A ten-minute uphill walk to this tower that mental patients were ordered to build for physical…read moreactivity/to alleviate their illnesses. Sadly, when it was done, many started jumping off the top to their deaths, so of course I had to visit and see what this was like. Parked in the ski slope Farm Retreat parking lot and walked to the trailhead across the street. Worth seeing and hiking up to the tower as it's so quick, though you can't enter the tower/climb up it. Visitors put wildflowers at the base of the tower by the sealed door which was so nice. 5 stars!!!!

Since it was a beautiful day out we decided to take a little hike during lunch and thought that the…read moreRetreat Tower would be the best spot to go. This was the first time we have hiked up to the tower and we have to say that we were not disappointed. The walk itself was fairly low impact and didn't take very long. Once we got to the top we enjoyed sitting by the tower while taking in the serenity of the wood. Overall it was a great experience and we would totally hike here again.

Fantastic hidden gem of a hiking trail with dramatic castle ruins steeped in local history and…read moreHAUNTED legend! It's beautiful- and eerie and spooky - especially in the moody fall weather. I love it so much I've been back twice on my visits to New England! The ruins are of the former castle and home to Madame Sherri - a costume designer from Paris that made a name for herself on Broadway. But what she was most known for was her wildly scandalous parties at the castle during the prohibition era! Sadly she eventually lost her fortune, the castle fell to ruins, and she passed away as a ward of the state. The spooky local legend says that if you stand on (or near) the stairs at midnight, a ghost (Mme Sherri?!!) comes and pushes you off!! This was such a popular legend that so many people would come stand on the stairs which sadly caused the top to collapse a few years ago and now you can't climb them at all. I only found out about all this bc I met a lovely local woman at one of my hotels that told me all about it! A fan of the Madame's, Anne Stokes, bought and cared for the entire estate and eventually gifted it to the Forest Society and eventually became the property of the Nature Conservancy who still maintains it thankfully! It's such a wonderful place! The entire protected area encompasses 513 acres and includes numerous trails around the ruins, as well as several ponds, a small brook, and bog lands full of wildlife. Just getting to the trail is quite the adventure - you're taken down eerie, rural New Hampshire backroads - not always the best maintained so be careful, especially with low clearance cars - it's pretty remote and I've never seen anyone else on the trails when visiting lol! The trail to the ruins is very short with hardly any elevation gain, but if you want a longer hike, the ruins trail joins up with the Anne Stokes loop and eventually with the much larger Wantastiquet - Monadnock Trail. There's a large gravel parking lot and lots of info signs at the trailhead with trail maps and info on all the history. Entrance is free but they do have QR codes for suggested donations of $5 to help maintain the ruins and property. There aren't any bathrooms that I could find so plan ahead.

I'm not sure exactly what it is about this spot but it's an awesome ruin of a bygone era sitting in…read morethe middle of nowhere. Anything stone has appeal to me and thus didn't disappoint. I traveled a bit later in fall than I'd hoped but it was a beautiful day and well worth the daytrip from CT. Parking is easy though limited. We arrived early snd also hiked part of the loop so turnover in the lot isn't always quick. Unfortunately there is graffiti marring the stone and the support for the staircase looks to be deteriorating . It's still awesome with a great backstory.

One of the most beautiful farms I've ever been to! They have a wide variety of rare apples and…read moredifferent fruits. Take a day trip out to pick apples and check out their stone masonry area which is very interesting. It's so beautiful, there are garnets in the stone!

The Scott Farm is one of my favorite places in Vermont. Lovely grounds, including beautiful stone…read morewalls and walking trails. But you can't beat the fall apples of many varieties. I pick up something different every year to try. I live locally, but it's one of my favorite places when I need a boost.

Closed to traffic but open for pedestrians, the Creamery Covered Bridge was built in 1879 and is a…read moreTown lattice truss design. It does have a vehicle lane (closed to traffic in 2010) as well as a pedestrian lane that was added 40 years later - you can walk both easily. The bright red bridge crosses Whetstone Brook and is a very short distance from the Interstate. You really have no excuse for not stopping to check out this fabulous piece of architecture, Brattleboro's last surviving 19th-century covered bridge. The bridge is the centerpiece of a small park where there is parking and there are some benches. It's a nice stop in any weather. [Review 1674 of 2024 - 160 in Vermont - 22697 overall]

I love covered bridges and this one in Brattleboro VT, built in 1879, didn't disappoint! I love the…read morespruce red wood and the lattice work inside! A nice feature of this bridge is the pedestrian covered walkway along the side of the main bridge which was added in 1920. The bridge is closed to traffic, and had cement blocks at the end, but it is a popular tourist attraction in this cool town of Brattleboro. After we walked and shopped along the downtown area, we spent quite a bit of time exploring this bridge and its history! What a treasure!

