Things to do in Burlington
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Shelburne Museum
On a 45-acre estate, 7 miles south of Burlington in Shelburne, the Shelburne Museum boasts a stellar collection of American folk art, New England architecture and, well, just about everything. The wildly eclectic collection ranges from an early American sawmill to the Lake Champlain side-wheeler steamship Ticonderoga. How's that for lawn decor?
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Outdoor Gear Exchange
This place rivals major outdoor-gear chains for breadth of selection, and definitely trumps them on price for a vast array of used, closeout (clearance) and even new gear and clothing. You name the outdoor pursuit and staff can probably outfit you.
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ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center
- Burlington, USA
- Sights › Zoo
The ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center, on the waterfront, will delight youngsters with its aquatic habitats wriggling with creatures and hands-on interactive exhibits illuminating Lake Champlain's ecological wonders.
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Daily Planet
Popular with locals for its vegetarian fare and relaxed, inviting atmosphere, Daily Planet offers a changing menu of creative dishes like potato-crusted salmon with Moroccan vegetable sauté, or Thai shrimp salad.
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L'Amante
L'Amante serves upscale northern Italian cuisine such as squash- blossom fritters with truffle oil, and swordfish with saffron-encrusted risotto. Perfect for a memorable night out.
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Waterfront Diving Center
Ever since the 18th-century French and Indian War, 120-mile-long Lake Champlain has been a major thoroughfare from the St Lawrence Seaway to the Hudson River. During the American Revolution and the War of 1812, numerous historic battles were fought on the lake to control this navigational stronghold and many military and merchant ships sank to the lake’s deep, dark bottom as a result of a cannonball or temperamental weather. The misfortunes of these vessels make lucky finds for scuba divers. Two hundred wrecks have already been discovered, including the 54ft American Revolution boat Philadelphia, pulled from the waters in 1935 (and now sitting in the Smithsonian Instituti…
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Burlington Community Boathouse
Approximately 120 miles long and 12 miles wide, Lake Champlain is the largest freshwater lake in the country after the Great Lakes. Consistently good wind, sheltered bays, lack of boat traffic, hundreds of islands and scenic anchorages combine to make this immense lake one of the top cruising grounds in the northeast. The departure point for hourly and daily boat cruises and boat rentals is Burlington Community Boathouse, a popular hangout fashioned after Burlington’s original 1900s yacht club. Traveling with your own yacht? Transient dock space is available. The boathouse is easy to spot on the waterfront’s 8-mile recreational path.
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Shelburne Farms
- Burlington, USA
- Sights › Tour
You can get a taste of Vermont farm life at Shelburne Farms, a classic 1400-acre farm laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted, America's premier 19th- century landscape architect. Try your hand at milking a cow, feed the chickens, or hike the extensive nature trails through pastures and along Lake Champlain. Also vacation like a millionaire at this lakefront manor-house-turned-inn at Shelburne Farms. On the National Register of Historic Places, this former summer residence of the Vanderbilts has 24 antique-filled bedrooms and the air of a bygone era.
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Ethan Allen Homestead
American Revolution hero Ethan Allen, often referred to as ‘Vermont’s godfather, ’ lived in this 18th-century Colonial homestead. Be sure to take the guided tour (included in entrance fee; tour times vary) of the historic house. The center features multimedia exhibits documenting the exploits of Allen’s Green Mountain Boys and also has walking trails behind the house. To reach the homestead, take the North Ave Beaches exit and follow the signs. It’s 1 mile north of Burlington on VT 127.
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Lake Champlain Chocolates
The aroma of rich chocolate is intoxicating as you make your way past the gift shop (if you can) to the glass wall overlooking the small factory here. No, you can’t run through the chocolate waterfall, but you’ll probably savor some samples during one of the tour’s several taste tests. Back in the store, you can purchase an array of chocolate truffles, bars, coins and placesetting snowmen or gift baskets. The café serves coffee drinks and its own luscious ice cream.
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Waterfront
A five-minute walk from the center of town, the Waterfront is refreshingly unencumbered by the souvenir stands and chain stores that crowd the more developed waterfronts of most American cities. Instead, it's a low-key promenade with a 7.5 mile bike path, a pier for boat trips on Lake Champlain, the ECHO aquarium (p000) and the Discovery Landing, a modern observatory with a small café that's great for watching the sun set over the lake.
