Burlington, VT Road Trips

Burlington, a city of 45,000 people (2020), is known outside of Vermont mostly as the place where Ben & Jerry's ice cream began, and as the city where democratic socialist Bernie Sanders launched his political career, winning the 1980 mayoral election and serving in that role for eight years before moving on to the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the 2016/2020 presidential races. However, contrary to what you may think, this lovely town has a lot more to offer than left-wing politics and ice cream. Hello Burlington website

Downtown Burlington is home to an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants, and is well known for its pedestrian Church Street Marketplace. Church Street is home to a multitude of performers ranging from violists to folk singers to hip-hop dancers, and you don't have to pay a penny, although it doesn't hurt to leave a few dollars. Burlington is ideal for observing all sorts of individuals: flower-child hippies, students, funky artists, tattooed hipsters, and preps mingle on the streets and can provide unparalleled entertainment. 1 ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, 1 College St, ☏ +1 802-864-1848. Daily 9AM-5PM in summer. Lake aquarium and science center. $9/$7. (updated Oct 2016) Waterfront. At the bottom of College street. $5 for parking. North Beach (End of Institute Road (off North Avenue, behind Burlington High School)). $8 for non-resident parking or get there for free from the bikepath at the Waterfront (go right when looking at the water, i.e. to the north). Williams' Fire Escape, Williams Hall, University Pl. One of Burlington's hidden treasures is a few flights up the fire escape of one of UVM's buildings. Williams Hall, across from the University Green, is an architectural masterpiece in its own right. However, the sunset sights seen from an outside stairwell are some of the best views one will experience. If there are not too many people/students visiting the spot, it is a romantic and breathtaking place to visit. At the uppermost flight of the fire escape, all of downtown Burlington, spanning to Lake Champlain, is visible.

Burlington is renowned for its cultural amenities and strength in the arts, providing the opportunities typical of a much larger city. Outdoor activities include a 7.6-mile (12.5-km) bike path that runs along the lake and now connects to the Colchester bike path. Mount Philo is a leisurely hike for beginners, especially with younger kids. Camel's Hump and Mount Mansfield offer more challenging terrain, but reward hikers with beautiful summit views of the Champlain Valley. All three mountains are within 1-hour driving distance of Burlington. Several alpine and cross-country ski resorts and backcountry ski trails are within an hour of Burlington—and you can Nordic ski in the city, as well, at Red Rocks Park and Burlington Country Club. Spirit of Ethan Allen III. Regular cruise tours of Lake Champlain leave from Burlington's harbor. Flynn Theater. Home to the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Vermont Stage Company, and Lyric Theatre Company. Flynnspace. Presents alternative and avant-garde performances in an intimate, black box theater. 1 Ethan Allen Homestead, ☏ +1 802-865-4556. Guided tours of Revolutionary War Hero Ethan Allen's final home on Burlington's Scenic Intervale 2 Fleming Museum of Art (formerly Robert Hull Fleming Museum), ☏ +1 802-656-2090 (recorded info), +1 802-656-0750 (museum offices). BCA Center. A five-story complex of galleries, classrooms, and studios run by Burlington City Arts. The Bern Gallery, 135 Main St (Downtown Burlington across from City Hall Park), ☏ +1 802-865-0994. 10AM-9PM.

Being a large college town, Burlington is home to many cheap eateries. Due to the competition, most of them are pretty good. Ahli Baba's Kabob Shop, 163 Main St, ☏ +1 802-862-5752. Serves Greek and Middle Eastern food. Popular spot with students, open late. Asiana Noodle Shop, 88 Church St, ☏ +1 802-862-8828. Specializes in noodle soups from all over East Asia. The Skinny Pancake, 60 Lake St, ☏ +1 802-540-0188. 8AM-8PM. A Burlington creperie. They serve sweet and savory crepes with a local twist. The "Heartbreaker" crepe features the world favorite Nutella spread loaded with fresh bananas and local strawberries. Along with an emphasis on local and organic products, the S.P. offers molten Swiss fondues and live music on Th, F and Sa. Come grab a crepe! $6 and up. Handy's Lunch, 74 Maple St, ☏ +1 802-864-5963. Popular south-end diner. Halvorson's Upstreet Cafe, 16 Church St, ☏ +1 802-658-0278. Dine outside at this Church St. cafe. Henry's Diner, 155 Bank St, ☏ +1 802-862-9010. Historic downtown diner New Moon Cafe, 150 Cherry St, ☏ +1 802-383-1505. Named well before the Twilight craze, this cafe is a good place to grab coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and salads. 1 August First Bakery, 149 S. Champlain St (At the corner of Main St.), ☏ +1 802-540-0060. M-F 7:30AM-5PM, Sa 8AM-3PM, Friday nights 6PM-9PM for flatbread pizza. A local favorite! Casual bakery cafe in downtown Burlington, baking artisan bread and serving delicious breakfast and lunch.

