Vermont is famous for many reasons. Between 19th-century covered bridges steeped in history, gorgeous mountainous backdrops, and being the top maple syrup producer in the US, there are plenty of reasons to fall in love with The Green Mountain State. With their incredible scenery, architectural gems, and mouthwatering delicacies, these towns have extraordinary centers to explore. Whether you start with the historic art spaces of Brattleboro or the tale-ridden landmarks of Stowe, discover the best downtowns in Vermont.
Burlington
Festival of Fool in Burlington, Vermont. Editorial credit: John Zegar / Shutterstock.com.
Not only is Burlington, also referred to as “The Queen City,” a wonderful winter sports destination surrounded by five ski areas—but the beautiful city also has a charming downtown area with pedestrian-only streets and quaint boutiques that will capture your heart.
Church Street Marketplace, a bustling open-air mall known for its historic architecture, has over 100 shops and restaurants. You will also find incredible local breweries, year-round festivals, music performances, and street entertainers here. Sip on a warm latte from a local cafe as you make your way from shop to shop, wandering through the captivating cobblestone streets covered in lights.
From there, head west to Waterfront Park. You can see breathtaking views of Lake Champlain—named after French Explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1609, and New York’s Adirondack Mountains in the back. Pay a visit to ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, a nature and science museum with over 100 interactive exhibits and 70 species where you can learn more about the lake.
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Stowe
Downtown Stowe, Vermont, via redtea / iStock.com
Home to the iconic Stowe Mountain Resort, Stowe is not only known as the “Ski Capital of the East “ but also has a picturesque, walkable downtown area explorable by foot. With quaint streets surrounding the foot of Mount Mansfield—the tallest mountain in Vermont, sitting at a peak of 1,339 metres, this New England village is particularly charming with its 19th-century buildings.
Capture some captivating photos of the Stowe Community Church, one of the oldest non-denominational churches in the US, founded in 1863. Enjoy a rich cup of gourmet hot chocolate as you indulge in premium truffles and shop for mouthwatering gifts at Lake Champlain Chocolates.
Discover how vibrant flower boxes perfectly line Main Street in the summer, or see how the white lights illuminate the winter path. If you head further east, you can visit the legendary Gold Brook Covered Bridge, constructed in 1844. This landmark is also known as “Emily’s Bridge” and has become famous for its reported supernatural sightings following the tale of a young woman’s ghost.
Brattleboro
Main Street in Brattleboro, Vermont. Editorial credit: Bob Korn / Shutterstock.com.
From Greek Revival to Victorian and Modernist buildings, Brattleboro has a fascinating mix of architectural styles. It is no surprise the Brattleboro Downtown Historic District, located by the Connecticut River, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
This beautiful town features unique landmarks like the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. Founded in 1972, the contemporary art museum was opened in the 1915-built Union Station and is the perfect place to see how Brattleboro perfectly combines its preserved history with a thriving arts scene. For a unique sensory experience, book a ticket to a concert in The Stone Church. This 140-year-old Victorian Gothic Church was transformed into a live music venue in 2017, hosting international artists while preserving its original character.
Explore the galleries, cafes, restaurants, and museums as you meander from shop to shop. Choose from a rich collection of books by progressive, original authors in Everyone’s Books. Plus, since Vermont is recognized for its award-winning cheese, stop by the community-owned Brattleboro Food Co-op to taste and pick up some delicious locally-made varieties.
Newport
View of the Newport Marina in the town of Newport, Vermont. Editorial credit: Erika J Mitchell / Shutterstock.com
On the southern shores of Lake Memphremagog lies Newport, the northernmost city in Vermont. This fascinating outdoor adventure destination also has a charming small-town vibe with an activity-packed downtown area.
See the stunning lake from Newport City Dock, the perfect place for a picnic, jog, or stroll. You can also rent a bike and cycle along the lake’s shores, exploring one of the Rail Trails—transportation corridors that connect the state’s towns with landscapes—up to the Quebec-Vermont border.
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Discover the Goodrich Memorial Library, the largest public library in Orleans County and a historic site that opened in 1899. The Haskell Free Library & Opera House is another unique attraction—a library spanning two countries! You can find French and English material across the Canada-US border, separated by a black line made from tape.
Manchester
Street view in Manchester, Vermont.
If you head further southwest, you will find Manchester. Nestled within the Green Mountains, at the foothills of Mount Equinox, this quaint town is not only known for its immense natural beauty, but also for its rich history and famed cultural attractions.
See the extraordinary exhibits at Hildene The Lincoln Family Home, built by Robert (the only son of former US President Abraham Lincoln) and his wife Mary in 1905. Head on a blast into the past as you explore the family home of the Lincolns, with its famous pipe organ, iconic Pullman car, incredible goat farm, and breathtaking gardens.
