Montpelier Things to Do

This small farm has been in the Morse family for over 200 years!! They make everything from maple syrup to maple candy. When you arrive, there is a free video in the "Sugar-Shack" that tells how the syrup is tapped, fermented, and prepared. There is even a trail that takes you into the woods showing models on how the trees are tapped and the syrup is collected. Admission is free.

Located in a beautiful historic building next to the Vermont State House, the Historical Society's Museum is a great way to spend some time on a fall afternoon. American history buffs will enjoy learning about the history of Vermont, the museum's exhibits dating all the way back to the area's pre-European roots. Before I came to the museum I had no idea that Vermont was once its own country, The Republic of Vermont, for a brief period of time during the American Revolution. Vermont also has a really interesting military history, from Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys of the American Revolution to the state's important role during the Civil War.

Vermont was the 14th state admitted to the Union, right after the original 13 colonies.

Admission is $5 for adults, $12 for families. The museum's Web site also has some really cool online exhibits that you can check out for free.

Hubbard Park, created in 1899 by John E. Hubbard (hence the name of the park), is both an excellent hiking spot for those who want to start their ascension from Elm Street or the State House and a nice family spot for those families who prefer to take their car up to one of the many parkings. The park, which towers over both State and Elm Streets, helps explain Montpelierites' love of nature.

We climbed all the way to the tower at the top of the park to loosen our legs after the 3-hour bus trip from Montreal. The view was spectacular.

A number of trails lead to Hubbard Park and its tower. The closest to the tower starts at the end of Court Street, behind the State House, but we took the one that starts at the corner of Parkway and Winter Streets. A map of the park is provided at the web link below.

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Another of the many significant buildings in Montpelier. Here is the 1881 Department of Agriculture offices in State Street opposite State House and almost opposite the Vermont Historical Society Museum.

Contrasting with the small scale of the rest of Montpelier, the Vermont State House is an imposing neoclassical building highlighted by a gold leaf dome. The large Greek-style columns are made from granite extracted from a nearby Barre quarry. Set against the backdrop of Hubbard Park, it is striking in any season.

Free guided tours of the richly-decorated interior are available every half-hour from July to mid-October: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For those who are not interested in a guided tour, the State House is open every day from 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except state holidays).

Montpelier is such a small town that the activities of State House seem to dominate, particularly when the House is sitting. The bus routes change (there are additional routes and additional buses on the old routes and they run later at night). The restaurants are busier and when we were there you could overhear caucus groups deep in discussion at the meal tables alongside you.
State House was built in 1859.

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Unlike many of the guidebooks which either fail to mention this museum or say not worth spending any time at this museum, I found this a well laid out and fascinating museum. We spent 3 hours at this museum and could have spent much longer, but were thrown out at closing time. I was particularly interested in two aspects - the early railway in Vermont and the early telegraph industry. Although they had a hands-on morse machine and sample facimile messages from the 1890s on display I would have liked to see mention of why the telegraph came and where in the various Vermont towns it actually came, but this is nit-picking on what is an excellent museum.

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Around the town are a lot of Victorian buildings and many of them have now had these plaques put on them. The second photo shows the building itself which has now been converted into a hairdresser on Main Street and at the rear of the building a drive through bank. I thought the change of use had still managed to retain the character of the old railway buildings.