Whether you live here year-round or came just to see this once-in-a-lifetime event, to make the most of your eclipse experience, spend some time in Vermont’s cities and towns. They’re jam-packed with award-winning food and beer, family-friendly activities, world-class outdoor recreation, and stellar entertainment options. Here’s a small sampling of highlights from areas in the path of totality. Find a curated collection of suggested itineraries and events at sevendaysvt.com/eclipse.
Champlain Islands
Goodsell Ridge Fossil Preserve: Explore the Chazy Fossil Reef — formed 460 million years ago — via a walking trail.
Snow Farm Vineyard & Distillery: Sample wine and spirits at a weekend of eclipse-related fun, including live music and a craft market.
St. Albans
Maple City Diner: Breakfast is served all day, with a side of maple-related ephemera.
Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail: This 26.4-mile gravel trail winds through quintessential Vermont scenery.
Newport & Jay
Jay Peak Resort’s Pump House Indoor Waterpark: Pools, a lazy river and a 65-foot water chute offer fun for all ages.
Kingdom Brewing: Heirloom recipes and U.S.-grown grains make for singular suds.
Burlington
Andy A_Dog Williams Skatepark: Burlington’s world-class skate park has rails, ramps, boxes, a half-bowl and a half-pipe.
Burlington Greenway: This scenic path for bikers, runners and walkers extends eight miles along the city’s shoreline.
Stowe
Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum: A historic collection explores snow sports past and present.
Von Trapp Brewing Bierhall: The high-ceilinged bierhall embodies the Trapp Family Lodge’s Austria-meets-Vermont flavor.
St. Johnsbury
Dog Mountain: Trails, ponds and fields are devoted to our best friends; a Dog Chapel displays tributes to departed canines.
Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium: Vermont’s Smithsonian will be Eclipse Central but offers out-of-this-world exhibits year-round.
Shelburne
Shelburne Museum: The museum’s eclipse event is sold out, but definitely check out the eclectic collections another day.
Vermont Teddy Bear Factory: Tours offer a glimpse of the stuff (and stuffing) behind the scenes, where craftspeople make bears one by one.
Waterbury
Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour: No visit to Vermont is complete without getting a taste of the iconic ice cream company’s only factory open to the public.
Cold Hollow Cider Mill: After hitting the café and tasting room, take a self-guided tour of the working cider mill.
Montpelier
Vermont Statehouse: Visitors can tour the country’s oldest legislative chambers in their original condition every weekday.
Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks: The farm fills cones year-round with its own pure maple syrup-flavored creemees, the Vermont name for soft-serve.
Middlebury
Trail Around Middlebury: Better known to locals by its acronym, the TAM is an 18-mile public footpath encircling the village of Middlebury.
Appalachian Gap Distillery: The first distillery in the U.S. to be certified climate-neutral, App Gap offers small-batch, handcrafted and experimental spirits.
This article appears in Seven Days Guide to the 2024 Solar Eclipse.
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