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Leunig’s Bistro
Leunig’s Bistro ‘Live well, laugh often and love much’ advises the sign over the bar at this stylish French-style brasserie with an elegant, tin-ceilinged dining room, and you’d do well to heed it. As Piaf and fellow chanteuses provide the tunes, the kitchen serves up such treats as Graham crackerfried duck with frog legs or an exquisite steak-frites.
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Ski Rack
The Burlington Recreation Path, a popular 7.5-mile route for walking, biking, in-line skating and general perambulating, runs along the waterfront through the Waterfront Park and Promenade. Rent bikes at Ski Rack. You can also rent in-line skates, roller-skis, tandems, trailer bikes, snowshoes and skis (of course). Catch Tour de France action here on a big-screen TV.
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Drink
You’ve heard of wines by the glass? Well, this mod place with an adjoining wine shop also offers them by the ounce, all the better for teaching your palate a lesson, while an armada of inventive mojitos will sink those in search of stiffer treatment. Small plates of New England delicacies (like scallops wrapped in bacon, and mini crab cakes) complement the drinks admirably.
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NECI Commons
Operated by Montpelier’s New England Culinary Institute students. You can expect dishes such as rotisserie chicken, roasted turkey breast and sea bass. They’re all served at a long, welcoming wooden counter, a bar, banquettes, booths and quiet tables. Stop by for gourmet lunchtime picnic fare. A lighter bistro menu is also available (2pm to 4pm weekdays).
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Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail
There’s no finer way to enjoy Lake Champlain than to set out on a multiday paddling trip on Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail. Paddlers are encouraged to join the eco-friendly Lake Champlain Committee ($40 per year), for which they receive an essential guidebook that details the trails, campsites and rules of the nautical road.
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Fresh Market
Come for the amazing local cheese selection, 21 flavors of olives, and beautifully prepared foods such as enormous sandwiches, sushi, pies and salads. This mid-sized, bustling health-food grocer a five-minute walk south of the town center offers a tiny produce department and gourmet items, making it the place to stock up for a picnic or a gourmet feast.
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Fleming Museum
Fleming Museum at the UVM boasts a collection of over 20,000 objects from a variety of civilizations, ranging from African masks, Indian drums and samurai armor to an Egyptian mummy. Highlights of the fine American collection are colonial portraiture, a series of Stieglitz photos and canvases by Winslow Homer and Andy Warhol.
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North Star Cyclery
Head to this friendly, laid-back local favorite for an unusually complete selection of clothing, gear and bikes specifically designed for women. Don’t worry, guys; there’s plenty here for you too. For winter fun, it offers Nordic skis, snowshoes and outerwear. It’s open for slightly longer hours in the summer.
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Smokejacks
No argument among locals as to the best burger in town – it’s Smokejacks Big Bold Burger, made from local Angus beef and flipped over an oakwood grill. Fresh fish and specialties like applewood-smoked duck breast are also available, while the cheese list features some of America’s finest small-farm cheeses.
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Single Pebble
The brainchild of a local chef who mastered Szechuanese and Cantonese cuisine living in China, this spacious restaurant sprawls over two adjoining clapboard houses and offers up sumptuous MSG-free fare to the strains of traditional Chinese music. The dim sum is particularly satisfying – be sure to try the mock eel.
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Great Harvest Bread Company
A soft, yeasty scent surrounds you and an array of samples tempts you the minute you enter this sunny, airy, baking paradise a five-minute walk south of the town center. The monthly bread specialties are always imaginative. Great Harvest mills its own flour and offers a delectable variety of grilled panini.
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Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts
Under the auspices of Burlington City Arts, the Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts is an exciting locus for art exhibits, classes and discussions. Ongoing open studios involve the community with an artist in residence. A community darkroom has open-studio hours, classes and discussions.
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Church Street Marketplace
Burlington's pulse can often be taken at the Church Street Marketplace, a four-block pedestrian zone running from Pearl to Main St. When the weather's good, buskers (now licensed by the town), crafts vendors, soapbox demagogues, restless students and curious tourists mingle in a vibrant human parade.
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Ri-Ra the Irish Pub
Want authenticity? This Irish pub was restored in Ireland, dismantled and shipped to the US. Order a pint of what is arguably the state’s best Guinness or a dram of uisce beatha (Irish whiskey). Check out folk music on Wednesday and Sunday, a DJ on Friday and bands on Saturday night.
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