|

Vermont in the Fall…Is There a Better Place to Be?

Every fall, we try take a road trip to Vermont before the ski season begins.  This year we drove up over Columbus Day Weekend hoping to view some beautiful foliage!  After all, there is no place like Vermont in the Fall!  But with temperatures still in the 80’s, the leaves hadn’t reached peak yet.  Though, that didn’t stop us from enjoying our Vermont getaway! 

Today, I’m sharing some of the best places to enjoy fall in Vermont!  Hopefully, I’ll inspire you to visit Vermont in the future!

Vermont in the Fall – One of the Best Places to Be:

Woodstock Inn in Woodstock, Vermont

Woodstock Vermont in the Fall:

Yes, this is the iconic Woodstock Inn in the charming town of Woodstock, Vermont.  From what I’ve heard, this hotel is one of the best places to stay in Vermont in the Fall!  Since we couldn’t resist, we took a peek inside and it was just as lovely as you’d expect from the exterior.  Classic and so New England.  Sorry, I didn’t take any photos but here is the link to their website if you want to take a look for yourself – The Woodstock Inn.

Woodstock Inn Sign

This delightful town is exactly what you would picture when you think of Vermont in the Fall.  Definitely, one of the prettiest fall towns I’ve ever seen!

After a weekend of on and off rain, it was nice to see the late afternoon sun streaming through the trees.

From the center of town, you can head out to nearby ski resorts or just take a scenic drive through the countryside.

Or stroll into the one of the oldest general stores for some local maple syrup…

F.H. Gillingham and Sons General Store

In the town of Woodstock, the charming streets transport you back in time…

Yankee Book Shop in Woodstock VT

As always, we made our usual stop in the Yankee Book Shop only to find that the owners changed hands recently.  We used to stop in just to see the owner’s three Bernese Mountain dogs that used to roam freely around the store.  The employees told us people ask about them all the time!

Unfortunately, I didn’t take as many photos of the town as I should have this time.  If you would like to see more of  lovely town, check out my old post – Quintessential New England Town and my newer blog post – Simple Fall Outdoor Decorating Ideas (in Woodstock Vermont).

Quechee Vermont in the Fall:

Earlier in the day we visited the town of Quechee, just about 10 minutes east of Woodstock.  Usually, we visit both towns on the same trip to the Green Mountain state.

This is the view of the bridge over the famous Quechee gorge section of the Ottauquechee river.  As you can see, it’s quite the tourist attraction.  If you’re afraid of heights, I suggest you don’t lean over the edge!

The kids wanted to explore a little so we walked around some of the trails.  Years ago, we hiked to the bottom of the long trail but this time we stayed up top…because throwing rocks over the edge is more fun!

While strolling around town, we visited the Cabot store and sampled all their cheeses, salsas and maple syrup samples.  Even after all that good food, we still stopped at a farmers market later in the day…life with boys!

Of course, we had to make our obligatory visit to the Toy and Train Museum upstairs…

Does anyone spot an old lunchbox from your childhood?  I found the Pebbles and Bam Bam but not the Flintstone one I used to have…yes, I am getting old!

Each year, my kids and I love viewing the train displays.  Honestly, the train designers did an amazing job at recreating local Vermont towns and of course, the ski slopes!

Vermont in the Fall - fall foliage along the river

On our scenic drive back towards Woodstock, we stopped to admire some pretty river views.  Even though it was early October, all the leaves hadn’t changed yet.  I’m guessing we were about a week or so away from peak foliage season.

Red Covered Bridge in Vermont in the Fall

Yes, you must take pictures of covered bridges when you are in Vermont!  It’s practically a requirement!

Taftsville Covered Bridge in Vermont

How pretty is this bridge?  Apparently, there are more than 100 covered bridges in Vermont!  

So, that was the pretty part of the weekend!  For the “fun” part of the weekend, we headed over to Killington Mountain the day before…

Vermont Fall Activities in Killington:

Killington Vermont in the Fall

Like I said, it was mostly rainy and cloudy that fall weekend…but we didn’t let it spoil our fun!  Since we happened to visit during “Witchcraft Weekend”, there were all kinds of extra autumn attractions in addition to the usual mountain activities.

