12 Amazing Vermont Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive
For the casual nature enthusiast, several state parks in Vermont make excellent road trip destinations; think Mt. Philo State Park, where you can take a short hike to sweeping views of Lake Champlain, and Burton Island State Park, where a short ferry ride leads to quiet shoreline trails. For history buffs, Montpelier is a must-visit with its gold-domed State House and a compact downtown that still feels timeless. Family fun is also never far in Vermont; the Green Mountain National Forest offers scenic drives, berry-picking hikes, and classic Vermont mountain views that everyone can enjoy. If you're planning a Vermont trip soon, make sure you include the 12 amazing destinations below.
Ethan Allen Homestead Museum (within the city)
Ethan Allen was an important figure in the American Revolutionary War. He would take part in the seizure of Fort Ticonderoga in New York as head of the Green Mountain Boys. His last residence was at the Ethan Allen Homestead within the city of Burlington, and today it is maintained as the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum.
His house is open for guided tours with artifacts on his life, the Green Mountain Boys, and the owners who came after him. There's plenty more to see on the grounds of the homestead, ranging from an 18th-century her, a vegetable garden called Fanny's Garden, and a recreated Abenaki village. If you drive just five minutes away from the homestead, you'll reach the 1905 Ethan Allen Tower. Ascending it will give you a beautiful view of the Champlain Valley.
Church Street Mall (within the city)
Burlington is one of the most walkable cities in New England and features a large public space, the Church Street Mall. First built in the 1980s as part of an urban renewal project, it's grown to 86 stores, with the backdrop of the 1816 Unitarian Church.
As for the stores you'll find there, it's a mixture of chain stores and local boutiques. For example, you can find home & garden and jewelry goods from Danforth Pewter, your next favorite used book from Crow Bookshop, or crafts from local Vermont artists at the Frog Hollow Craft Association and Gallery. It houses the work of more than 100 artists.
There are many options as far as food is concerned, from Turkish kebabs from Cafe Istanbul Cart to Jamaican food at Country Roads Jamaican Flair.
Waterfront Park (within the city)
Burlington has a shoreline with Lake Champlain, which stretches from New York in the south to Canada to the north. Despite hosting an international airport, Burlington has a small-town vibe with fewer than 45,000 residents. That makes it likely you'll run into friendly faces while walking down Waterfront Park on Lake Champlain.
If you take the 8-mile Burlington Bike Path up north, you'll come by the North Waterfront Park and Dog Park and Texaco Beach, which local reviewers note as a great place to take your dog for a swim.
Before you arrive in Burlington, check the city's calendar as the Waterfront is the main site for several of the city's best annual festivals and events. For example, in July, brewers come to the Waterfront Park for the Vermont Brewers Festival.
Fleming Museum of Art (within the city)
Before you leave Burlington for the many day trips you can take through the small state of Vermont, stop by the Fleming Museum of Art. Housed at the University of Vermont, it first opened in 1929 as a facility to house the University's growing art collection.
The museum has around 25,000 works of art, some dating back as far as 5,000 years. For example, the museum has a large number of alabaster vessels used in Egypt when the pyramids were first being built. It contains more than 8,500 American art pieces, 3,117 European, and 2,034 Asian pieces. Some of its collection has been with the University since 1827. The museum is free for anyone to visit.
Mt. Philo State Park (31-minute drive)
If you want a higher view of Lake Champlain, head to Mt. Philo State Park. Standing at 968 feet, this mountain was declared Vermont's first state park in 1924, when the owner of Mt. Philo Inn donated the land to the state. Guests at the Mt. Philo Inn would frequently take a carriage road up to the peak. From its peak, you can see not just the lake, but also the Adirondack Mountains of New York and the Green Mountains of Vermont.
If you're not a hiker, you can drive right up to the summit or hike up a ¾ of a mile hiking trail. On the trail, you might see moose, white-tailed deer, or birds of prey that migrate in autumn.
Montpelier (42-minute drive)
Montpelier is the state capital of Vermont, but you wouldn't know it by the population, as only around 8,000 people live in this picturesque city. You'll find plenty to do in the state capital, such as learning about Vermont's history, dating back to the 1600s, at the Vermont History Museum, which is right next to the gold-domed State House.
The area around Montpelier is covered in hilly forested lands, especially within Hubbard Park. At more than 200 acres, it contains 7 miles of hiking and skiing trails, and a stone tower. By ascending the top of this 54-foot tower, you'll have the best view in the house of the town capital below you.
The town prides itself on not having a McDonald's or Starbucks, instead supporting local eateries such as Sarducci's Italian restaurant and Capitol Grounds coffee shop.
