Cities & Towns Archives - Happy Vermont

Cities & Towns

  • Memories of a Mountain Top Hotel in Stowe
    Memories of a Mountain Top Hotel in Stowe

    Hotels once crowned some of Vermont’s most iconic peaks—Mount Mansfield, Camel’s Hump, Snake Mountain and Mount Equinox. Mary Skelton spent eight childhood summers atop Mount Mansfield, where her father, Clement Curtis, ran the Mount Mansfield Summit Hotel and served as the vacation getaway's postmaster. “It was magical,”...

  • Downtown Vergennes is Pure Charm and All Heart
    Downtown Vergennes is Pure Charm and All Heart

    As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. That is especially true in downtown Vergennes.  The restoration and reopening of the Vergennes Opera House on Main Street nearly 30 years ago helped spark the city’s revival. Today, stroll down Main Street or Green Street, and...

  • Stratton: Forests, a Fire Tower and a Tiny Population
    Stratton: Forests, a Fire Tower and a Tiny Population

    Imagine if Stratton lost its status as an official Vermont town. In the 1930s, the Vermont Legislature decided that towns with tiny populations, like Glastenbury and Somerset, would no longer be organized towns. Some wondered if Stratton would face the same fate. At the time, Stratton's...

  • The Magic of Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond
    The Magic of Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond

    Cochran's is a small but mighty ski area. The ski area was started in the 1960s by Mickey and Ginny Cochran. With a vertical drop of 350 feet, the ski area includes a t-bar, rope tow and base lodge. It's also where thousands of local children...

  • Quirks, Collections and Taxidermy: Vermont Libraries
    Quirks, Collections and Taxidermy: Vermont Libraries

    Vermont is home to about 185 libraries. Jessamyn West is on a quest to visit every single one. "Vermont is a very make-your-own-fun kind of place," says West, a library technologist from Randolph. She's visited about 68 Vermont libraries so far. "My rule is that you have...

  • Vermont Winter Carnivals to Celebrate the Season
    Vermont Winter Carnivals to Celebrate the Season

    Ski jumping, a wood sawing competition and a nine-mile sleigh ride were some highlights of the first Chester Winter Carnival in 1922. The sleigh ride to Rockingham and back brought locals to a supper and dance at the Rockingham Grange Hall. The night ran long that...

  • Ethan Allen and the Hidden History of Burlington
    Ethan Allen and the Hidden History of Burlington

    What would Vermont be if not for Ethan Allen? Perhaps the Green Mountains would still be part of the Empire or Granite State. Allen, a Revolutionary War hero, is best known for leading the Green Mountain Boys during the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. In his adopted...

  • Art, Nature and Beauty in Montgomery
    Art, Nature and Beauty in Montgomery

    Traveling east on Route 118 along the Trout River is a nostalgic scene with covered bridges, barns and mountain views. After a few bends in the road, a clear view of the Montgomery Center for the Arts unfolds. The Greek Revival building was empty the first...

  • Whimsy, Hiking and History in Wallingford
    Whimsy, Hiking and History in Wallingford

    Stacy Harshman needed a change. While living in New York, she Googled words like "nature, mountains and community." The search brought her to Vermont, where she eventually opened The Sparkle Barn. The Sparkle Barn is a wildly popular gift shop on Route 7 in Wallingford, complete with an...

  • 12 Outdoor Vermont Farmers Markets to Visit in 2024
    12 Outdoor Vermont Farmers Markets to Visit in 2024

    Outdoor Vermont farmers markets are a tradition every spring, summer and fall. From Burlington and Brattleboro to Craftsbury and Vershire, you will find town greens, local parks and parking lots transformed into pop-up marketplaces offering locally grown produce, handmade jewelry, craft beer, grass-fed beef and more. -A...