Weekend in Burlington, Vermont
June 20, 2012 7:56 AM   Subscribe

How to spend an AWESOME weekend in Burlington, VT?

Help me plan the perfect weekend in Burlington! My bofyriend is coming up tomorrow to spend the weekend with me in Burlington, VT. Neither of us are from here. We are sporty and like to play. We love food and music. Please give me suggestions on what to do this weekend.

Specifically, pls recommend a couple hikes that are 45 miles away or less and are about 6-8 miles in length. Suggestions on bike rides - the one on the burlington path is about 7 miles one way, are there any longer, beautiful bike paths in the area?

Also what restaurants on Church Street have live music Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday nights - restaurant suggestions would be appreciated. Are there any local bars in Burlington that have darts and foosball?

Is there a local movie theater that shows art house films, and are there any other things we should explore outside of Burlington (Stowe? anywhere else?).
posted by BlueMartini7 to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Music: Phish originates from up there. They're a jam band if you're not familiar with them. They used to (maybe they still do? I dunno) play at Nectar's in Burlington.

I wouldn't be surprised if Nectars had other jam bands playing there as well, or if maybe that was the general type of music you'd hear there. Since I've never been though that's just my guess.

Either way, I've always wanted to go, and I'll be totally jealous of you guys if you do.

So, on second thought -- don't go there! Wait for me!
posted by MustardTent at 8:36 AM on June 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


I was just in Burlington last weekend and had a very nice meal at American Flatbread - on St. Paul street, one block over from Church. Really good beer on tap, which is sort of ubiquitous in VT.
posted by gorbichov at 8:38 AM on June 20, 2012 [2 favorites]


Hopefully the awesome weather holds out for you guys!

Biking:
The Burlington bike path actually connects to the Island Line Trail in Colchester, which makes for a scenic (and longer) ride. It's really pretty because you ride a few miles on the causeway, and In the past Local Motion has provided a bike ferry to shuttle riders from the end of the ferry to South hero (an island just a short distance away). However, Irene knocked a good portion of the causeway out so I'm not sure they are doing that this year. I do know you can still ride your bike a good portion of it, and it's absolutely beautiful.
Check out the Local Motion website for more info on local biking trails.

Hiking:
Camels Hump is pretty sweet and there are several ways to summit it. The Forest City Loop is probably the best match for what you want. The trailhead is in Huntington, about a 30-45 minute drive from downtown Burlington. You could also go up the Monroe Trail from Duxbury, which is longer but less steep. It's also wicked pretty and there is (a wing from) a crashed airplane from WW2 right off the trail!

In the opposite direction, Mt. Mansfield is about an hour away from Burlington with a bunch of trails. I've always wanted to do Sterling Pond, but it's a little shorter that what you're looking for.

Food/Drink/Music
Radio Bean always has music and is attatched to Duino, a delicious and reasonably priced restaurant. Fair warning, the music and crowd are very eclectic. It's right off of Church Street.

It looks like Nectar's has bluegrass tomorrow night. It's a fun place with greasy (good) food. They have pool tables, dunno about foosball or darts.

The half lounge is an awesome bar and has live music. Red Square, right next door, also has live music.

You should try to go to the Red Onion for lunch. Great sandwiches, I recommend their signature sandwich.

Dinner: I really like VT Pub and Brewery because it's cheap, tasty, there's a ton of outdoor seating, and they brew their own yummy beer.
If you wanna get fancy, The Farmhouse is (much) more expensive but also good, with a huge beer selection and an emphasis on local food.
There's also Splash (right on Lake Champlain, great views and good food) and Skinny Pancake (crepes, kind of a love it or hate it place but I love it, also has music), which are closer to the water so kind of a hike to get back up to Church Street.
There's SO MANY good restaurants in Burlington, I don't think you will be disapointed. Look on the Seven Days website for reviews if you're unsure.

Honestly, I think you'll have the most fun eating dinner and then strolling from one end Church Street to the other, stopping for a drink wherever you hear something good.

Have fun! Burlington is sweet, I'm headed out for dinner and drinks/music tonight and you got me all excited. You'll have a blast!
posted by pintapicasso at 1:25 PM on June 20, 2012


Response by poster: thank you all for your excellent suggestions, can't wait to try them all!
posted by BlueMartini7 at 5:23 AM on June 21, 2012


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