The Ethan Allen Homestead Museum centers on a house dating from 1785. It was the last home of Vermont folk hero Ethan Allen. Through the historic house, the museum offers a glimpse into early American life. Here, architectural history meets the life story of one of Vermont’s most influential figures.
Shorelines and parks on Lake Champlain
In Burlington, the Burlington Greenway is a paved, 8-mile multi-use trail along the shore of Lake Champlain. The official Lake Champlain Byway route is 184 miles long and follows U.S. Route 7 through Chittenden County. The comparison highlights two different scales: a paved shoreline trail on the one hand, and a much longer official route through the county on the other.
Water Works Park offers a boardwalk, benches and a fishing pier on Burlington’s waterfront. Moran FRAME focuses on a different kind of transformation: a former coal-fired power plant was turned into a public park. Niquette Bay State Park adds another shoreline perspective, with 4,700 feet of rocky and sandy shoreline on Lake Champlain.
Birdwatching and activities on the water
At the Birds of Vermont Museum, visitors can watch live wild birds from feeding stations, a walk-through treehouse or a birdwatching stand. The museum’s trails are open to walkers of all ages from sunrise to sunset; advance reservations and admission are not required. The trails and viewing spots offer different experiences: some invite you to stroll, while others provide different vantage points for watching the birds.
The Community Sailing Center offers group sailing and paddling on Lake Champlain for groups of 6 to 60 people. This provides an activity on the water in addition to observing wild birds. The group size is part of the offering and is relevant when planning an outing together.
Mountains, trails and alpine tundra
Mount Philo State Park is located on 968-foot Mount Philo; in 1924, it became Vermont’s first state park. At Underhill State Park, four trails lead to the summit ridge of Mt. Mansfield. The park is in the 39,837-acre Mt. Mansfield State Forest. These details offer two different ways to experience the mountain landscape: the history of Vermont’s first state park and trails leading to a specific summit ridge.
The summit ridge of Mt. Mansfield is home to alpine tundra, with low-growing, stunted vegetation that is rare in New England. This vegetation differs markedly from the shorelines of Lake Champlain and adds another nature-focused theme to the trails. For those interested in mountains, the area offers a distinctive habitat to discover as well as trails to follow.
Historic buildings and collections
Richmond’s Round Church is a 16-sided meetinghouse dating from 1813 and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. The Colchester Log Schoolhouse, built in 1815, serves as a visitor information center and a museum presenting local history. The two buildings represent different historic functions: a meetinghouse with a distinctive shape and a schoolhouse that also serves as a center for information and local history.
In Jericho, the Old Red Mill rises above a gorge on the Browns River; it is a national historic site. The Hall of Heroes at the Vermont Military Library & Museum displays uniforms and artifacts from Vermont residents, including Wallace M. Greene Jr. Together, these places offer history enthusiasts a variety of points of interest: architecture, local history and mementos from the lives of Vermonters.
Discover more destinations: Burlington, Essex Junction, Shelburne, South Burlington, Colchester, Williston, Underhill, Grand Isle County.
For the broader travel overview: Vermont.
