Visiting the United States? There are 50 states in all.

Vermont, a small state in New England, is known for maple syrup, covered bridges and the blazing foliage that adorns its Green Mountains each fall. It’s a place with fertile valleys and pastoral landscapes, and it’s a wintertime destination for skiers and snowboarders.

Vermont is graced with bicycling trails that pass through quaint villages, historic sites and museums, and bustling farmers markets. State parks offer lakes and streams for fishing and beaches for relaxing.

Burlington — the largest city in Vermont — has a small-town feel but plenty of shops and cultural amenities, including artists’ studios. Throughout the state, breweries and vineyards welcome visitors for tours and tastings.

Map of the United States highlighting Vermont (State Dept.)
(State Dept.)

A wealth of treasures

Shelburne Museum, in the town of Shelburne, has wide-ranging collections of art, design and Americana, with more than 150,000 items displayed in 39 buildings and a 19th-century docked ship. A barn houses vintage carriages, and elsewhere in the museum complex, you’ll find remarkable handicrafts.

Wooden stagecoaches next to museum wall (Patrick via Flickr)
An old stagecoach, like this one at Shelburne Museum, is a vivid reminder of Vermont’s past. (Patrick via Flickr)

Social scene

Burlington’s historic Church Street Marketplace, a traffic-free zone spanning four blocks, is the site of festivals and other events year-round. It occupies a piazza-like setting with restaurants and coffee shops. Browse artisans’ stalls, grab a sandwich and stroll past the life-size statue of local jazz musician Big Joe Burrell, eternally playing his saxophone.

People walking through a town square on a sunny day (Church Street via Flickr)
Crowds stroll through Church Street’s famous marketplace in downtown Burlington. (Church Street via Flickr)

Animals and ecology

The ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, an aquarium and science center on Burlington’s waterfront, educates visitors interested in the ecology and history of the Lake Champlain Basin. It’s home to 70 species of fish, amphibians, invertebrates and reptiles, and offers hands-on activities and daily animal encounters.

Small turtle on the back of a larger one, with a third turtle at left (Innisfree Hotels via Flickr)
At ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, resident turtles greet visitors. (Innisfree Hotels via Flickr)

A taste of heaven

Treat yourself to a guided tour of Ben & Jerry’s, the Waterbury-based factory where some of the world’s best ice cream is made. The popular tour demonstrates how ice cream is made and packaged, and visitors are given a sample to enjoy before entering the on-site ice cream parlor to choose their favorite confections.

Entrance to building of Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory with sign in the shape of an ice cream cone (Ivyandgold via Flickr)
The colorful entrance of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory beckons visitors from near and far. (Ivyandgold via Flickr)

Natural wonders

Quechee Gorge was formed by glaciers 13,000 years ago, and this dramatic site can be viewed from an overhead walkway or at water level. Also, don’t miss the nearby Vermont Institute of Natural Science, which rescues and rehabilitates injured raptors before returning them to the wild.

Water flowing in a river within a gorge (Shutterstock)
Quechee Gorge, the deepest gorge in Vermont, has been nicknamed “Vermont’s Grand Canyon.” (Shutterstock)

Presidential retreat

The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site is located in Plymouth Notch, where the 30th president of the United States was born and eventually retired. Visit Coolidge’s boyhood home, where he was sworn in as president by his father, a notary public, when President Warren G. Harding suddenly died in 1923, and tour the town’s 19th-century barns and other attractions.

A white house nestled in a forested back yard with a tree in the front yard (© Mira/Alamy Stock Photo)
The Calvin Coolidge Homestead house hosted the most low-key presidential inauguration in U.S. history. (© Mira/Alamy Stock Photo)

Learn more about Vermont and the other 49 states. If you need a visa to visit, here’s how to get one.