36 Hours
36 Hours in Burlington, Vt.
Sitting on Lake Champlain and framed by the Green Mountains and New York’s Adirondacks, Burlington — Vermont’s most populous city, at just under 45,000 residents — draws visitors for its natural beauty, farm-to-table food scene and progressive sensibility. Among the long-time producers and makers (many of whom appear at the city’s Saturday farmers’ market, which relocated in recent years), Burlington has a crop of new bars, cafes and wellness experiences, including a lakefront sauna. The city is also a jumping-off point to discover gems in neighboring Addison County, and to explore the Lake Champlain region, which is an almost sacred experience in fall, when the landscape unfurls into a spectacular temple.
Recommendations
- Burlington Farmers Market on Pine Street overflows with the best from Vermont makers, farmers and craftspeople.
- Yates Family Orchard, on a ridge in Monkton, offers stunning views for the most idyllic fall apple-picking experience.
- The Tillerman, in the town of Bristol, is a newly revived restaurant and inn serving wood-fired meals worth the 40-minute drive outside Burlington.
- Foam Brewers, one of several local microbreweries in town, is where to enjoy live music while savoring a New England sunset.
- Shy Guy Gelato serves creamy, hand-crafted gelato with seasonal ingredients.
- Devil Takes a Holiday is a romantic craft cocktail bar.
- Paradiso is a high-fidelity listening bar and restaurant that serves small plates inspired by Nordic cuisine.
- Dedalus Wine Bar is an indie natural wine shop with an attached bar that pours sophisticated bottles.
- Myer’s Wood Fired makes perfect Montreal-style bagels and breakfast sandwiches.
- Minifactory is an all-day cafe and jam shop in rural Vermont.
- Jones the Boy is a Bristol bakery with espresso drinks and maple lattes.
- The Grey Jay serves Mediterranean-inspired brunch fare.
- Raven Ridge Natural Area has a 2.4-mile hiking loop that rewards with vistas of Lake Champlain.
- Savu has lakeside sauna boxes where you can sweat, then brave a cold plunge in the lake.
- Church Street Marketplace is where to find Vermont-made goods and experience the heart of Burlington’s downtown.
- Silkworm sells a curated selection of vintage clothing from the 1970s onward.
- Vermont HoneyLights specializes in 100-percent beeswax candles with funky shapes.
- Island Girl Jewelry sells geometric jewelry inspired by Barbados.
- Farmhouse Chocolates crafts organic dark chocolate confections.
- Frog Hollow is a craft gallery that exhibits and sells work by local Vermont artisans and artists.
- Common Deer is a woman-owned modern general store featuring goods made in the United States.
- Hotel Vermont, steps from the waterfront, is stocked with local products, from the furniture to the soaps to the teas in your room. It also offers cocktails made with Vermont spirits and live music at its Juniper Bar & Restaurant. Weekend fall rates start from $459 per night.
- Blind Tiger Burlington is a boutique hotel in a historic brick mansion in Burlington’s South End neighborhood with weekend prices starting from $329 per night.
- Lang House on Main Street is a quaint bed and breakfast in a gorgeous white Victorian home; weekend prices can start from $300.
- For short-term rentals look in Burlington’s popular South End or Old North End neighborhoods, both walkable to downtown.
- Burlington is a small city, so you can easily get around by foot and bike. Rent bikes by the day from Local Motion on Steele Street, at the waterfront. For trips outside the city, you’ll need a car, which can be reserved at the Burlington International Airport. Car services like Uber and Lyft are also available in the city.
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