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Vermont with Kids
If you’re planning Vermont with kids, start in Woodstock. A working dairy farm and Vermont’s only national park sit side by side there, and Ben & Jerry’s is an easy drive north. Carrie and Cadence did Vermont as a girls trip in June 2023, while Carrick and Andrew were paddling the Boundary Waters. They also toured the Vermont Teddy Bear Company factory in Shelburne, where kids can watch the bears being made and stuff one of their own.
Vermont packs a lot into a small state. History, farms, lakes, and mountains are never more than a couple of hours apart, so one trip can cover the whole thing.
Destination guide · Updated November 2026 · Last visited June 2023
Best months
June–October
National parks
1 + 1 NPS sites
Fly into
BTV · ALB · BOS
How long
4 to 5 days
Book ahead
Fall foliage lodging · Von Trapp Family Lodge · Ben & Jerry’s tours
Carrie and Cadence covered Vermont from south to north. They started at the Bennington Battle Monument, stayed in Killington, and spent time in Woodstock at Billings Farm and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. Up north they stayed at the Von Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe and toured Ben & Jerry’s.
That’s a lot of Vermont for one trip, and it shows how easy this state is to cover. Keep reading for more ways to plan your Vermont getaway.
Your Vermont guide
Enjoy exploring Vermont with kids!
Keep scrolling for the essentials, three road trips, and where to stay.
Essential Vermont
Why we love Vermont
We think you’ll love it too.
Vermont is where we’d send a family that wants the sweetest small state in the country, from Ben & Jerry’s to the Von Trapp family farm. Carrie and Cadence’s two favorite moments were the view from the hill above Stowe and tasting ice cream straight from the source. Add calves you can actually meet and a lake cruise with mountains on both sides, and it’s a sweet slice of New England for kids. Scroll down for the Vermont essentials.
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park AftT Visit
Vermont’s only national park is in Woodstock. Tour the mansion, walk the carriage roads through the forest, and pick up a Junior Ranger booklet for the kids. Are you looking for more national park sites? See our guide to Vermont national parks.
Billings Farm & Museum AftT Visit
Billings Farm is a working dairy farm right next to the park. Kids can meet the Jersey cows and calves and try the hands-on farm programs.
Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour AftT Visit
The short factory tour in Waterbury ends with a sample. Afterward, walk up the hill to the Flavor Graveyard, where retired flavors get their own headstones.
Spirit of Ethan Allen AftT Visit
This narrated cruise leaves from the Burlington waterfront. You’ll have the Adirondacks on one side of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains on the other.
And the rest we’d drive the back roads for
Bennington Battle Monument AftT Visit
At 306 feet, the Bennington Battle Monument is the tallest structure in Vermont. An elevator takes you to the top for views into three states.
Robert Frost Stone House Museum AftT Visit
Frost wrote “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” in this Shaftsbury house. It’s a small, quiet stop and a nice bit of poetry for older kids.
Ethan Allen Homestead AftT Visit
The Revolutionary War hero’s farmhouse sits on the Winooski River in Burlington. Walking trails follow the water.
Killington AftT Visit
Killington is the biggest ski area in the East. In summer it turns into an adventure park with a mountain coaster, gondola rides, and a bike park.
Smugglers’ Notch
Smugglers’ Notch is one of the most kid-focused ski resorts in the country, with ski school for every age. It’s a favorite in our family ski resort roundup.
Shelburne Farms
Shelburne Farms is a 1,400-acre working farm on Lake Champlain, just south of Burlington. It has a children’s farmyard, cheesemaking, and walking trails.
ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
ECHO is Burlington’s science center on the waterfront, with aquariums and hands-on exhibits about the lake. It’s a great rainy-day stop.
Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Cold Hollow Cider Mill has cider donuts and fresh cider a few minutes from Ben & Jerry’s. Make it a sweet afternoon in Waterbury.
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No AftT guides yet, but stay tuned for great content from Vermont.
Routes
Three Vermont road trip itineraries
Vermont is small enough to drive end to end in about four hours. Here are three ways to split it up. See all the best stops on a map.
Start
Bennington
Ride the elevator up the Battle Monument, then stop at the Robert Frost Stone House in Shaftsbury on the way north.
Then head to
Killington & Woodstock
Base in Killington and spend a day in Woodstock at Billings Farm and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park.
Finish
Stowe & Burlington
Stay at the Von Trapp Family Lodge, tour Ben & Jerry’s in Waterbury, then head to Burlington for the Ethan Allen Homestead and a Lake Champlain cruise.