1 The Vermont Pub and Brewery, 144 College St, ☏ +1 802-865-0500. (updated Oct 2016) 2 Akes' Place, 134 Church St, ☏ +1 802-864-8111. (updated Oct 2016) 3 Ri Ra Irish Pub, 123 Church St, ☏ +1 802-860-9401. (updated Oct 2016) Nectar's, 188 Main St, ☏ +1 802-658-4771. 4 What Ales You, 152 St. Paul St (Corner of Main and St. Paul), ☏ +1 802-862-1364. (updated Oct 2016) 5 Ruben James Sports Bar & Restaurant ("RJ's"), 159 Main St, ☏ +1 802-864-0744. (updated Oct 2016) 6 Church Street Tavern, 103 Church St, ☏ +1 802-658-1309. (updated Oct 2016) 7 Red Square, 136 1/2 Church St, ☏ +1 802-859-8909. (updated Oct 2016) 8 Three Needs Brewery and Taproom, 185 Pearl St, ☏ +1 802-497-0119. Freshly-brewed self and local beers, as well as a small but decent selection of beers on tap. Red felt pool table in the back, and friendly barstaff. (updated Oct 2016) 9 Drink, 135 St Paul St, ☏ +1 802-860-9463. Hip spot. Lots of couches. And board games. (updated Oct 2016) American Flatbread, 115 St. Paul St, ☏ +1 802-861-2999. An organic and localvore flatbread (don't call it pizza) joint which brews its own "Zero Gravity" beer. Switchback Brewing Co., 160 Flynn Ave, ☏ +1 802-651-4114. Microbrewery Vermont Pub & Brewery, 144 College St, ☏ +1 802-865-0500. Microbrewery Muddy Waters, 184 Main St, ☏ +1 802-658-0466. Locally owned. Great atmosphere. Some beers on tap too. Speeder and Earls Coffee, 104 Church St. Serving the best coffee in downtown Burlington, Ask Anyone. Dobra Tea, 125 S Winooski Ave, ☏ +1 802-951-2424.

Many other hotels with "Burlington" in their names are actually in South Burlington. If you have a car, consider those if price is a consideration, because many of them are within 5 miles (8km) of Downtown Burlington. 1 Burlington Hostel, 53 Main St, 2nd floor, ☏ +1 802-540-3043, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. The only backpackers hostel in Burlington. Free WiFi, free breakfast, security lockers provided. $30. (updated Oct 2016) 2 Courtyard Burlington Harbor, 25 Cherry St (Corner of Battery St and Cherry St), ☏ +1 802-864-4700. Offers 127 rooms with excellent views and good service. (updated Oct 2016) 3 Hampton Inn Burlington, 42 Lower Mountain View Dr, ☏ +1 802-655-6177. Offering complimentary breakfast and airport shuttle. (updated Oct 2016) 4 Hilton Burlington Hotel, 60 Battery St, ☏ +1 802-658-6500. Overlooking Lake Champlain and Waterfront Park, the hotel offers vacationers 257 hotel rooms. (updated Oct 2016) 5 Lang House on Main Street Bed and Breakfast, 360 Main St, ☏ +1 802-652-2500, toll-free: +1-877-919-9799, [email protected]. Historic bed and breakfast offering beautifully restored rooms and breakfast. $145-245. (updated Oct 2016) The Residence Inn Burlington Colchester, 71 Rathe Rd, ☏ +1 802 6553100. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: Noon. An all suite hotel with full kitchenettes, suites, salt water pool, complimentary parking, complimentary wifi and complimentary breakfast. (updated Dec 2018) 6 Sheraton Burlington Hotel & Conference Center, 870 Williston Rd, ☏ +1 802-865-6600.

It is relatively well connected to Montreal to the north and Plattsburgh, New York to the west. 1 Burlington International Airport (BTV IATA), Airport Drive, ☏ +1 802-863-1889. Served by a number of airlines with non-stop service to destinations as far as Chicago and Orlando. Interstate 89 lies just to the east of town. The town center is accessible via exit 14W, while the south end of town can be accessed via Interstate 189 at exit 13. Interstate 89 continues north to the Canadian border at Highgate, and south and east to the New Hampshire city of Concord. U.S. Route 7 can also be useful for accessing Burlington from the south, as it travels north from western Connecticut and Massachusetts and the southwestern Vermont town of Bennington. It is a 6-hour drive from New York City, a 3½-hour drive from Boston and a 1½- to 2-hour drive from Montreal. Greyhound, ☏ +1-800-552-8737. The Greyhound bus terminal is at the airport, but there is stop at the downtown transit center (listed as "Burlingt Transit Ctr" on the website search page - you must type "burlingt" without the "-on" to find it in the search). The price for the two stops differs by about $7. Megabus. Daily service to Burlington from Montpelier and Boston. The bus stop is at the north end of University Place, near Colchester Avenue. 2 Burlington Union station, 1 Main Street. Terminus of Ethan Allen Express. (updated Jul 2022) Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America.

Downtown Burlington is one of the most walkable and beautiful small cities in New England, and you'd do well to get out of your car (parking in city and most private garages is free for the first 2 hours, and all day on Sundays) and soak it in. There are car rental offices at Burlington International Airport, including Hertz, Avis and Thrifty. Traffic is generally bad during the normal crunch half-hours (7:45-8:15AM and 4:45-5:15PM). Williston Road to the east and Shelburne Road to the south are congested during those hours, and, unfortunately, unavoidable for the most part. Burlington and the surrounding communities of Winooski, South Burlington, Shelburne, Colchester and Essex Junction are served by Green Mountain Transit (GMT) which operates public buses. Buses are generally clean, uncrowded and relatively cheap. The main terminal is in downtown Burlington at the intersection of Church St. and Cherry St. Burlington is a bike-friendly city. There are various bike lanes around the downtown area, and thanks to slow traffic and often courteous drivers, getting around the greater Burlington area on bike is a breeze. In the summer extra bicycle parking is made available, and low bike-related crime helps encourage everyone to get on their bikes. Bikes can be rented at Local Motion on the waterfront or at some of the other bicycle shops around town.