Charlotte is simply magical. Every time we’re out and about, it feels like we’re driving through the pages of a scenic calendar—each corner more picturesque than the last.
If you’re visiting the area, you’re in for a treat. We’ve put together a list of fun things to do in and around Charlotte—though we’ll admit, this is just the beginning. The truth is, there’s so much to explore, it’s hard to fit it all in one post.
Think of this as a starting point. We’ll be adding more over time, so check back often! And if you stumble across something delightful during your own adventures, we’d love for you to drop it in the comments.
- 🍁 fall activity
- 🌞 summer activity
- ❄️ winter activity
- 🎁 holiday-only activity
- 🌧 rainy day activity
- 🐾 dog friendly (on leash)
Woods
Mt. Philo Trail (Mt. Philo Road, Charlotte). This is not to miss. You can hike up or drive to the top. The views of the Champlain Valley and Lake Champlain are stunning! You’ll find picnic tables and Adirondack chairs at the top to enjoy your view. It’s part of the Vermont State Park network, so expect to pay a bit if you don’t have a pass. Here is a great map of the trails. 🌞🍁❄️🐾
Pease Mountain (Hinesburg Road, Charlotte). You’ll find the trailhead next to the school where the buses are located. This is a charming mild hike through the woods. Dogs with voice control can walk off leash. 🌞🍁❄️🐾
Charlotte Village Loop Trail (Charlotte). Access is very close to us. Walk down the hill in our yard along Ferry Road, continue walking down a bit of Ferry Road and look for the path leading to the board walk on your left! Follow the small yellow signs that take you through the woods and fields. Once you get past the Old Lantern, you can go up the hill if you’d like to enjoy the views. The trail eventually goes across Greenbush Road to Burn’s Meadow. Happy to share trail maps with you if you’d like! 🌞🍁❄️🐾
Charlotte Town Link Trail (Charlotte). This is a lovely trail (mostly flat) that you can walk, run, or ride a bike along. On one end is a parking lot at Common Way. The middle is accessible by a parking lot near the Route 7 overpass. The other end is the Mount Philo parking lot. Ask us for details! 🌞🍁❄️🐾
Shelburne Pond Trail (Shelburne). Light and easy, it’s my middle son’s favorite little jaunt through the woods along a really pretty pond. 🌞🍁❄️🐾
Kingsland Bay Trail (Ferrisburgh). This one of our favorite walks through the woods. Park at the Ferrisburg Beach and follow the trail to the left (if you’re looking at the beach). It takes you out to a rocky point on the water. 🌞🍁❄️🐾
Fruit and Flowers
Sweet Roots (Route 7/Ethan Allen Highway, Charlotte). Organic berry picking at its best! Check it out. It’s just around the corner from us on Route 7. It’s a stunning spot and the farm stand is charming (see above for groceries for more info). We also love Jane the owner and her whole staff! 🌞
Adam’s Berry Farm (Bingham Brook Road, Charlotte). More organic berry picking! It’s about a 10-minute drive from us. The location is serene and gorgeous. They have a great little play area for kids. And amazing homemade popsicles! It’s just as wonderful as Sweet Roots but a slightly different vibe. So it’s worth the trip to both! 🌞
Glory Flower Farm (Churchill Road, Charlotte). Pick your own flowers and grab a creemee at this beautiful location right here in town. Hours are limited so check their website first! 🌞
Shelburne Orchards (Shelburne). A gorgeous spot to go apple picking in the fall. There are so many varieties of apples to choose from. You’ll find stunning views of Lake Champlain while you’re there. Be sure to grab a cider and a cider donut before you leave! 🍁
Monkton Ridge Orchard (Monkton). We stumbled across this gem last fall. It’s a very small, family-owned and operated farm. They provide red wagons to collect apples. The Vermont vibe here is on point. 🍁
Water
Charlotte Beach (Lake Road, Charlotte). This is a cute town beach. The sunsets here are amaaaaazing! The beach is rocky but has a dock. Be sure to wear water shoes as there are razor muscles amongst the rocks as you walk in the water. There is a visitor’s parking fee of a few dollars so you likely need cash or a check. There are public bathrooms located up by the town playground. Which is a very fun playground for kids! There are also a number of tennis courts (for tennis or pickle ball!) by the playground. You’ll also find many picnic tables and grills! NOTE: When the water level is too high, the dock is removed. Also, the beach is sometimes closed because bacteria levels are too high; check for closures here. 🌞
Ferrisburgh Beach (Ferrisburgh). This is a great little beach with access from free parking. Great spot for paddle boards and kayaks. Dog friendly! 🌞🐾
