Woodstock is a small, deliberate, well-kept village in central Vermont — an oval green ringed by Federal-era houses, a covered bridge in the middle of town, and hills on every side. It has been called the prettiest small town in America often enough that it could have curdled, and it hasn't. For a foliage trip it works as the middle act: central Vermont peaks a week or so after Stowe, so driving south down Route 100 from the north lands you here at roughly the right moment.
- Central Vermont peaks after the north — the timing works if you drive south
- One of the genuinely beautiful village centres in New England, and small enough to walk in an hour
- Covered bridges, including one in the middle of town
- Billings Farm and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller, a working dairy farm and a national historical park side by side
- Quechee Gorge and the quiet Route 12 back roads twenty minutes away
Region: Northeast Best time: Early to mid October for peak colour. Woodstock is central Vermont, roughly a week behind Stowe and two to three weeks ahead of the Maine coast. Summer is pleasant and much cheaper; November to April is very quiet. Getting there: About 2.5 hours from Boston via I-89, or two hours south of Stowe down Route 100. The nearest airport of any use is Boston. Getting around: A car, though the village itself is walkable and worth walking. The good driving is the network of unmarked back roads around it rather than the main routes.
Areas & nearby villages
Woodstock Village
The green, the shops and the inns — the whole centre is a few hundred yards across.
Quechee
Twenty minutes east, built around a gorge and a restored mill; the glassblowing is genuinely good.
Taftsville
A covered bridge and a country store between Woodstock and Quechee.
Bridgewater & Plymouth
West along Route 4 towards Killington — quieter lodging and Calvin Coolidge's birthplace.
The Route 12 back roads
North towards Randolph — unsignposted, largely empty, and as good as the famous stretches.
Things to do
- Walk the village and the green — Federal and Greek Revival houses around an oval green, plus the Middle Bridge — an hour, well spent
- Billings Farm & Museum — A working Jersey dairy farm and a museum of Vermont rural life; better than it sounds
- Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP — The only national park telling the story of American conservation, with carriage roads through managed forest
- Quechee Gorge — Vermont's deepest gorge, viewed from a road bridge or the short trail down to the river
- Sleepy Hollow and the covered bridges — Three within a short drive — Taftsville, Middle Bridge and Lincoln
- Drive Route 12 and 12A — The Vermont foresters' own weekly reports repeatedly name this stretch; it is quieter than Route 100
A few perfect days
- Day 1Arrive down Route 100
The drive in from the north is the main event. Arrive late afternoon, walk the green before dinner.
- Day 2Farm, forest and gorge
Billings Farm in the morning, the carriage roads at Marsh-Billings after lunch, then out to Quechee Gorge.
- Day 3Back roads east
Covered bridges and the Route 12 back roads, then east across the Connecticut River into New Hampshire.
Eat & drink
- Country-inn cooking done properly — the inns here take dinner seriously and need booking in October
- Farm stands and the Taftsville Country Store for cheddar, maple and cider on the road
- Skinny Pancake-style crêperies and good coffee around the green for breakfast before a driving day
Road trips through Woodstock
National parks & day trips
Where to stay
Compare hotels and rentals across Woodstock.
Find stays in Woodstock →