Burlington is an excellent base for exploring the rest of Vermont. Stowe, one of the best ski resorts in the eastern United States, is about an hour's drive east. In summer the same drive leads to hiking on Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak. Montpelier, the state capital — and at around 8,000 people, the smallest state capital in the country — is worth a half-day visit for its gold-domed Capitol building and good independent food scene.
The Shelburne Museum, seven miles south of Burlington on US Route 7, is an extraordinary collection of 39 historic buildings and American folk art spread across a 45-acre campus. The steamship Ticonderoga, hauled overland from Lake Champlain in 1955, sits permanently landlocked on the grounds. Half a day is needed to do it justice.
