Montpelier is the smallest state capital in the United States — a distinction that turns out to be one of its greatest charms. With fewer than 10,000 residents, this is a real small city that feels more like an overgrown New England village than a seat of government. The golden dome of the State House rises above Church Street, surrounded by independent bookshops, good restaurants, and the kind of walkable downtown that larger capitals can only envy.
The city sits in a narrow valley where the North Branch meets the Winooski River, ringed by forested hills that turn extraordinary shades of red and orange each autumn. That setting — compact, historic, beautifully situated — makes Montpelier one of the most pleasant state capitals in New England to simply wander around.
Founded in the 1780s, Montpelier has accumulated a fine collection of nineteenth-century architecture, much of it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The tourist office offers historic walking tour maps that thread through the downtown neighborhoods and along the riverbanks. Montpelier is also home to the New England Culinary Institute, which explains why dining here punches well above its size.
For skiers, Montpelier makes a convenient base for the slopes of central Vermont — Stowe is about 45 minutes north, and Mad River Glen and Sugarbush lie in the valley to the south.