The original monument was installed in 1887 and honors those from Brattleboro who fought in the…read moreCivil War. The monument is about 25 feet tall and pictures a Union soldier in cap and cloak leaning on an upturned rifle. And like another I have seen recently, the butt of the rifle extends beyond the edge of the monument. The statue and the plaque are copper and quite corroded. The plaque on the front reads: This Monument Commemorates The Loyalty and Patriotism Of the Men of Brattleboro, Who Fought for Liberty and the Union In the Great Rebellion of 1861 - 1865 Enlisted 385. Died in Service 31. Erected by a Grateful Town A.D. 1887. On the back, it lists the different battlefields where the Brattleboro soldiers engaged. On the west plaque, a Union Soldier and a Confederate soldier are shaking hands while a kneeling African-American is between them receiving emancipation papers. The monument includes an updated "context" plaque that was added in 2022 that seeks to include those who were initially excluded and add corrective recognition. Interesting that their Civil War Monument has a QR code. It takes you to https://www.brattleboro.org/index.asp?SEC=610715D0-45F2-412D-9162-D3AFE987DD7E&Type=B_BASIC. [Review 18441 overall - 41 in Vermont - 1963 of 2022.]

The Dummerston Covered Bridge was built in 1872 and is the longest covered bridge in Vermont*. It…read morewas added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and it's beautiful. The bridge has two spans, each supported by Town lattice trusses with a total length of 280 feet. The bridge is open to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic with an 11' clearance. There are diamond-shaped openings throughout the length of the bridge so it's nicely lit. My van would fit but there was no maximum weight posted so I opted not to try. I walked across and while there isn't a dedicated pedestrian lane, ther are spaces on the side where you can wait while vehicles pass. This is an easy bridge to visit if you're passing through New England. It's just five miles up the West River from I-91. There is parking. And if the weather's nice, there is swimming in the lazy river below the bridge down a steep incline where you can get a great picture of the bridge. *Entirely in Vermont - the longest is the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge over the Connecticut River into New Hampshire. [Review 18447 overall - 47 in Vermont - 1969 of 2022.]

Really beautiful covered bridge. Lots of tourists stopped to take photos alongside it.read more

This is your go-to Vermont haven, if you haven't been here yet. Every local Vermont food and gift…read morecan be found here, so if you can't make it to the exact location, this is the place to go! From snacks and cheese, to jam, honey, chocolate and maple syrup, body products, ceramics, candles... honestly they have everything Vermont has to offer! Even a cow bench to take fun pics on! The staff was super nice and were able to help without being pushy. We loved walking around the property, seeing the animals, the beautiful stream and climbing the rocks and walking along the trails.

Stopped by to check out the art shanties. The market has a lot to offer; including cheese and wine…read moretasting. Would love to come back when we have time to explore the trails and buildings some more.

A very interesting museum where you can see the works of local and not so local artists. The museum…read moreis not so large where you get overwhelmed with the volume of pieces. We enjoyed our visit and were able to see some interesting interpretations.

A gem - building, exhibits, and view! An easy must-see!…read more We went on a rainy day - aunty with niece (high school) & nephew (elementary school) - and were able to park right in front of the building, which we found no problem. I just became a member at $45 so admission was free for me, $8 total for them. What a deal! The building is a gem - an old train station and the lobby makes for a welcoming, spacious, and beautiful place to see art. The ticket office is preserved and is the art room for kids and the young at heart. The woman who greeted us - an intern from Marlboro College - was super helpful as well as enthusiastic about the exhibits. We were all enthralled with the Red Grooms exhibit - his art (which is playful & joyful) plays off the white, airy space well. We only had 60-90 minutes but we could have sat on that NY bus all day. The rest of the space - off the main lobby - is less exciting (lower ceilings, nothing reminiscent of an old train station) but the art was well done, especially the Mallory Lake pastels. I just moved from the Bay Area to Western Massachusetts and am thrilled that this place exists. Note the individual membership currently includes a discount to Marlboro's music series.

It's a nice idea- running a non-profit to keep a historic hotel stuck in time alive…read more It's expensive and atrociously dirty. They even threaten to charge a huge fee if you smoke in your room, while the filthy housekeepers are on the street smoking every 5 minutes. Our first room hadn't even been cleaned yet. We were given a free upgrade and while the towels and sheets looked fresh- the bathroom and rest of the furniture in the bedroom hadn't been cleaned in what looks like ages. The bathroom still had dirt and popcorn on the floor. The nightstands and refrigerator had visible dust everywhere. The bathtub is peeling and can't be used. The carpet is so disgusting we didn't take our shoes off. Gross place. Too bad- nice idea. Old is ok, but clean it.

My wife and our dog recently went to visit Brattleboro and stayed here. I was pretty surprised at…read morethe room rate which was a last minute booking still $350 for a single night which included $35 fee for the dog. Hotel is in a great location and in a cool deco style old theater building. The room had a record player that was a nice touch. Unfortunately we found it to be quite dirty especially the floors and windows. It felt a bit like a prison cell to be honest. Very loud with doors slamming in the hallway. The bathroom definitely needs an update despite being billed as authentic and vintage. For the money I can't recommend staying here. Maybe the other rooms are nicer b/c we were in a pet-friendly room, but we're not heading back.