Dive into the history of pinball at the Pastime Pinball Museum arcade, where you will find 66 machines dating from the 1950s to today. Soak up the beauty of the town as you venture through the Manchester Designer Outlets, an outdoor mall known for its eateries, New England-style buildings, and brand-name items. Enjoy a scenic drive west to the Southern Vermont Arts Center, featuring art from both US and international artists across a diverse range of exhibits.
Montpelier
Farmers Market at State Street and Main in Montpelier, Vermont. Image credit Phill Truckle via Shutterstock
Dubbed the smallest capital city in the US with a population of roughly 8,000 people, Montpelier may be one of the most underrated destinations in America. This gorgeous green city has natural attractions like Hubbard Park, home to seven miles of scenic trails and a 54-foot stone observation tower, in addition to its notable historic buildings.
After nearly 160 years, the Vermont State House is one of America’s oldest state capitols. This Greek Revival site, with its legendary gold dome, is an architectural gem housing significant pieces of state art. Make sure you visit the legislative chambers and see the Governor’s Office here.
The Vermont History Museum holds interactive exhibits to teach visitors about the state’s past. Head on a fascinating journey from the 1600s to present-day Vermont with the Freedom and Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories exhibit, amongst others. From there, head slightly north to visit Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks. You can try some of the finest maple products in the US and learn about the heritage of Vermont sugar-making on a family farm.
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Middlebury
Main Street in Middlebury, Vermont. By Alan Levine, Flickr, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Every traveler is bound to fall in love with Middlebury. Between the gorgeous backdrops of the Green and Adirondack Mountains, the stunning views of the 18-foot Middlebury Falls from Otter Creek Bridge, and the lovely 18-mile TAM (Trail Around Middlebury) path surrounding the village, nature fanatics will have plenty to see.
Creatives will be happy to hear that the Middlebury College Museum of Art strives to create an inclusive environment with diversity in its collections. Six to eight temporary exhibits are offered per year in addition to their permanent artwork. See a variety of arts in the Edgewater Gallery, where you will find jewelry, photography, sculptures, paintings, and mixed media.
The Henry Sheldon Museum opened in 1884, is also filled with paintings, documents, household objects, furniture, and artifacts to give you a glimpse into Addison County and Vermont’s past. From there, shop until you drop as you venture through Mill Street, passing by Stone Mill Public Market with its gifts, home goods, drinks, snacks, and more.
Explore The Best Downtowns in Vermont
History buffs, nature fanatics, creatives, foodies, and shopaholics are bound to fall in love with The Green Mountain State. Between the interactive exhibits and legendary landmarks of Montpelier, the mountainous backdrops and tranquil trails of Middlebury, and the boutique shops and renowned eateries of Burlington, there is no shortage of adventures. Now is the time to get your journey started and start exploring one of the best downtowns in Vermont.
A person holds a giant penny at a mock funeral for the coin, which was discontinued in 2025, in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
What good is a penny at this point? Penny candy is a thing of the past, and a modern-day penny-pincher wouldn’t get very far if this were their get-rich strategy.
(This newsletter, though, costs you less than a penny. Chip in if you can.)
U.S. mints no longer make pennies, a decision that saves taxpayers an estimated $56 million annually. When the U.S. Treasury Department announced the country would stop minting them, it marked the end of an era — sorta.
Though those pesky copper-colored coins remain in circulation, some businesses, both in Vermont and nationwide, have begun experiencing penny shortages.
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Enter H.837. The bill outlines a plan that could allow retailers to phase out the penny by rounding up or down cash transactions to the nearest nickel.
Other states, including Arizona and Indiana, have passed rounding legislation, and a handful of others are considering it. As written, Vermont’s bill wouldn’t require rounding, a similar approach favored in other jurisdictions.
Some Vermont businesses have already adopted rounding. But lobbyists for Vermont businesses say some of their members fear the practice — without explicit state blessing — could open a business up to a lawsuit over alleged unfair and deceptive practices.
Worried or not, rounding will likely become more necessary as pennies get harder to find, Maggie Lenz, a lobbyist for the Vermont Retail and Grocers Association, told the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee Tuesday. She encouraged the state to create a rounding framework, but discouraged lawmakers from making such a program mandatory.
Rep. Tony Micklus, R-Milton, agreed that rounding should be optional, but said the state should mandate a specific rounding framework for the businesses that choose to round.
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H.837’s approach, which would round down totals ending in 1,2,6 and 7 cents, and round up totals ending in 3, 4, 8 and 9 cents, would seem to be the fairest to consumers and businesses, those who testified agreed.
But the change is likely not net neutral. Zachary Tomanelli, a consumer protection advocate for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, cited a Federal Reserve study that indicated rounding could cost consumers $6 million annually nationwide. That’s because businesses price goods in ways that tend to lead to rounding up.
He called the cost modest and said he generally supported the bill.
