill, cross-country, and boarding over 200 skiable hectares, plus a gondola and 13 chairlifts. Swing by the Ski and Snowboard Museum and galleries inside the 1818 Old Town Hall, a Greek Revival-style building relocated in the 1860s. The original Stowe Playhouse, established in 1957 in an old barn, performs as the Stowe Theatre Guild inside Town Hall Theatre, which has been used since 1903, with terrific acoustics.
Woodstock
This classic New England town is quaint yet alive with festive attractions centered around the historic green and architecture like the 1880s Norman Williams Public Library. Tucked in the state's corner near the NH border, Woodstock features indoor ice skating, ice fishing on Silver Lake, and easy access to nearby ski resorts, including Okemo and Killington. Woodstock is a picture-perfect New England downtown, with its iconic inns and long-standing local businesses.
Billings Farm is an ideal family outing, offering sleigh rides for the price of admission. From December 20 to January 4, Winter Celebration on the Farm recreates a true Victorian Christmas. Expect period decor, a lavish tree, and a gift shop with Vermont-made goods. Explore pastoral scenery via light hiking, cross-country skiing, or a snowshoeing adventure along the Ottauquechee River, then grab some cider donuts and hot cocoa by the fire pits.
Winter in Vermont: Where History Meets the Slopes
By early November, snow flurries dust the Green Mountains. Northern and high-elevation areas see snow first, including Stowe at the state’s highest peak. Northern areas and higher elevations receive snow earlier, like Stowe, at the foot of the state's highest peak, home to Vermont's highest waterfall in its frozen splendor.
Sticky snow and the first accumulation occur by early December, with lasting accumulation after the holidays. From Killington’s six peaks near Rutland to Okemo’s slopes by Woodstock, Vermont, the area combines mountain recreation with local history and dining.
