There’s more than maple in Central Vermont
In March comes maple sugaring season on little muddy feet, tracking expectations all over Vermont for the rest of the year. Of course, go to Montpelier in springtime, hitting the sweet, steamy bull’s-eye, those two or three weekends when the days are warm, the nights are cool, the sap rises to tickle awake the leaves, and locals and visitors alike stand in the chilly maple groves dipping stick waffles in little cups of freshly boiled syrup.
But even in summer and fall, your flannel pajamas, corduroy shorts and sensible shoes are welcome in central Vermont, which never met a season it didn’t greet with a terse nod.
With its shiny knob atop its Capitol building reflecting whatever foliage decorates the surrounding mountains, Montpelier hasn’t changed much since its heyday. In the late Victorian period, Montpelier gloried in the wealth stemming from the state’s natural resources: granite mined in adjacent Barre, hardwoods from the northern forests, and, of course, all things maple. The brick Italianate facades of the office buildings and stores that line the five-block downtown still stand as a monument to the city’s prosperity.
Montpelier has seen plenty of drama since then — most recently, back-to-back “100-year floods” in 2023 and 2024, when abrupt downpours overwhelmed the Winooski River, which runs along the eastern border of the downtown area. But in true Yankee fashion, the city cleaned up and carried on.
A Walking Weekend in Montpelier
Montpelier is easy to navigate: State Street goes north-south and is capped at the north end by east-west Main Street. With the Capitol complex anchoring the street’s southern end and the Winooski River marking the eastern border of the commercial district, you can quickly get your bearings. Stroll around after sunset to see 10 historic bridges glowing in a vibrant, multicolored display of LED lights that change depending on the season or holiday.
Tap a narrated guide through GPSMyCity, an app that lets you purchase walking tours of over 1,500 cities. You can listen to or read richer historical details than are offered by outdoor placards, providing on-the-spot context for sites like the city hall.
Center your visit around the Vermont History Museum, at the quintessentially Victorian Pavilion Building at 109 State St. There are no flashing LEDs here. Instead, you’ll find traditional dioramas that trace the arc of human occupation of the Green Mountain State from the Abenakis to the state’s short-lived attempt at independence to its pivotal role in the Revolutionary War to the subsequent cultivation of its greatest cultural contribution: the Yankee.
Vermont history is grounded in Ethan Allen and his famous band of Green Mountain Boys, who held the northern border in the Revolutionary War, but “there’s a lot more than that,” says Andrew Liptak, a spokesperson for the Vermont Historical Society. The society operates both the state history museum in Montpelier and, in Barre, a few miles to the east, a research library and archives with a rich trove of genealogical data and artifacts. Visitors searching for their ancestors are best served by making an appointment, so the society’s staff can provide expert guidance on its copious collections.
Technically, Vermont was never a Colony as defined by a royal charter. And, as was often the case in the Colonial frontier, competing and conflicting claims tangled property lines and state borders. It wasn’t until a decade after the end of the Revolutionary War that the legalities were sorted out. The state was formally defined and joined the country in 1791.
The maple industry is only one chapter in a long book of industrial and political innovation, Liptak says: 19th-century orator Stephen Douglas was born in Vermont, as were presidents Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge and industrialist John Deere. “We’re pretty distant from huge tech or science hubs, but a lot of inventors were born here,” he adds.
Fortified with plenty of historic context, take to State and Main streets. Vermont being ground central for all things handmade, plan time to peruse locally handwoven, hand-stitched and handblown crafts at the Artisans Hand Craft Gallery, or gather the goods to make your own at Notion Fabric & Craft shop.
If you’re on the lookout for Bernie (Sanders) swag, you’ll find it at Capitol Stationers on Main Street. Buy a tote or sweatshirt decorated with a drawing of America’s favorite socialist, hand-knitted mittens and all. This is also the spot to load up on tourist-friendly miniature jugs of syrup and tiny boxes of maple leaf candy.