Killington really has some awesome fall outdoor activities for kids!  At first, my boys stuck to the basics like the Beast Mountain Coaster.  Then my husband and 13 year old decided to go zip lining for the first time!  Definitely, a unique way to view the fall foliage!

They loved it so much, they went down twice!  Of course, I didn’t try because of my bad neck and back…and maybe my fear of heights!  Even during ski season, I get a little stressed out riding the ski lifts.

Waffle Cabin in Killington Vermont

Meanwhile, my 11 year old and I had to break for a chocolate covered waffle…Gotta love Waffle Cabin!

From there, the four of us hopped on the gondola and headed up to the peak for lunch.

Unfortunately, our view from the gondola was less than ideal thanks to the rain.  Imagine how beautiful the changing leaves look on a clear day!

To give you an idea of the views from the peak, this sign in the restaurant explains it all.  Surely, one of the best places in New England to enjoy the fall foliage on a clear day.  Not only can you see the tops of local mountains, but in the distance you can even spot some of the mountains in southern Vermont!

Mountain views as far as the eye can see…well potential for views as far as the eyes can see…

Unfortunately, this was our rainy view of the mountain from the Peak Lodge.  Oh well, at least lunch was delicious!

After lunch, the rain stopped so I ran back and picked up Rosie for the afternoon…

As always, she was so excited to greet every single person she could!

Killington Ski Slopes in the Fall with a golden retriever

She loved watching the boys run up the grass covered ski slopes…

Vermont in the Fall with a golden retriever

And posed for some pictures along the way.  By the way, that little covered bridge in the background is part of the mountain bike trail.

Golden Retriever showing off

Needless to say, she was exhausted by the end of her day at the mountain!

Killington Vermont Adventure Center with golden retriever

Attempting to be become the official dog of Killington can be exhausting!  Actually, the whole day was exhausting for all of us, but not as exhausting as a day of skiing.  Yes, ski season is getting close now!

Hopefully, I’ve given you some great ideas if you’re wondering where to visit in Vermont in Fall!

If you would like to see more Vermont posts, be sure to visit some of these below:

Have you been to Vermont in the fall?

Follow along so you don’t miss a post!

Subscribe by email – HERE

PinterestInstagram / Facebook / Twitter

Pin this

Vermont in the Fall - Pretty Towns and Things to Do

 

Similar Posts

19 Comments

  1. Oh my, I definitely need to put Vermont on our travel bucket list. It's just gorgeous. I love that we both have dogs named Rosie.

  2. I am in love with all of these photos. and wow look at the colors of those mums!!!XO Ellen from Ask Awaywww.askawayblog.com

  3. I want to visit Vermont in the fall some day. Looks like fun and even miss Rosie enjoyed it.

  4. Shelley, I have never been to Vermon, but I need to go! I can only imagine the beauty when the leaves turn! I enjoyed traveling with you!

  5. Yes! We had a lovely fall vacation some years ago, staying at the Reluctant Panther Inn in Manchester. Fabulous canoe trip on the river during that stay, and spectacular color. Looks like you had fun on your trip.

  6. Thanks for creating this post! We were supposed to go to Vermont (my first time) in September. But, we live in Florida and Hurricane Irma derailed our plans. Maybe another year. I love the pictures!!

  7. My husband and I have been to the Gorge and Woodstock in the middle of summer, but we would love to go back in the fall. We'll have to go up that mountain and take that gondola ride. That looks fun. Sorry it rained on you. We've struggled with a lot of rainy weekend ruining our fall drives this fall also.

  8. I now have a new bucket list place to visit and the Woodstock Inn looks amazing. Hope you're having a great start to your week!

  9. Your pictures are beautiful! Yes, we have been to Vermont in the Fall. We went on one of those "Fall Color Tours" a few years back, and our timing could not have been more perfect. The beauty was breathtaking!

  10. I loved looking at your Vermont pictures. If I could, I'd get in the car and go back there right now. We've never been to Killington and will have to go one of these days. (We usually ski Okemo.)

  11. I am so jealous of your Fall experience in Vermont. I miss the Northeast so much. For the past several years, we have gone from summer straight to winter in North Carolina with no Fall weather to speak of. Your pics are great and your dog is adorable!

    1. Thank you! There really is no place like Vermont! (By the way, I tried to email you back but you came up as "no reply"). Thanks for stopping by!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *