Things To Do

Northeast Kingdom in the Winter

Top Picks in the Northeast Kingdom

Vermont’s natural snowfall turns the Green Mountains into a playground for outdoor recreation, setting it apart as a winter destination. Hand-picked by the editors of Yankee Magazine, these 5 highlights are just some of what the Northeast Kingdom offers in winter.

The numbers one through five.
A performing arts space seen from outside.
Seen from a performing stage, rows of red seats in a performance arts center.

Highland Center for the Arts

Tucked right up against the Great White North, the Northeast Kingdom knows something about long winters. One of its liveliest remedies for cabin fever is this state-of-the-art performance venue that thrums with music, theater, dance, cinema, and special events year-round. On the high-minded end of the scale, the Highland Center partners with Opera Vermont to bring the power of live opera to the state’s far corners. On the playful side, it hosts a February event called “Curds & Curling,” in which the classic winter sport is played using a wheel of local Jasper Hill Farm cheddar as a curling stone.

An indoor waterpark with multicolored slides and groups of people playing in a lazy river pool.

Jay Peak Resort

As a ski mountain in one of Vermont’s most remote regions, Jay Peak keeps the downhill crowd coming back year after year with the highest average snowfall in the East (plus snowmaking that covers 80 percent of the mountain). Its glade runs are considered among the best in the country, and its vertical drop is one of the longest in the state. Ski-out-your-door lodging? Jay’s got that, too. And, oh yes, the enormous indoor heated waterpark is an absolute kid magnet and boosts Jay Peak to the top of the list of family-friendly resorts.

A Craftsbury Outdoor center hangs in front of a wood building on a snowy day.

Craftsbury Outdoor Center

For anyone gliding along the 105 km of neatly groomed cross-country ski trails here—like Sam’s Run, which winds through deep woods before opening up to huge views of the Lowell Mountains—the appeal of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center is obvious. Look deeper and you’ll see what makes this 800-acre year-round sports mecca so special: a nonprofit dedicated to sustainability, stewardship, and community, where most of the trails run through private land and local residents are welcomed for free.

ST. JOHNSBURY

– Vermont

The largest town in the Northeast Kingdom comes with an equally big number of attractions for visitors to enjoy all year round. But when the snow begins to fly, St. Johnsbury becomes a true “park your car once” winter escape. Marvel at painter Albert Bierstadt’s 150-square-foot masterpiece The Domes of the Yosemite in the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum art collection. Journey through the cosmos at the state’s only public planetarium at the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium. Duck in and out of the cozy local eateries and shops that are lined up on Railroad Street. And keep an eye on the town’s calendar for fun add-ons, from the New Year’s celebration First Night North to chamber music concerts by the long-running Northeast Kingdom Classical Series.

A large room with science exhibits across two floors.

SNOWMOBILING

– Island Pond, Vermont

Six snowmobiles and riders stop in a clearing in the woods for a picture.

Peek into the garage of just about any home in Island Pond, a town less than 15 miles from the Canadian border, and you’ll probably spot a snowmobile. This snug village of fewer than 800 people prides itself as the “Snowmobile Capital of Vermont,” thanks to the 110 miles of well-groomed, wildly scenic trails that start right in the heart of town and link into the VAST (Vermont Area Snow Travelers) system that covers 5,000-plus miles statewide.

Seen from above, the sun sets in the distance across a large body of water and the buildings of a rural town in the winter.
Two people seen from behind and afar walk on a snowy trail near woods.

Places to Visit In Winter

Yankee Magazine’s editors hand-picked 5 places to visit in each Vermont region. Explore things to do in winter statewide.

Seen from above, a historic downtown at night, with lights reflecting on a lake.

Vermont’s Downtowns