Special events abound, rolling Vermont’s recent counterculture heritage into the current century. To be sure, you’ll find maple at every turn and in nearly every form, from syrup to hand-turned hardwood bowls. It’s an apt metaphor for the city’s resilience: No matter what happens, maple ushers in spring and sets the stage for another golden fall.
Stay and Dine
Patched from adjacent historic properties, the Capitol Plaza Hilton is far from a cookie-cutter chain hotel. It dominates State Street and is the ideal centerpiece for a walking weekend around downtown Montpelier. Its on-site restaurant offers a maple-centric breakfast menu, the better to fortify yourself for a day on your feet. In the summer, dine on the sidewalk, making the most of a quiet evening and plenty of fresh mountain air to pique your appetite.
Need a palate cleanser? Two blocks north of the Hilton is Julio’s Cantina at 154 N. State St., an unexpectedly authentic Mexican restaurant. It’s a maple-free zone, but with hand-assembled burritos and fajitas, you’ll hardly miss it.
A short skip east on Main Street and you’ll arrive at No. 60, the Red Hen Baking Co., newly relocated from its longtime location on a rural highway. You’ll have to resolve for yourself the ongoing debate as to which is better — the bakery’s maple cinnamon rolls or its bacon-cheddar scones.
Designate a driver and head a half-mile north of downtown Montpelier to Barr Hill distillery and bar at 116 Gin Lane. Reservations are required for the full tour, but chances are always good you’ll find a knowledgeable staffer who can wax long about the operation’s homegrown honey and how it flavors its famous spirits.
Zoom in on festivals, special events and additional sites at the city’s tourism hub, Montpelier Alive.
Beyond the Stream in Manchester
What’s a spouse to do while their partner wades in sparkling streams in pursuit of trout?
Plenty, if the stream is in south-central Vermont. The tidy hamlet of Manchester hosts the famed fly-fishing school operated by Orvis, the Vermont-based outdoor outfitter. (Orvis is headquartered a few miles south in Sunderland.)
Although fly-fishing does attract women and participation approaches gender balance (40% of fly-fishing school attendees are female), vacation destinations need to offer off-the-water activities that appeal to everyone. Fortunately, Manchester has plenty of alternatives.
Start by centering your visit at a resort or inn that will let you luxuriate over morning coffee while your partner is by the stream pulling on their waders. The classic choice is the Equinox Golf Resort & Spa, located in central Manchester in the midst of a walk-worthy historic neighborhood.
The sprawling complex centers around the inn, built just after the American Revolution, and expanded over the years in all directions. Consequently, one of the year-round draws — a huge wood-burning fireplace — is embedded in the center of the main inn, surrounded by lounges, a bar and two restaurants. Settle into a deep sofa with a bottomless cup of coffee and read or surf by the ever-crackling hearth.
The spa and fitness center occupy a freestanding building at the Equinox, a short stroll from the hotel proper. It’s popular with families and locals, so don’t expect to rest in quiet seclusion. This is the spot for a facial or massage from a skilled aesthetician, followed by a swim or walk, depending on the temperatures inside and out. In season, the Equinox offers golf and lengthy walking paths.
Manchester is dotted with small shops, tearooms and coffee shops. If your fisher-spouse is falling in love with their new sport, check out the Orvis outlet at 4180 Main St. for genuine overstock bargains on all things flannel, outdoorsy and dog-related.
Just a couple miles south of central Manchester is Hildene, the country getaway-turned-family-homestead of Robert Todd Lincoln, the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd. A successful corporate lawyer and executive of a major train car manufacturer in the late Victorian era, he fell in love with southern Vermont while visiting friends who grew up there. In his retirement, he built an English-inspired manse on a bluff overlooking a sharp valley. Keenly aware of the historical importance of the house and the eldest Lincoln son’s own life and family legacy, local friends bought it when the last Lincoln heir died, preserving family furniture and artifacts in place.
Stroll through Lincoln’s bedroom and office, peek into closets where maids ironed linen napkins for the many parties, and explore the grounds and gardens of the Gilded Age leisure class, including a tiny observatory.
Top image source: iStockphoto.com/DenisTangneyJr
