Where to Visit In Vermont in Fall – 6 Best Things to Do

Vermont in Fall is a time of great beauty as well as a lot of fun activities. Don’t be afraid to take the back roads and be spontaneous!! This state is not only gorgeous but very safe, with kindly gruff people who are extremely helpful. I fell in love with the people as well as the scenery, and the food is wonderful!!

Where to Visit in Vermont in Fall

1. Visit Woodstock

Described as one of the most beautiful small towns in America, Woodstock, VT is a must-visit on any list of where to visit in Vermont in fall. This town is insane in “peeper season” or peak fall foliage, as the tourists or “leaf peepers” roll in on the big tour buses and inundate the town. I would imagine this place is gorgeous in most seasons, but navigating is downright crazy on the first week of Oct.

Come later in the week to find more restaurant options open, as many are closed Monday and Tuesday. Wondering where to visit in Vermont in fall? This town itself is a feast for the eyes with its stately old mansions in impeccable condition, adorable Main Street for shopping and dining, and of course the covered bridges! https://www.woodstockvt.com

Shopping:

Follow Church Street until it becomes Central Street to find the main shopping district of Woodstock. It’s packed with dining and small boutiques, and even the famous F.H. Gillingham General Store. Vermont is known for its small town general stores, with the basic motto of if they don’t have it, you don’t need it. Oddly, they seem much bigger on the inside than the outside. We had way too much fun exploring as many general stores as possible, but this one was especially cute. This is a great theme for where to visit in Vermont in fall!

Treats:

Vermont is famous for Maple Creemees, which is basically maple syrup added to soft serve and often topped with maple crumbles. Woodstock Scoops is a busy downtown ice cream shop which introduced us to the magic of Maple Creemees.

Breakfast: Soulfully Good Cafe

Dinner: Trailbreak Taps and Tacos

Due to the huge numbers of tourists, we had to stay in neighboring White River Junction, which is a more modern and hipster-vibe town with a lot of charm and convenience. This was an unexpected bright spot in our search for where to visit in Vermont in fall. We found an unexpected ski-themed bright and modern taco bar called Trailbreak Taps and Tacos, which had some fantastic and unusual taco choices. Try the (grilled chicken and pulled pork) and the street corn side. Bonus: they bring out a pre-dinner teaser of jerk-seasoned popcorn. WOW. https://www.trailbreakvt.com

Things to Do:

Billings Farm–Just outside of Woodstock is a Billings-Marsh-Rockefeller National Historical Park, with the working Billings Farm that is a great tourist activity especially with kids. Learn how things are made, and maybe meet a sheep! We toured the gorgeous Victorian Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller mansion across from the farm, and it was well worth the visit!! It’s a beautiful choice for where to visit Vermont in fall, but also would be great in spring and summer!!

Faulkner Park hike to Mt. Tom—this was the highlight of Woodstock but it is a workout!! About an hour of climbing on very scenic switchbacks brings you to just short of the crest of Mt Tom, with a final rocky scramble to bring you up to the very top with panoramic views both north and south. If you’re a confident hiker, it’s well worth the final push and there are metal rope rails to help the climb. Not a hazardous hike, but physically challenging.

2. Drive Scenic Vermont 100

This drive is epic. Your eyeballs will explode with looking. Take the lanes less traveled and don’t be afraid to make unexpected detours. We found some incredible short hikes to waterfalls or overlooks just by noticing cars parked by the side of the road. Start in the southern part of the state at Wilmington and follow it all the way north, stopping at all the quaint small towns.

Every town is gorgeous. This is also Ski Country, with most of the large resorts in the Green Mountains visible from the highway, and of course is a major winter destination also! Where to visit in Vermont in fall? Don’t miss Vt-100!!

3. Visit Montpelier

This town got severely damaged in the July 2023 flood and while it is still a very lovely town, they are still working hard to rebuild. Most downtown businesses are still in recovery and not yet open. Once the town recovers, downtown Montpelier is packed with quirky and fun boutiques and great restaurant options! It’s a very steep town with incredible mountain views, so be sure to walk around the historic neighborhoods to see the spectacular mansions!

It’s a beautiful urban hike on a sunny fall day with the trees all red and gold. Despite the current difficulties, we highly recommend Montpelier on a list of where to visit in Vermont in fall. I found this beautiful and very old cemetery running early one morning at the very highest point of town–magic!

