The Shires in the Spring
Top Picks in the Shires
In the spring, Vermont’s landscapes wake up from their long winter’s slumber into the riot and color of renewal. Maple sap flows in forests, warm days make for sunny spring skiing, and trees and flowers begin to bud. Hand-picked by the editors of Yankee Magazine, these 5 highlights are just some of what the Shires offer as the Green Mountains come alive.
Manchester, Vermont
Fly Fishing
The instructors at the Orvis Manchester Fly Fishing School have been making anglers out of amateurs since 1966. Beginners can learn all the basics—how to set up the rod, choose a fly, and cast—during one- and two-day workshops based in a classroom near the company’s flagship store. They can test what they’ve learned on a well-stocked casting pond nearby, and even on the Battenkill River itself, one of New England’s most iconic spots for catching trout. More experienced fishing fanatics might opt for a guided excursion on the Battenkill with a local outfit such as Taconic Guide Service, located in Manchester Center. The American Museum of Fly Fishing rounds out a visit to Manchester with permanent and visiting exhibitions that’ll appeal to history buffs and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Bennington, Vermont
Bennington Museum
With its dual devotion to art and history, the region’s premier museum offers a richly textured, 250-year tapestry of Vermont’s creative life. Exhibits drawn from a collection of more than 40,000 objects focus on fine and folk art, including the world’s largest public collection of works by Grandma Moses and paintings by modernists with ties to the area. Among the other highlights are samples of Bennington’s celebrated pottery and artifacts related to the Battle of Bennington. In the gallery devoted to local manufacturing, look for one of three surviving examples of the 1920s Martin-Wasp, the only automobile made on a Vermont production line.
Open April-Dec.
Manchester, Vermont
Hildene
Robert Todd Lincoln first visited Vermont in 1864, during his father’s presidency. Forty years later, he returned to build a summer home in the mountain town he’d come to love. Called Hildene, the 24-room Georgian Revival mansion stands serenely within manicured grounds on a 412-acre property. Tours reveal an unusually cozy atmosphere for a formal mansion, with living quarters designed on a human scale (though Hildene’s built-in pipe organ, a gift from Lincoln to his wife, adds a majestic touch). Not far from the main house sits a highlight of the Vermont African American Heritage Trail, a restored 1903 Pullman Palace railcar called Sunbeam. Built when Lincoln was president of the Pullman Company, it showcases the history of the Black porters who worked for Pullman. Springtime brings another reason to visit Hildene, as the peonies in its gardens offer a gorgeous splash of color from mid-May through early June.
ROCKWELL’S RETREAT
– Arlington, Vermont
Look out the front windows of this inn and there’s a red covered bridge and a white Gothic-steepled church, just like something Norman Rockwell would have painted. Actually, he did—and this 18th-century farmhouse is where the legendary illustrator lived from 1943 to 1953, a time during which he painted many of his famous Saturday Evening Post covers. His homestead has since been adapted as an inn, with accommodations divided between the main house and two small outbuildings, one of which housed Rockwell’s actual workspace and darkroom. All this history and inspiration, plus a full breakfast, too.
LAKE SHAFTSBURY STATE PARK
– Shaftsbury, Vermont
Though officially open from Memorial Day till mid-October, Lake Shaftsbury State Park offers a beautiful nature escape in every season. Without the swimmers and beachgoers that flock to the 26-acre lake at the heart of this park, spring would seem to be a sleepy time. But birdwatchers will find plenty of action, with raptors, waterfowl, and songbirds bustling through the surrounding woods and wetlands. Anglers can try their luck catching rainbow trout (which the state stocks here annually), as well as species like largemouth bass and yellow perch. An easy mile-long trail around the lake includes a boardwalk over the wetlands, giving a close-up view of the flora and fauna that’s sure to awe hikers.
More to See and Do
Places to Visit In the Spring
Yankee Magazine’s editors hand-picked 5 places to visit in each Vermont region. Explore things to do in spring statewide.