Bristol Falls (Bristol). Swimming in rivers and falls in Vermont is pretty special. Bristol Falls is a favorite. Lots of beautiful spots along the river to explore. If you’re a Wheeler House Guest, let me know and I’ll happily share the google maps link of our favorite location! 🌞
Sam Fishman Pool (Vergennes). This is a huge public pool with two diving boards. It’s never crowded and really fun. It costs about $5 per day (more or less if you’re an adult or child). Our kids love this pool! 🌞
Button Bay State Park (Vergennes). Part of the Vermont state park system, this is a very sweet park. The pool isn’t as big as Sam Fishman, but it has a great slide for kids of all ages and a very gradual decent from the shallow end to the deep end. 🌞
Jay Peak Resort Water Park (Jay). This is a massive indoor water park that’s a blast for kids! It’s about an hour away. Buy tickets in advance and be prepared for huge crowds! 🌧🌞🍁❄️
On Our Bucket List …
- Lake Willoughby
Animals
Philo Ridge Farm (Mt. Philo Road). Home to a small market (see shopping info) that is rarely open and a restaurant (see dinner info), Philo Ridge it’s a working farm and I think you can visit the animals anytime. In their fields nearby, look for the llama protecting their flock of sheep 🙂 🌞🍁
Shelburne Farms (Shelburne). This is the most beautiful place along Lake Champlain. You’ll want to visit their cheese-making operation, massive barns, sheep, and the farm stand where you can buy O’Bakery Bread (look for their chili-cheese bread—you won’t be sorry!), cheese, gifts, and more. Lots of walking on beautiful (mostly flat) wide trails are required here. But if you’re handicapped or unable to walk far, talk to the person at the gate and they’ll likely let you drive through. Or if you luck out, there won’t be anyone at the gate at all and you can drive in. In the summer months, they have a wagon that will take you through part of the property, but I’ve never used it so I can’t say much about it. 🌞🍁
Billings Farm (Woodstock—1 hour 50 minutes south). This seems like the Shelburne Farms of southern Vermont. It’s a really beautiful farm! Look for sheep sheering in April! 🌞🍁
Ski
We are a family of alpine skiers so all nordic recommendations are from friends and neighbors!
Alpine …
Cochrans (Richmond—30 minutes). Best little mountain for beginners and alpine racers. The Cochran family is a legend in the ski world. Barbara Ann Cochran won an Olympic gold in 1972. Her son Ryan Cochran-Siegel won the silver 50 years later—the only American downhill skiing medalist in 2022!
Bolton (Bolton—40 minutes). This is a great mountain and an easy drive. They have night skiing, too!
Sugarbush (Waitsfield—50 minutes). Sugarbush is our home mountain these days. JD is a ski instructor there and our oldest son Reed is a Junior Ski patroller! Our youngest does a year-round program there. We are there most weekend days and vacations!
Stowe (Stowe—60 minutes). More traffic than going to Sugarbush, but worth the drive!
Nordic …
West Village Center (Charlotte). Recommended by a local XC skier, “Go directly behind the Fire and Rescue and head North through Horsford’s nursery to ski around there a bit before heading back.” This is a stones throw away from Wheeler House VT!The Town Link Trail is perfect for XC skiing, and there is enough snow to do it now! Park at your sister’s, or at the parking area off the Cohousing access road!
Mt. Philo (Charlotte). A local Charlotter recommended skiing up the access road of Mt. Philo if you’re looking for a real, sweaty workout.
Thomson Point Road area (Charlotte). Down by the beach, catch this area right after a storm before it’s plowed.
Town Link Trail (Charlotte). Park at public lot on Common Way to access the trails.
Plouff Lane (Charlotte). The trails are beautiful in the summer. Word has it, they’re great in the winter but tricky to find. Park at the intersection of Carpenter and Plouff because there is no winter parking closer to the trail. One smart local recommends only parking if you see other cars and follow their lead. Do not attempt to go rogue due to landowner challenges. From there you need to hike or ski in to the trails about a .5 mile, then there are very nice wooded and meadow trails with gentle up and down—not flat!
North Pasture Lane (Charlotte). Another road with trails at the end but also no idea about parking!
Shelburne Sugarworks (Charlotte). A local Charlotter shared with me that it’s her favorite place to ski! “The trails are free and lead you over to the end of North Pasture Lane in Charlotte. You park at Shelburne Sugarworks and there’s a map there that you can take a picture of.”
Shelburne Museum (Shelburne). I hear the trails here are not groomed, but arguably the most beautiful spot in all of Vermont!
Catamount (Williston).
Sleepy Hollow Inn (Huntington).