Burton Island State Park (44-minute drive)
One of Lake Champlain's hidden treasures is a 253-acre park located on an island within the lake's inland sea. By driving to Kill Kare State Park, you can take a passenger ferry for a 10-minute ride to this island(which will also take your bike if you have one).
Don't let its size fool you, as there's plenty to do on this island, whether that's building a sandcastle on its 3 miles of shoreline or renting a cabin to stay the night. You can explore the island for yourself on the hiking trails, or meet up with a park interpreter to show you around the island at night or teach you about the amphibians that live here. If you work up an appetite, the Burton Island Store is on site to offer breakfast and lunch items.
Quechee State Park (1-hour, 25-minute drive)
The Queechee State Park is worth the drive just to see or get a picture of the Quechee Gorge. At 165 feet deep, it's the deepest gorge in Vermont. It was formed by the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which carved it out during the last ice age.
Today, visitors can hike right out onto the gorge via the Queechee Gorge Trail, or go fishing for brook, rainbow, and brown trout on the Ottaquechee River. The land around the park used to be owned by A.G. Dewey Company as a wool mill. The mill shut down in 1952, but some remnants of it can be seen in the gorge and in the campground area, which was previously a recreation area for the mill.
Billings Farm & Museum (1-hour, 33-minute drive)
The Billings Farm & Museum shares space with the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and is noted for its role in shaping agricultural practices in the mid-1800s to preserve forests. Many of these techniques still shape how Americans farm and conserve.
The farm itself is a working dairy farm within walking distance of Woodstock, Vermont. It acts as an educational and relaxing experience, where visitors can meet cows, sheep, goats, sample ice cream and cheese, or browse farming exhibits at an 1890 Farm Manager's House. The museum also contains a bright Sunflower House, which comes alive in the spring. Afterwards, make your way over to the Rockefeller National Historical Park to stroll through the oldest scientific forest in the United States, called the Mount Tom Forest.
Killington Mountain Resort & Ski Area (1-hour, 42-minute drive)
If you're traveling in the winter, then Killington Mountain Resort & Ski Area should be on your radar. It's known locally as The Beast for being the biggest ski resort in the eastern United States.
The K-1 Express Gondola will take you to the top of Killington Peak, standing at 4,241 feet. This mountain ski trail has one of the longest vertical drops in the country at 3,050 feet. From there, you can take the Green Mountains head on through skiing, tubing, or snowboarding. If you come during the summer, you'll find plenty to do as well, whether that's mountain biking downhill or taking a ride on the Beast Mountain Coaster. From mid-July to Labor Day weekend, the resort puts on a free Cooler in the Mountains Concert Series.
Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests (1-hour, 57-minute drive)
These two national forests stretch from Vermont's Green Mountains to the Finger Lakes of New York. The Green Mountain National Forest is the primary natural retreat in Vermont, and is one of two national forests in New England.
There are many ways to take in the views in this forest. One of the easiest is on the scenic roadways like the Lincoln Gap Road that goes through rural Vermont over the Green Mountains. Another is Scenic Route 100, commonly known as the Skier's Highway for its access to skiing resorts. You can get out and hike for yourself at the Backbone Trailhead, which passes through old homesteads and shrubland, or up the summit of Bald Mountain. Be on the lookout for wild blueberries as you hike through, as you are allowed to pick these delicious fruits to eat or take home.
Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home (2-hour, 24-minute drive)
Abraham Lincoln lived in many homes during his life, from a humble log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky, to a small plot of land in Indiana, to the White House. His personal life was not a happy one, torn by the American Civil War and the death of many of his children. His only male child to live to adulthood was Robert Todd Lincoln, who would settle here at Hildene in 1905.
This Georgia Revival-style home sits on top of a hill and is adorned with a formal garden with beautiful herbaceous peonies. It was occupied by Lincoln family members until 1975, when it passed to a nonprofit. Today, the home is maintained as a museum with exhibits on Abraham Lincoln and the experience of freed slaves after the American Civil War. Visitors can also view the birds that fly by the grounds on the Bird Walk.
Vermont is one of the most beautiful of the New England states, from its Green Mountain trails to awe-inspiring ski runs to the deep Quabbin Gorge. But if you aren't a big fan of long hikes, you'll still find plenty of day trip ideas, whether that's just driving up to the top of Mt. Philo, shopping at Church Street Mall, visiting the homes of Ethan Allen or Robert Todd Lincoln, or spending a day in the charming small town capital of Montpelier. From Burlington, you can see the entire state, as long as you have a car and a good travel plan.
