Things to Do in Waterbury, Vermont
What to See, Do, and Eat On Your Trip
Located on the east side of the Green Mountains in central Vermont, Waterbury sits at the crossroads of three major highways — Interstate 89 and routes 2 and 100 — making it an ideal launching point for visiting other Vermont locales, including Stowe, Burlington, Montpelier, and the Mad River Valley. A historic railroad community with a major train line still running through it, Waterbury is a treasure trove of restaurants, shops, breweries and galleries to explore.
Rise and Shine: Breakfast Spots
Maxi’s
Patrons need not rush to Maxi’s for fear of missing out on the omelets, pancakes, waffles and six kinds of eggs Benedict — breakfast is served all day. And while Maxi’s banana bread French toast may not be the reason why Vermont maple syrup is made, it’s as good an excuse as any to pour it on.
Park Row CAFé
Reasonably priced, down-home breakfasts, lunches and dinners in a casual, family-friendly environment. Need we say more?
K.C.’s Bagel Café
In addition to New York-style bagels that are boiled and baked daily and 13 different flavors of cream cheese. K.C.’s offers full deli service for on-the-go meals, including sandwiches, wraps, soups and freshly baked goods.
Noontime Nourishment: Lunch Spots
Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Sandwiches, salads, paninis and wraps all go down better when paired with a hard cider — or a nonalcoholic one, if you prefer. After hitting the café and tasting room, take a self-guided tour of the working cider mill. And don’t forget to grab some cider doughnuts while you’re there. Cold Hollow cranks them out by the thousands every day.
Blackback Pub
Whether you’re craving pub nachos, pan-seared scallops, housemade barbacoa beef brisket or Prince Edward Island mussels by the pound, the Blackback takes bar food to the next level. Try a pull of one of the many Hill Farmstead beers on tap. The Greensboro Bend brewery repeatedly ranks as the world’s finest.
McGillicuddy’s Irish Pub
A kid-friendly restaurant with a large dining room, McGillicuddy’s offers classic pub fare such as burgers, nachos, wings, soups and sandwiches, served with an Irish twist: Think Emerald Isle Onion Soup and a Galway Bay Haddock Sandwich. Specialty cocktails and 40 draft beers await. Just look for the logo of a chocolate Lab with a shamrock in its mouth.
The Main Course: Dinner Spots
Prohibition Pig
Located in the heart of Waterbury’s historic downtown district, Pro Pig is the go-to spot for smoked meats, classic cocktails, and flights of local craft beers and spirits. Sink your teeth into a barbecued brisket sandwich, a jerk chicken leg or the classic Pro Pig burger. Your toughest decision will be narrowing down your menu selection to just one. Don’t forget to visit the brewery out back.
The Reservoir
Boasting the most craft brews on tap in Vermont, this is where serious beer drinkers sit down to eat. With a constantly rotating seasonal menu, the Reservoir serves up dishes that more than measure up to its world-class beverage offerings, from Vermont Mac & Cheese to 85-Layer Lasagna.
Michael’s on the Hill
Long known for its fine European dining in an intimate yet casual farmhouse setting, Michael’s serves many of the farm-to-table dishes that earned it a stellar reputation, including a Maine crab cake appetizer and maple-glazed pork shank. An impressive selection of fine wines and desserts round out the dining experience. Reservations are recommended.
Stay and Play: Family-Friendly Activities
Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour
In 1978, two guys took a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making and opened a scoop shop in Burlington, Vt. Their now-iconic brand — Ben & Jerry’s — put Vermont ice cream on the map, and it’s now synonymous with the state for many people. No first-time visit to Vermont is complete without a visit to the company’s only factory that’s open to the public, where the tour includes a 30-minute movie, ice cream samples, photo ops, a full-service scoop shop and a visit to the Flavor Graveyard, where discontinued ice cream flavors melt away. Buying tickets in advance is recommended.
Groovy Souvenirs: Shopping
Phoenix Gallery & Music Hall
Often referred to as simply “the Phoenix,” this 1,700-square-foot art gallery and music venue opened last summer in downtown Waterbury. The Phoenix serves maple lemonade and has local Rookie’s Root Beer on tap for DIY root beer floats — plus a candy counter runs along one wall, a nod to the historic soda fountain and candy shop that occupied the storefront a century ago. Look for the vibrant metallic mural of a phoenix on the brick exterior.
Vermont Beer Collective
Vermonters like to boast that the Green Mountain State is home to more craft breweries per capita than any state in the country. But choosing which suds you like can feel like a full-time job. Vermont Beer Collective — formerly known as Craft Beer Cellar — has a remarkable selection of local, national and international brews and ciders to choose from, and its skilled beer experts can help you narrow down your choices.
Cabot Creamery Store
If ice cream and maple syrup are two legs of Vermont’s culinary stool, the third leg must be cheese. Vermonters take great pride in the state’s award-winning dairy products, and Cabot Creamery produces some of the best, made from pure milk sourced directly from the cooperative’s network of family farms across New England. Sample before you buy at the farmers’ store, where you can also pick up a curated selection of other Vermont specialty foods, microbrews, and local wines and ciders.