We’ve been lucky to visit a lot of beautiful places in New England since we moved to the east coast, but Vermont in the fall tops them all. Both times we’ve gone the second weekend in October and were blown away by the fall colors.
Our first year we stayed in Killington and planned to spend most of our time in Woodstock (I’d actually recommend staying outside of the main towns you want to visit. Not only can it save you money, it also bakes in fall drives). It wasn’t quite peak in Woodstock, so we drove up to Stowe one of the days and the color was amazing there. This year we stayed in Ludlow and the color was pretty close to peak, so we spent most of our time in Woodstock, and also crossed the state border into New Hampshire to check out Dartmouth College.
Woodstock
Downtown Woodstock: the cutest shops! My favorites are Woody’s Mercantile, Clover Gift Shop, F.H. Gillingham & Sons, and The Yankee Bookshop.
The Village Butcher: We loved their sandwiches on sourdough bread! They’re labeled “Village Butcher Shop” on Google Maps. Check the hours online before you go, when we were there they were closed Sundays and Mondays.
Mon Vert Cafe: My favorite lunch spot in Woodstock. They also have baked goods. This spot draws long lines, so I’d go right when they open or try placing a pickup order while you shop around town. Check the hours online before you go, they aren’t open every day of the week.
The Foundry at Summit Pond: a great dinner spot outside of Woodstock in Killington. It’s pricer but we’ve shared plates family style so we could try multiple things on the menu. Call in to make a reservation.
Stowe
Smuggler’s Notch: Such a beautiful drive!
Stowe Recreation Path: My favorite thing we did in Stowe. We just picked sections of the path to walk and it was so dreamy with all the leaves falling down.
Gondola Skyride at Stowe Mountain Resort: This activity is on the pricer side, but seeing the fall colors from a bird’s eye view is pretty magical, especially if you’re there on a clear day.
Historic Downtown Stowe: Some fun shops and a beautiful historic church. We found a ton of Maple themed things in one of the stores—pretty much every kind of syrup imaginable.