Manchester & Bennington
You may know Manchester as the land of shop-till-you-drop, but its charms extend beyond the destination outlet mall. Yes, you can do J. Crew and Ralph Lauren, but you can also take in Hildene. The summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln — son of Abraham — is a lovely spot to spend a day...
Arts & Entertainment
Southern Vermont Arts Center
The Manchester-based multifaceted arts center is a sophisticated enterprise comprising the Wilson Museum, the Yester House Gallery, a sculpture garden, an education center and a café, among other things. The Arkell Pavilion has been hosting musicians, singers, dancers, actors and writers for 50 years. The setting is the 400-acre Manchester estate of Gertrude Divine Ritter, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The galleries and gardens are closed on Monday.
arts & entertainment in Manchester/Bennington Area
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Arts & Entertainment
Dorset Playhouse
The Dorset Playhouse — in a renovated historic barn on Cheney Road — has hosted the Dorset Theatre Festival for more than three decades. The professionally produced plays are not your typical summer fare. Speaking of ideal settings, Dorset is a picture of summer wealth.
arts & entertainment in Manchester/Bennington Area
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Attraction
Vermont Country Store
The Vermont Country Store is not so much a retail experience as a trip down memory lane. The store, which takes up much of downtown Weston, sells things that nobody else does anymore: antique-style gadgets, soaps and powders that no longer appear on drugstore shelves, candies that were once sold in a glass jar for a penny or two. If you’re over 50, this will bring you back. If you’re under 50, well, you can Tweet about it.
Hiking
Merck Forest and Farmland Center
If you’re curious to know what a little drug money can do, make a trek to the Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Rupert. The center, comprising more than 3000 acres of field and forestland in the southwestern corner of the state, is a nature lover’s paradise with its hiking trails and campsites. In keeping with its mission to promote sustainable farmland and forest management, the center runs workshops on trail tending, identifying wild plants and managing small herds of livestock.
Attraction
Orvis Flagship Store
Yes, Orvis is a pricey retail store, but it’s so much more. The flagship store in Manchester has the ambiance of an Adirondack lodge, but one where you can buy all the outdoor clothing and gear you would ever need. Beyond that, Orvis runs fly-fishing and wing-shooting schools from its Manchester operation, and the price includes all the equipment you need to make it happen.
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