How I’d Spend a Week in Burlington, Vermont During the Winter
Ee! My first trip-planning post! I made this trip about a year ago when I tried to pitch it to my family. I had a lot of fun creating it, although it is also a lot of work and hard to be decisive for a group of people. In the case of my posts, it’s even harder to be decisive because I don’t know exactly who the trip is for. That’s why I decided to make these trips for myself and choose what I would want to do. But I’ll also include a list of extra activities to give wiggle room in case someone out there wants to use these travel plans. Overall though, the point of these is to 1. Have fun because I like planning things and it’s also really cool researching what activities are popular in other places. 2. Hopefully one day use these plans! There are so many places that I want to go but planning things and choosing times to go makes it harder to follow through with my travel goals. Hopefully, because I’ll have pre-planned trips, I can pick one when I have a time that works well to travel and use it. Kind of like online shopping for traveling. “Oh, I have sufficient savings and two weeks in June that I can take off of work? Time to look through my blog and select what I want to do!” And then it’s as simple as that. But anyway, without further adieu… here’s how I would spend a week in Burlington, Vermont!
Accommodation
First things first, we need to choose a place to stay. When I think of Vermont I think of bundling up on the couch in my pajamas after a long day of skiing, hot chocolate by the fire, cooking warm hearty foods, and of course, any breakfast that requires maple syrup. That’s why I think it’s best to stay in an Airbnb for this trip.
There are so many options and I encourage everyone to do some research to make sure they find a home that suits their needs best. However, I found three homes that have exactly what I would look for. They fit different amounts of people so some could work for a family and some could be fun with a group of friends. Each is about two blocks from Church Street and has the perfect amount of space to cook some meals at home and watch a movie all bundled up.
The first option is a remodeled modern carriage house that houses four and is two blocks from Church Street as well as a mile from Lake Champlain. It is pet-friendly and has a parking spot as well which would be necessary for my family. This option is $130 per night.
Next, another option that is only two blocks away from Church Street is this charming historic home. This three-bedroom home fits six guests so it would be perfect to bring some friends along! This house gives a little bit more of that Vermont feel as it isn’t as newly remodeled as the other and it has two parking spots which, again, is necessary for the number of people that will be visiting. This one is a bit pricier, coming out to $460 per night.
Lastly, this other remodeled home has three bedrooms and fits five guests. It is $290 a night and is half a mile from Church Street. It is very spacious yet has a cozy feel. I will say, this one has the best review on AirBnb with 4.92 stars.
** Prices may change based on when the houses are booked
Itinerary
Now, the best part of trip planning…. The ITINERARY! As mentioned before, I’ve created an itinerary for how I would spend this trip (specifically, with my family). Therefore some things may not be relevant for everyone such as driving to and from Vermont, the amount of time spent skiing, and morning walks. However, I do think this is a pretty good itinerary for a majority of people, and hope you like it 🙂
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
| Morning | Start driving at 7 am | Walk to Lake Champlain and grab a coffee and bite to eat | Hopefully, we’ll have picked up some Crawlers for breakfast by now (my favorite Vermont brekkie) Red Rocks Park hike | Muddy Waters for breakfast | Walk to Lake Champlain | Myers’s Bagel Bakery for breakfast because who can go a week without a bagel | One last walk to Ethan Allen Tower |
| Afternoon | Arrive around 2 pm Shop around downtown Consider the Fleming Museum of Art | Cochran’s Ski Resort | Bolton Valley ALT: If you’re only looking to ski for three days, I’d recommend today to visit the Sugartree Maple Farm | Stowe Mountain Resort Non-skiers could check out the Stowe Resort Spa Visit the original Ben & Jerry’s factory on your way out! | Ice Skating at Arthur Park (ON THE LAKE! And with views of sea caves) Go snowshoeing at North Beach | Sugarbush Resort | Pack up and leave at 11 am |
| Evening | Top of the Block Sandwich Shop for dinner | Leunig’s Bistro for dinner Check out the winter festival, Vermont Penguin Plunge | Hop around some of the breweries: CompanyZero Gravity Brewery, Queen City Brewery, Switchback Brewing Co., and Burlington Beer Company are south of downtown but all close together. The Vermont Pub and Brewery, Citizen Cider, and Foam Brewers are all downtown | Cook a dinner at home 🙂 Maybe some homemade pizzas? | The Farmhouse for dinner See a show at The Flynn then grab a few drinks at The Archives, an arcade bar with vintage games | Simple dinner at Airbnb Start packing up the car | Arrive at home around 6 pm And BAM! There you have it. A jam-packed but stress-free week in beautiful Burlington, Vermont |
Alternative Activities
- Vermont Comedy Club
- Radio Bean and Nectar’s are bars with live music
- Bike the Burlington Greenway
- Visit Sugartree Maple Farm
- Day trips to Shelburn and/or Middlebury
Disclaimer
I’ve never completed this itinerary and therefore done most of these things. However, based on my research, these are the best activities that Burlington has to offer!
Thanks for checking in!
Sending virtual hugs and high-fives,
Chlo
Sources
https://www.paulapinstheplanet.com/things-to-do-in-burlington-vt-in-winter/
Sounds like a fabulous week in vermont! Makes me miss Lake Champlain.
How on earth did you jump from Spain to Vermont? Aren’t you finishing finals this week at U of Barcelona? I guess you are already thinking of returning to winter at home in the northern US.
Wow, structured dreaming! I like it. Consider that getting a big place shared by multiple people can be less expensive per person.
You are so organized which makes you do more in less time. Great.