Despite H.837 not making it past the crossover deadlines, there’s still hope that pennies might make it into Vermont’s currency cemetery. Rep. Michael Marcotte, R-Coventry, the commerce committee’s chair, said his committee could stick the rounding legislation in the Senate’s economic development bill.
That said, you might not want to ditch your pennies quite yet.
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In the know
Here are some numbers for you: Between 2012 and 2022, Vermont’s primary care workforce declined by 13%. In that same time period, the specialist workforce grew by 23%. That’s according to testimony Jessa Barnard, with the Vermont Medical Society, gave to lawmakers in the House Health Care Committee Tuesday. She said the numbers are reflective of a trend in medicine nationwide, attributed to the fact that primary care docs often make less but pay the same high cost for medical school as their peers in more specialized roles.
In Vermont, Barnard said that this widening gap is leading to a particularly acute shortage. According to a report her organization put out in 2022, the state needs 115 primary care providers to meet the national benchmark for our population size. That figure includes OBGYNs, pediatricians and family medicine docs. By 2030, as our state’s population grows even older, the Vermont Medical Society expects the state to need 370 more primary care physicians to meet the national benchmark.
— Olivia Gieger
Sen. Alison Clarkson, D-Windsor, spoke with members of the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee Tuesday afternoon about S.327, an economic development bill that supports a number of public resources for business owners across the state.
The bill has had a tough go of it so far.
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Clarkson handed out copies of what she referred to as “the actual bill,” which meant the package voted out by her own Senate Economic Development Committee before being “pretty much fully gutted” on its way through the Senate Appropriations Committee.
In a tight budget year, she said, this bill’s focus was on “supporting what works really well” for Vermont businesses. For Clarkson, that means continuing to invest in the initiatives like the Vermont Economic Growth Incentive program, a set of grants to help businesses expand in the state, which is scheduled to end in January. The Senate, she pointed out, has voted to extend the program for several years in a row, most recently through S.327.
“I am charging the House with doing the same thing,” she said.
Clarkson is also in favor of deepening the state’s relationships with outside investors by funding state delegates abroad. Vermont, she argued, should have more well-placed representation in areas like Québec — which this bill would provide for — and in the future Taiwan, which recently pledged to invest heavily in U.S. tech industries.
“We need somebody whose hand is up saying ‘yes, over here!’” Clarkson said.
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House commerce members met informally with a delegation from Taipei later Tuesday.
— Theo Wells-Spackman
On the move
The Senate advanced a bill Tuesday that would allow parents in Essex County to pay tuition to send pre-K students to New Hampshire schools.
In Vermont’s most rural county, families struggle to access pre-K programs, at least on this side of the border.
But S.214, legislation originally proposed by Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, D-Chittenden Southeast, would allow for a handful of families near the New Hampshire border in Essex County to tuition their pre-K-aged children to New Hampshire schools, Sen. Steve Heffernan, R-Addison, said on the Senate floor.
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Kindergarten through grade 12 are already able to tuition to New Hampshire schools.
The Senate will need to vote on the bill once more before sending it to the House.
Vermont and the federal government faced off Monday over the state’s first-in-the nation law aimed at forcing polluters to pay for the effects of climate change with the Trump administration warning it would spur “the type of chaos that the Constitution is designed to prevent.”
The hearing before Judge Mary Kay Lanthier of the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont comes as the administration has unleashed a broad assault on state-based climate efforts, including suing to invalidate the Vermont law establishing a “climate superfund” to recoup money from the oil and gas industry.
The Biden appointee did not tip her hand, pressing attorneys for the state and the federal government over whether the state is within its rights or stepping on federal authority. The administration is challenging a similar law in New York, and a ruling against Vermont would likely jeopardize that law and chill efforts in other states to adopt climate superfunds.
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Vermont argued the law — “a modest action” — was passed by state lawmakers in 2024 to help raise money to deal with climate change.
RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – Attorneys defended Vermont’s landmark climate superfund law on Monday, as it faces a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration.
Vermont lawmakers passed the Climate Superfund Act in 2024 after devastating flooding in 2023 and other extreme weather events.
The law requires certain large fossil fuel companies to help cover the costs of climate-related damage linked to their emissions between 1995 and 2024.
It is being challenged by the federal government, along with the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and attorneys general from 24 Republican-led states.
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They argue Vermont is overstepping and that climate policy should be handled at the federal level.
Attorneys for Vermont and environmental groups asked a federal judge in Rutland to dismiss those challenges, arguing the state has the right to hold companies accountable.
“It was an intense and technical day of legal arguments over whether the Climate Superfund Act passes muster under federal law, and whether it is appropriate under our Constitution and other doctrines, and is going to survive this series of lawsuits that have been filed against it,” said Christophe Courchesne of the Vermont Law and Graduate School.
Vermont was the first state to pass a law like this. New York followed, and more than 10 other states are considering similar measures.
This case could help decide whether those laws move forward.