Breakfast:

Wayside Diner–As recommended by our host at Artful Lodgings in Montpelier, we tried the very authentic and extremely reasonably priced Wayside Diner, where the gruff New England waitresses have probably been there 30 years and will DEFINITELY take care of you. The maple syrup….ahhhhh.

Dinner:

Sarducci’s–One fantastic dining option that escaped the flood damage was Sarducci’s, with really reasonably priced fine Italian food. We really enjoyed the perfectly cooked pasta with fresh ingredients. Try the Capellini di Verdure or any of the daily specials!!! They were very very busy but took great care of us. https://sarduccis.com

Where to Stay:

Artful Lodgings—This lovely short-term rental is run by a very artistic architect named Beth Damon who will take great care to make your stay comfortable. We truly enjoyed this tidy, completely outfitted, and unique little apartment as a launch pad to all our Montpelier-area adventures. Highly recommended! https://www.artfulretreats.net

4. Visit the Von Trapp Family Lodge

We headed north from Montpelier to see the famous wealthy ski destination, Stowe Mountain Resort on Mount Mansfield. It’s a beautiful drive on Vt-108, and on the way we stopped at the famous Von Trapp Family Lodge.

This is the American home of the Von Trapp Family Singers from the Sound of Music, and it’s a gorgeous Austrian-style lodge looking over the mountains. After touring in the US after their escape, they chose Stowe as the closest thing to their home area and built the lodge as a family retreat. This lodge was later shared with friends before finally opening it to the public as it gained popularity. Destroyed by a fire in the 1980s, it was rebuilt and is still very striking today.

If you visit in winter, try the cross country ski trails on the grounds (you have to buy a pass), or rent mountain bikes for the same trails at the lodge during spring-fall. This is a great choice for where to visit in Vermont in fall. https://www.trappfamily.com

5. Visit Stowe and ride the Gondola at Mt. Mansfield

Stowe is a very cute and very tiny stopping place for those headed up the mountain to the ski resort. Stop at the general store—of course—for refreshments and souvenirs before heading to Mount Mansfield. There are other shopping and dining options in this picturesque spot, so allow a little time to explore (and in fall, navigate the epic traffic!) before heading on.

Stowe Mountain Resort is huge. There are several gondola lifts and I would love to experience this in ski season. The resort is luxurious and scenic, tucked in the bowl of the mountains with its own small lake and amazing views. We went up the gondola for some spectacular fall foliage scenery and took a very challenging hike towards the summit. We didn’t make it but the part we did was worth it!

Note: We turned back at a section called Lemon Squeeze, which is a giant cleft between two sheer rock faces. It’s unbelievable. We couldn’t quite make it into and out of a rather deep hole to come out the other side, but would like to come back more prepared and try again. This hike is for the very fit and agile, as half a mile of rocky spider-crawling will make even a distance runner like me weak in the knees. Coming down is even more challenging. Is it worth it? YES.

If not feeling quite up to that, take some great pictures at the overlook and grab a snack at the chalet before riding down to scenic vistas. The tickets are $40 in the fall foliage season, and we are very glad we tried it. This is a highlight of where to visit in Vermont in fall.,

Dinner: Pearl Street Pizza, Barre, VT

Due to the damage in Montpelier and a very small selection of restaurants still open so far (check back next season!!! They are working hard to re-open!!), we explored neighboring Barre (also flood damaged) and the nice lady in the thrift store sent us to Pearl Street Pizza. This place is an Italian meat market or Salumi, and the pepperoni was unreal. Spicy!!

They make perfect medium thin crusts in their giant wood fired oven, and produced some of the best pizza I’ve ever eaten. We had the Margherite on one half and pepperoni on the other. Eat the margherite first as the flavors are much more delicate and the pepperoni will make your ears warm. Both well worthwhile. https://pearlstpizza.com

6. Visit Morse Farm

Our last tourist stop in Montpelier was the Morse Farm slightly north of town. It’s a fantastic entry on the list of where to visit in Vermont in fall! This is a maple syrup producing operation that allows for some great tasting opportunities in any season. Vermont is famous for “maple creemee” or maple soft serve, and this place is arguably the winner for creemee. Try it and see, and also grab some maple kettle corn. Everything is amazing! They also feature Cabot Cheddar, which is a Vermont specialty.

Wrapping Up~Where to Visit in Vermont in Fall

This whole state is unbelievably beautiful. Route 100 is a must-see scenic highway, and any stop along the way is worthwhile, especially in the fall! And don’t forget to visit lovely Montpelier when they have recovered from the floods of July 2023. You can’t go wrong with any decision on where to visit in Vermont in fall!!