The 9 Best Summer Activities in Vermont!
The Green Mountain State offers many summer attractions for adults and families, like farm and winery visits. Vermont is buzzing with energy and verdant beauty during the summer months. So, get outdoors and enjoy the untouched splendor with these best summer activities to do in Vermont.
1.Ball Mountain Lake, Jamaica, VT
Ball Mountain Lake periodically releases water in conjunction with the seasonal drawdowns of their pool. The upshot is Class I and II rapids for kayaking and canoeing, and other water activities. Hiking via the West River Trail is also a popular activity and feature panoramic views of Bromley and Stratton Mountains. The dam access road is open daily from the end of May through the weekend after Labor Day.
2.Calvin Coolidge Historic Site, Plymouth, VT
Plymouth Notch is a small community in the town of Plymouth that has, by all accounts, remained virtually unchanged since the early 1900s. Its claim to fame is that Calvin Coolidge (America's 30th president) was born and grew up there. And it still features the preserved homes of the Coolidge family and their neighbors, the famous cheese factory, the one-room schoolhouse where he went to school, and the general store where Calvin was born.
3.Hamilton Falls, Jamaica, VT
Hamilton Falls is the culmination of Cobb Brook’s gentle meandering over relatively level terrain before dramatically descending over 125 feet. There are several falls along the descent, the most spectacular of which drops 40 to 50 feet into a large pool. There is also a hiking trail and a moderately popular swimming hole but swim at your risk!
4.Bennington Battle Monument, Bennington, VT
The rough-and-tumble Battle of Bennington (1777) was fought over a strategic munitions supply dump the was once where the monument stands today. The monolith that marks that spot was completed in 1891 and, at over 306 feet, looms on a hill overlooking the town in a stately sort of way. It was here that the Brigadier General John Stark and his American forces successfully defeated two detachments of British invaders.
5.Mount Independence
Mount Independence was a strategic vantage point and fall back for the more notable, Fort Ticonderoga. During the Revolutionary War, the fort at Mount Independence was built as an answer to an anticipated attack from the northern part of Lake Champlain by the British. Today, it offers walking trails on 300 acres of hills and woods and an on-site museum that features Revolutionary War artifacts.
6.The Vermont Marble Trail
The Vermont Marble Trail is a driving tour that runs alongside the marble corridor running the length of western Vermont, the so-called Stone Valley Byway. Along the way, you can see historical sites, including Robert Frost’s gravesite in Bennington, the Wilson Castle in Proctor, the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier, and the Vermont Marble Museum in Proctor.
7.Long Trail at Glastenbury Mountain, Bennington, VT
Glastenbury has an ominous presence from the very start of things, as it stands like a sentinel marking the beginning of the Long Trail. But perhaps it is also because you pass through a ghost town on your way to hike it. According to legend, it sits in the center of the so-called “Bennington Triangle,” where disappearances have been known to happen. The upshots are the views and bragging rights that you made it.
8.Vermont State Parks
At Half Moon Park, you can spend your days hiking or sunbathing on one of two small beaches in this quaint little spot that lies in the shadow of its big brother, Bomoseen State Park. Or maybe you'd enjoy heading into the wilderness of Maidstone State Park, which features ta deep, cold, glacial lake with a nesting loon population. Perhaps, though, camping where Abenaki tribes regularly gathered at Chimney Point over 7,000 years ago appeals to you. Whatever your fancy, camping at Vermont State Parks is an unmatched summer experience.
9.Kingdom Trails, Northeast Kingdom, VT
Kingdom Trails is a collection of over 110 miles of recreational, non-motorized trails through the pastoral farmland and bucolic forests of the Green Mountains. Bike, hike, and ski through historical properties and covered bridges, as these trails are designed for people of all levels and abilities. The Kingdom Trails Association was established in 1994, and, since then, they have gained the permission of more than 50 local landowners and businesses to make this connection of intensely beautiful trails possible.
