With a population of just under 45,000, Burlington is Vermont’s largest city, though small enough to enjoy all that this vibrant city has to offer in a short amount of time.

Referred to as “Queen City”, “B-town,” and “Burly” to name a few, this lakeside city balances bustling city life with outdoor recreational opportunities.  Perhaps most noteworthy about Burlington is that it is home to the globally recognized ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s.  Find their headquarters located on Church Street, and be sure to stop in for a sweet treat, with nearly 100 flavors to choose from.  While on Church Street, visitors can take in the numerous shops and eateries that line this pedestrian-only strip, the likes of which include Italian restaurant Pascolo Ristorante, Leunig’s Bistro, Honey Road, and shops such as Crow Bookshop, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Phoenix Books, Vermont Teddy Bear, and The Vermont Flannel Company.  Voted the nation’s best public square by USA Today, Church Street caters to individuals of all ages.

Travelers can also soak in the Burlington waterfront, a lakeside community sprawling with parks, bike paths, walking trails, restaurants, and a museum.  This includes Battery Park, Waterfront Park, Andy “A Dog” Williams Skate Park, and the ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, an educational museum that features a plethora of hands-on exhibits.  Commonly referred to as “The Echo Center,” this kid-centered museum also includes lake ecology displays and over 70 species of animals.

For further entertainment, visitors may want to catch a show at The Flynn, a performing arts center featuring live musicals, performances, and dances.  Then, ease your appetite with a meal from Leunig’s Bistro for French fare, Trattoria Delia or Pascolo Ristorante for Italian cuisine, American Flatbread for organic flatbread and salads, Bluebird Barbecue for authentic barbecue, Shanty on the Shore for seafood, or the Vermont Pub & Brewery for American and pub staples.

For lodging, there are several options right in downtown, such as Hotel Vermont and, for scenic vistas of Lake Champlain, the aptly-named Hotel Champlain.

Lastly, it is worth mentioning the Shelburne Museum in the nearby town of Shelburne.  Strolling around this outdoor museum is like taking a step back in time to 19th and 20th-century Vermont, with the Ticonderoga Steamboat, a round barn built in 1901, and a historic covered bridge standing amongst numerous other exhibits.  The Shelburne Museum also hosts a cafe, a gift shop, and a winter lights display from late November through early January.

There is so much to take in within the city of Burlington and the surrounding areas.  From museums, eateries, shops, to quirky attractions like the World’s Tallest Filing Cabinet on Flynn Avenue, this region of the Green Mountain State serves up a fantastic blend of eclectic things to see and do around every corner.