Manchester, Vermont

A classic New England resort town in southern Vermont, with the Lincoln family's Hildene estate, the Equinox Skyline Drive, and nearby skiing at Stratton and Bromley.

Manchester lies in Bennington County in southwestern Vermont, in the Battenkill River valley between Equinox Mountain in the Taconic Range to the west and the Green Mountains to the east. Since the 19th century it has been a summer retreat for New York and Boston high society, and Hildene, the estate of Robert Todd Lincoln, President Lincoln's son, was built here. The town has two parts: Manchester Village to the south, a historic district of marble sidewalks, white colonial homes and The Equinox hotel; and Manchester Center to the north, at the junction of Routes 11 and 30, where the outlets, Northshire Bookstore and restaurants are concentrated.

The best season is fall foliage from late September to mid-October, when Route 7A, Skyline Drive and Route 11 are ablaze with color, but hotels need to be booked months ahead. From December to March you can ski at Bromley (about 12 km) and Stratton (about 25 km) to the east. Summer is ideal for hiking to Lye Brook Falls, swimming at Dorset Quarry and Emerald Lake, and canoeing and fly-fishing on the Battenkill.

Sightseeing breaks down into a few areas: in town (Hildene, Skyline Drive, the Southern Vermont Arts Center, the American Museum of Fly Fishing, shopping), 1–2 days; north to Dorset, Emerald Lake and Merck Forest, half a day; south along Route 7A past the Arlington covered bridges and the Robert Frost Stone House to the Bennington Battle Monument and Old First Church, one day; and east over the mountains to the Vermont Country Store in Weston. Plan on 2–3 days, plus extra time for skiing.

Getting there: the nearest airports are Albany (about 1.5 hours' drive) and Burlington (about 2.5 hours); it's about a 4-hour drive from New York City and about 3 hours from Boston. Local public transportation is minimal, so a car is essentially a must. Snow tires are needed on mountain roads in winter, and on fall foliage weekends the town center is congested and parking is hard to find.

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Itineraries