Destination Vermont

Agriculture and Industry Heritage Museums Historic Sites Small Towns and Downtowns

Agriculture and Food Heritage experience Vermont’s thriving food and arts scene, local cuisine from artisan chefs, creative food companies, and passionate farmers thriving alongside artists sharing their arts and crafts.

Museums tell the story of Vermont’s heritage, arts and crafts. Early Vermonters were hardworking and industrious; museums of agriculture and industry tell the stories of how natural resources were employed to help provide for families and build Vermont: the American Precision Museum in Windsor, the Billings Farm in Woodstock, the New England Maple in Pittsford, the Vermont Granite in Barre and the Vermont Marble Museum in Proctor.

Learn the Stories of Shipwrecks the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes

Downtowns and Small Towns Vermont's thriving downtowns are where visitors and residents find the distinctive local businesses, historic buildings, and rich cultural and social activities that form Vermont's special sense of community. These authentic and attractive downtowns and villages are recognized as a key part of the state’s allure.

Vermont Downtowns are a Centerpiece of Community Life

The Downtown Program, established in 1994, is a revitalization effort that builds on each community’s history; these local efforts have demonstrated how revitalization encourages the local economy and cultural institutions, while supporting growth in a way that minimizes environmental impacts.

Waterbury is a vibrant community in the Green Mountains, encompassing Waterbury Village, Colbyville and Waterbury Center.  A 20-minute drive from Montpelier, 30 minutes from Burlington, and midway between the resort areas of Stowe and the Mad River Valley, Waterbury sits at the intersection of three of Vermont’s most heavily traveled and scenic roads. Downtown is home to a colorful mix of residential neighborhoods, civic and cultural facilities, independent small businesses and the Ben & Jerry Factory. 

Newport lies on the southern shore of Lake Memphremagog just a few miles south of the Quebec border. Visitors can pursue year-round outdoor adventures, including boating, swimming, hiking, biking, fishing, skiing, and snowmobiling.

Newport eateries source local foods and turn them into award winning dishes

Burlington and its walkable waterfront are home to a thriving arts scene, creative entrepreneurship, great shopping, three colleges and a university, and a full range of four-season outdoor pursuits. Fountains, a brick-paved pedestrian mall, and historic buildings ranging in style from Victorian to Art Deco and Streamline Modern provide the backdrop for the Church Street Marketplace. The nearby waterfront includes lakeside parks, ferry crossings, excursion boats, and a 12.5-mile walk and bike path that connects to the Lake Champlain Islands and its 200 miles of shorelines.

one of the best 100 small arts towns in America

Montpelier is the largest urban historic district in Vermont. Of the exquisite historic buildings, the crown jewel is the impeccably restored State House, one of the oldest and best preserved in the country. Three blocks away is the city’s bustling business district where independently owned shops offering books, recordings, clothing, fine crafts and pastries. 

 Your Destination Vermont Travel Plan

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A Tuscan Countryside Medieval Castle and Arms Museum

Monteriggioni stands on a hilltop surrounded by olive trees and vines. Its castle dates-back to the early 13^th century; it was built by the Republic of Siena as a defensive outpost against Florence. The Medieval Town maintains its original architectural features and is unique among Tuscany’s borghi. The stone outer wall is 570 meters long and features 14 rectangular towers; they made a great impression on Dante Alighieri who defined them as giants in hell. Walking on top of the walls provides a spectacular view of the countryside, the Chianti region and the Elsa Valley.

The Arms Museum houses faithful reproductions of medieval and renaissance weapons and armor as well as siege machines and techniques. Each room is devoted to a specific moment in Monteriggioni history. Visitors can wear the armor and handle the weapons.

The Church is located on the main square and is the best-preserved property in the borgo. Also built in the 13^th century, it consists of a single interior space with a rectangular end. Its elegant façade displays a doorway with a stone arch topped by a round window while the renovated interior has plastered walls and domed vaults; the bell dates to 1299. The church is also home to a 17^th century painting of the Madonna and Rosary which the town celebrates every year in October.

Porta Franca is the main entrance to the borgo; it stands below a tower with a pointed arch and facing towards Rome. In the past it likely had a drawbridge over a moat. To the left of the arch is an inscription commemorating the founding of Monteriggioni in the 1220s, while a plaque on the right celebrates the new Italian state in 1860.

Porta di Ponente is the gateway facing Florence. Some battlements incorporated in the walling above indicate that the defensive wall was probably lower. Similar battlements in the facing of the walls on the east side. To the right of the entrance, which used to have an outer protective wall, a plaque quotes lines from Dante that mention Monteriggioni.

In Medieval Times, on the southwest side of the outer walls, there was a third gateway, later walled in; the upper part is still visible from the outer road. In the 16^th century, the base of the outer walls was reinforced with an earth rampart in response to the introduction of new and more powerful firearms.

A Medieval Travel Experience in Tuscany