Culture
Shelburne Museum (Shelburne). This must-visit museum is located right up the road! Check out the huge steamboat, the blacksmith’s shop, and the carousel. There is a stunning outdoor light display at the holidays (Winter Lights). The first Friday nights of each month in the summer are free to the public (including September!) and very festive with music and food trucks. Be sure to check out their summer concert schedule! 🌞🍁🎁
ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain (Burlington). This is an amazing museum for kids of all ages! Parents will enjoy it, too. It’s located in a beautiful spot on Lake Champlain in downtown Burlington. 🌧🌞🍁❄️
Montshire Museum of Science (Norwich—1 hour 40 minutes south). This beautiful museum is wonderful year round! But there are beautiful trails that you might want to save for nice weather. 🌧🌞🍁❄️
Biodome (Montreal—2 hours 15 minutes north). This is a stunning display of five North American habitats under one roof. Don’t mistake the Biodome for the Biosphere (the Biosphere is pretty lame). 🌞🍁❄️
On Our Bucket List…
- Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) (Quechee—1 hour 40 minutes south). We haven’t been yet, but there is a canopy walk that sounds amazing. And it’s wheelchair friendly! 🌧🌞🍁❄️
Factories
Lake Champlain Chocolates (Burlington).
Vermont Teddy Bear Factory (Shelburne). This is a really fun treat for young children. They’ll be able to see where and how these famous teddy bears are made. And they get to build their own bear! 🌧🌞🍁❄️
Ben and Jerry’s Factory (Waterbury—40 minutes south). This is a must-see for anyone visiting Vermont. Get a tour of the factory and try a taste of one of the best ice creams in the world! 🌧🌞🍁❄️
Just For Fun
Halloween in Charlotte (Greenbush Road, Charlotte). The entire town of Charlotte comes to the west village for trick-or-treating. Huge lights are brought in for safety. Wheeler House Vermont is in the epicenter of the action and guests are invited to join the festivities on our front lawn!
Charlotte-Essex Ferry (Charlotte to Essex, NY). Essex is just on the other side of the lake from Charlotte. Head down the hill from our house and follow signs for the ferry. Essex is a tiny yet incredibly charming little town. In full disclosure, most of Essex has been closed when I’ve driven through. But I believe the Essex Ice Cream Cafe is just off the ferry. And I’ve been to a cute playground right on the lake (get off the ferry, walk to the main road, take a left and you’ll find it on the left—although you may want to ask around for better directions when you get there). And a Charlotte resident often posts on a local FB page about The Barn Door Tavern (also appears to be a short walk from the ferry). Pink Pig Cafe and The Essex Inn on the Adirondack Coast looks good, too. I’ll try to make a point of going to all of these places to I can update the Where to Eat page! Read more about Essex here. 🌧🌞🍁
Ladybug Creative (Burlington). Choose a piece of pottery and paint it! The firing will take a couple weeks so call ahead to find out if they’ll ship it to you when it’s ready. Walk-ins are first come, first serve so reservations are recommended for cold, snowy vacation days. My sisters and I took our kids there (ages 8-16) on New Year’s Eve day. I requested a reservation online for seven people the night before and they accepted. There was plenty of room when we arrived at 11:30am. By 12:30 or so, they were turning walk-ins away because it was so crowded! But they have fun pottery pieces to choose from. I painted a berry bowl. The two youngest painted Santa mugs. The environment is lovely and we all had a great time. Highly recommend. It looks like you can also make candles and mosaics! 🌧🌞🍁❄️
Petra Cliffs (Burlington). Indoor climbing fun for all ages! Call ahead to schedule times and get details. This is one of two in the area. Our two teens enjoy both locations, but this one has a more local vibe. Our eight-year-old daughter loves it as well! Just down the street is a Healthy Living grocery store (the Vermont, non-Amazon version of Whole Foods) that serves yummy lunches. 🌧🌞🍁❄️
GetAir (Williston). Arguably one of the least “Vermonty” things you can possibly do here, kids love GetAir and it’s a great place to go on a rainy and/or day. Kids and adults can jump to their hearts content at this indoor trampoline park, complete with ball pits and a ninja course. Warning: it will be a wild on a weekend when there’s inclement weather as every parent is looking for something to do with their kids! 🌧🍁❄️
MonkeyDo (Williston). This indoor playground with bouncy house is GetAir for younger kids. Think toddlers through at least age 6. I say 6 because my daughter loves this place! 🌧🍁❄️
Metro Rock (Essex). Another indoor climbing location! Call ahead to schedule times and get details. It’s huge compared to the other location. Both our teen boys have fun at both. 🌧🌞🍁❄️
On Our Bucket List…
- Mansfield Heliflight (Milton—35 minutes north). I have no idea what this is like, but our teens want to try it! 🌞
- Stowe Gondola (Stowe—1 hour).