Home base
Woodstock
Woodstock is a walkable village with covered bridges, and the farm and national park are just outside town.
Then head to
Route 100 north
The classic foliage drive up the spine of the Green Mountains, with farm stands and general stores along the way.
Add on
Smugglers’ Notch
Drive the narrow road through the notch from Stowe. It closes in winter, so save it for fall.
Home base
Smugglers’ Notch or Stowe
Smugglers’ Notch is built around ski school and family programs. Stowe has the bigger mountain and the village.
Then head to
Waterbury
Make it a rest day with the Ben & Jerry’s tour and cider donuts at Cold Hollow.
Add on
Burlington
Burlington has Church Street and ECHO on the waterfront, and it’s about 45 minutes from Stowe.
When to go
Time your visits with the weather and the region
Carrie and Cadence went in June, when everything is open and the farms are busy. Vermont has four real seasons. Summer is warm with cool nights. Fall brings the foliage crowds. Winter is ski season, and spring is mud season, when some back roads turn to muck.
Swipe the chart sideways to see the full year.
April – May
It’s mud season. Some roads get messy and a few attractions are still closed, but prices drop. Maple sugaring wraps up in early spring.
June – August
When Carrie and Cadence went. Warm days, cool nights, and everything open, from the lake cruises to the mountain coasters.
September – October
It’s foliage season. Color starts up north in late September and reaches the south by mid-October. It’s the busiest time of year, so book early.
November – March
It’s ski season at Killington, Stowe, and Smugglers’ Notch. Snow is reliable and the holiday weeks book up fast.
Where to stay
Pick a good base to start your Vermont adventure
Most families pick two bases, one in the middle of the state and one up north. Everything else is a day trip.
Central Vermont
Killington
Carrie and Cadence stayed in Killington, about half an hour from Woodstock. The resort has plenty of condos and hotels, and it’s busy all year.
- Killington for summer adventure parks and winter skiing
- Woodstock inns for a quieter village stay
- Half an hour to Billings Farm and the national park
Northern Vermont
Stowe & the Von Trapp Family Lodge
Carrie and Cadence also stayed at the Von Trapp Family Lodge, run by the family from The Sound of Music. It sits on 2,500 acres above Stowe, with hiking trails, an Austrian bakery, and big mountain views. Carrie is a huge Sound of Music fan, and she’s even been to Austria, so it’s no surprise it ended up being the girls’ favorite stay.
- Von Trapp Family Lodge for the full experience
- Stowe village for restaurants and shops
- Smugglers’ Notch for a ski week
Lake Champlain
Burlington
Vermont’s biggest city still feels like a college town. Stay near Church Street and walk to the waterfront for the lake cruise and ECHO.
- Church Street Marketplace for dinner
- The waterfront for the Spirit of Ethan Allen
- Ten minutes from the BTV airport
Good to know
Questions families ask us about Vermont
Yes, it is. Carrie and Cadence went in June, and summer is when everything is open. The farms have animals to meet, the lake boats are running, and the ski resorts turn into summer adventure parks. Days are warm and nights are cool, so pack a light jacket.
Yes, it was a highlight of the girls trip. It’s a quick one, about 30 minutes, with a look at how the ice cream is made and a sample at the end. Walk up the hill afterward to the Flavor Graveyard, where retired flavors get their own headstones. It’s in Waterbury, an easy stop between Stowe and Burlington.
It’s Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock. It tells the story of conservation in America through a mansion, a working forest, and miles of carriage roads. Billings Farm & Museum is right next door, and the two make a great family day together. Our Vermont national parks guide covers the other park sites in the state.
Yes, and Carrie and Cadence did. The lodge is run by the family from The Sound of Music, and it sits on a hill above Stowe with hiking trails, a bakery, and plenty of room to roam. It’s about twenty minutes from Ben & Jerry’s.
Color usually starts in the north in late September and reaches southern Vermont by mid-October. Peak weekends book up months ahead, so reserve lodging early. Route 100 through the middle of the state is the classic drive.
Burlington (BTV) is closest for Stowe and northern Vermont. Albany (ALB) works well for Bennington and the south. Boston (BOS) often has the best fares, and it’s about two and a half hours to Woodstock.
Map
Essential Vermont, mapped
Keep exploring
Where to go next
Virginia with Kids
Virginia has another mountain drive, on Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
