Fall Foliage: Where to See It and Save in Vermont

With leaf-peeping season in full swing, we've spotlighted places to stay and things to do in the famed Northeast Kingdom and Burlington. (Scroll all the way down for hotel bargains statewide.) Colors change quicker in some places than others, even peaking in mid-October in select regions. For a map illustrating the evolving state of foliage as well as suggested driving routes and leaf updates, visit vermontvacation.com.

ST. JOHNSBURY:
The Northeast Kingdom, comprising Orleans, Essex, and Caledonia counties, is one of the most idyllic and secluded corners of Vermont. St. Johnsbury serves as the informal gateway to the area, distinguished by inward-looking towns, dense forests, and placid lakes (nekchamber.com).

Run by a couple who live on the premises, the Federal-style Inn on the Common in the sleepy hilltown Craftsbury Common (about 75 miles east of Burlington), will place you in the heart of the kingdom. Rooms start at $135/night with full breakfast. The cozy experience is well worth it--as is the Inn's elegant restaurant Trellis, where the "creative country" fare showcases local produce (innonthecommon.com).

In the town of Westmore, along the shores of the immense, glacial Lake Willoughby, lies the WilloughVale Inn. Most of its 10 guest rooms have lake views (from $135/night through Oct 15; afterwards, from $85/night). Four lakefront cottages house up to either two or four guests, and come with a full kitchen, a living room and fireplace, a private dock, satellite TV, and a deck for BBQs (from $155 after Oct. 15). Book a room for Oct. 23-Nov. 15 and save 20% on the already off-season rates. Continental breakfast is included, and there are recreational activities of all sorts, and even a unique claim to fame: New England's quintessential poet, Robert Frost, stayed on the property during its previous incarnation as the Conley Farm (willoughvale.com).

A visit to the largest producer of maple syrup and maple candy in the United States, Maple Grove Farms, dating from 1915, makes for a thoroughly scrumptious afternoon. You can learn about the history of sapping from a fiddle player inside the replica sugarhouse; take a 20-minute tour of the candy factory (weekday mornings and afternoons; $1); and peruse the gift shop, complete with a sampler counter for tastings and maple ice cream (maplegrove.com).

Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium is housed in a Victorian mansion and nicknamed the "Cabinet of Curiosities." Its collection runs the gamut--farm tools; dolls; Civil War-era stirrups; period photographs; gems; specimens of North American birds, butterflies and bears; and even a selection of artifacts from Asia and the Middle East. $5; Tues.-Sat., 9 A.M.-5 P.M.; Sun, 1-5 P.M. (fairbanksmuseum.org).

Even curiouser is artist/dog-lover Stephen Huneck's Dog Chapel, an ode to man's best friend found on Dog Mountain, about ten minutes from downtown St. Johnsbury. The white clapboard building, topped by a Labrador weather-vane, is filled with stained glass depictions, statues, and framed prints of dogs. The actual animals are allowed to enter through their own door and to roam the mountain, littered with other canine representations. A sign declares "Welcome all critters, all creeds, no dogmas allowed." There's a remembrance wall for posting mementos and notes in honor of former pets. The place is kooky, touching, and free of charge (huneck.com)

BURLINGTON:
Nestled between Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains, Vermont's largest city is really a college town with a youthful, hippie vibe--tellingly, it's the birthplace of jam band Phish and of Ben & Jerry's, whose first location, at St. Paul and College Streets. bears a commemorative marker (vermont.org).

The Lang House, a central B&B run by two sisters out of a 1881 private residence, has nine rooms in the main house and two slightly smaller and more private rooms in the carriage house. Antique furnishings are scattered throughout, a few rooms have lake views, and one even has a hot tub and fireplace. Full breakfast is included, and 21st-century amenities like free Wi-Fi access add to the appeal. From $145/night (langhouse.com).

Part of a complex that includes an educational center and a 1,400-acre working farm, the Inn at Shelburne Farms looks out at Lake Champlain and is backed by clumps of rounded hills. Once the 19th-century country house of Dr. William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb, the Inn has 24 large and lavishly decorated rooms and two cottages that range from $145-$395/night. Continental breakfast and afternoon tea are included (shelburnefarms.org).

The nine-mile Burlington Bike Path, on a former railroad line, stretches from the shores of Lake Champlain north to the Winooski River. Bring lunch and make a leisurely afternoon of it. Bike and in-line skate rentals are available at Skirack (skirack.com).

Seven miles away, the Shelburne Museum is renowned for its collection of Americana. Quilts, folk art, carriages, an actual lighthouse, and a covered bridge are on display, as well as prominent Impressionist works by Degas, Cassat, Rembrandt, and Monet. The sprawling grounds include flower and vegetable gardens. Open through Oct. 31, 10 A.M.-5 P.M., daily. Adults, $18; kids, $9. (shelburnemuseum.org).

MORE LODGING PICKS:
Located on the side of Mt. Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak, Stowe is best known as a ski resort, with Austrian-style chalets and restaurants (gostowe.com; about 25 miles from Burlington). The Riverside Inn, located smack in the middle of the five-and-a-half-mile asphalt Stowe Recreation Path, has one of the best deals around: doubles start at just $49/night. Ten rooms (some with shared baths) are found in a converted 1820s farmhouse and six larger and better equipped rooms are in the adjacent motel. Riverside's obliging owners even let guests borrow mountain bikes for free (rivinn.com). For kayaking and canoeing gear, try Umiak Outdoors Outfitters; they also lead trips on the Lamoille and Winooksi rivers (umiak.com).

The 28-room Horizon Inn, surrounded by the Green Mountains, has low rates ($85-$145 during the peak season) and is located in the town of Wilmington, home to a flea market on weekends and outlying hiking trails. Nearby Adams Farm offers wagon rides and a pumpkin patch, while boat rides are available on the Harriman Reservoir. Back at the Inn, an indoor heated pool and sauna await (horizoninn.com).

The 96-room Cortina Inn in Killington has reservations still open for its Columbus Day special--$429/person for three nights and lavish meals--and lower rates for the rest of the fall: doubles from $99/night midweek, $139/night weekends, full breakfast included. There are trails, lots to do outdoors, as well as outlets and a handful of museums a short drive away (cortinainn.com). In keeping with the spirit of a wholesome fall weekend, the Norman Rockwell Museum of Vermont, seven miles away in Rutland, displays magazine covers and prints inside a converted red barn. Open 9 A.M.-4 P.M. daily. Adults, $4.50; kids, $2.50. (normanrockwellvt.com).

The four-room Riverbend B&B in the tiny town of Troy has doubles with a shared bath from $95 and with a private bath for $105, with a full breakfast. There are trails for horseback riding and hiking and the Missisquoi River for canoeing; Jay Peak and its aerial tram are 10 minutes away (riverbendvt.com).

GETTING TO BURLINGTON:
Plane: The cheapest roundtrip flights to Burlington for mid-October travel are currently pricing at $169 (Delta) from New York City; $244 (Delta) from Boston; $270 (Continental) from Washington, D.C.; $439 (United) from Chicago; $558 (Continental) from San Francisco.

We started out with a similar report on Maine, and will be wrapping up with a look at Connecticut and New York next week.