Rutland
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Rutland

Rutland

Green Mountains city with marble-quarry history and practical access to central Vermont skiing.

Rutland is Vermont's third-largest city, set in a valley in the Green Mountains at the intersection of Routes 4 and 7. It built its prosperity on marble quarrying — the surrounding area contains some of the world's highest-quality marble deposits, used in the Lincoln Memorial and other landmark buildings — and later became a key railroad junction.

Today Rutland is a working city without much tourist polish, but its location makes it a practical base for exploring central Vermont. Killington, one of New England's biggest ski resorts, is just 20 km to the east, making Rutland a cheaper alternative to staying in Killington village. The Paramount Theatre, a restored 1914 movie palace on Merchants Row, is the city's cultural anchor and hosts concerts and events through the year. The Chaffee Art Center, in a Victorian mansion near the centre, shows local and regional artists.

A short drive out of town, Wilson Castle is an improbable Victorian Gothic mansion with 84 rooms and a chaotic history worth hearing about on a guided tour. The Vermont State Fairgrounds hosts the state fair in late August, one of the oldest in New England.

The Marble Valley Regional Transit District runs bus service within the city. Route 4 east leads quickly into dramatic mountain scenery toward Woodstock and Quechee Gorge.

Guide

Getting There

Rutland is served by Amtrak's Vermonter train from Washington D.C. and New York Penn Station, with the Rutland station on Merchant Row downtown. The journey from New York takes around 6 hours. By road, Route 4 from the east connects Rutland to Woodstock, Quechee, and White River Junction (where I-89 runs north to Burlington and south to New Hampshire). Route 7 runs north toward Burlington (about 65 miles) and south toward Bennington. There is no interstate highway directly through Rutland.

Killington resort is 20 km east on Route 4. Burlington Airport (BTV) is the nearest major airport, about an hour and 20 minutes north.

Guide

Things to Do

Rutland is a working Vermont city rather than a tourist destination, but it has a restored Paramount Theatre worth an evening, an art center in a Victorian mansion, and proximity to Wilson Castle — an improbable Victorian Gothic pile in the surrounding countryside. Killington ski resort is 20 km east for winter visitors.

Guide

When to Go

Winter brings ski visitors using Rutland as a cheaper base for Killington resort. The slopes typically run from November through April, with January and February the most reliable for snow. For non-skiers, summer and fall are the appealing seasons: summer for hiking and cycling in the Green Mountains, fall for the foliage that turns the surrounding hillsides spectacular from late September into October.

The Vermont State Fair runs in late August and early September. Wilson Castle tours operate from May through October.