You guys, I love a good trip to Waterbury, and this post is all about the very best things to do in Waterbury, VT to help you plan your itinerary!
In fact, this cute little town is ground zero for some of the top attractions in the entire state, so this is a wonderful destination to add to your itinerary if you’re visiting Vermont for the first time.
Between food and drink tastings, country stores and a lovely little downtown with shops, it has something for everyone. So, are you ready to visit? Let’s start planning!
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Is Waterbury, VT Worth Visiting?
Yes, absolutely! But, I do recommend combining Waterbury with a trip to another nearby area since it’s so close to some of the top destinations in Vermont, including Stowe, Woodstock and Burlington.
Waterbury and Waterbury Center have amazing things to do (some of the best in Vermont, as mentioned!), but I do find places like Stowe and Woodstock more picturesque, and quintessentially Vermont overall.
That said, Waterbury is so easy to incorporate into a Vermont itinerary if you’re visiting any of the areas mentioned above. In fact, to get from Stowe to Burlington (or vice versa), you actually pass right through Waterbury. And you’ll see during the drive, there are so many awesome things to see and do.
Best Things To Do In Waterbury, VT
1. Explore The Historic Downtown
Waterbury’s historic district is filled with beautiful buildings, and cute shops and eateries.
This area is separate from Waterbury Center, where you’ll find places like Ben & Jerry’s and Cold Hollow (read about those later in the post!). The historic downtown feels more like a charming village with a lovely Main Street that’s perfect for strolling.
This area is pretty small, but there are some great places to check out to make it worth your while. Here are my recommendations on things to look for while walking the historic district:
- Bridgeside Books
- Jeremy Ayers Pottery
- Hender’s Bake Shop & Cafe
- Blackback Pub
- The Udder Guys Ice Cream Tricycle – a cute little ice cream cart that’s open seasonally!
2. Dine At The Prohibition Pig Restaurant
Probaly one of the coolest dining experiences you can have in Waterbury is the Prohibition Pig. If you’re a meat lover, you’ll definitely want to book a table at their restaurant, and if you’re just looking for a fun place to hang out on a lovely afternoon with great drinks, you’ll want to head straight to their brewery.
The Prohibition Pig Restaurant is famous for their smoked meats and comfort food-inspired menu. You’ll find things like hush puppies, burgers, poutine, and of course … their meat dishes. They also serve great cocktails and their own beer at the restaurant.
The Prohibition Pig Brewery also claims to serve the best margaritas in town in addition to their own beers! Just around the corner and behind the restaurant is where you’ll find the brewery, which has a nice outdoor patio that’s dog-friendly, as well as an indoor seating space. Small plates and burgers are served up here, too!
3. Explore The Beautiful State Parks
Waterbury, VT is home to a few state parks that offer wonderful opportunities to enjoy scenic trails and nature.
Little River State Park is part of Mt. Mansfield State Forest, and is also the home of the Waterbury Reservoir. The Reservoir is an awesome place for SUP and kayaking, and there are also some nice beaches here for swimming. If you’re looking for a fun weekend of camping, they also have a great campground!
For scenic hikes, you’ll want to head to Camel’s Hump State Park, which is home to the … you guessed it … Camel’s Hump Trail. This trail is a popular one that offers beautiful, sweeping vista views of the Green Mountains, and clocks in at around 6 miles.
Waterbury Center State Park is another beautiful area that has access to the Waterbury Reservoir for kayaking and paddleboarding. This is another perfect place for hanging out with a picnic, swimming in the water, and enjoying a scenic nature trail.
4. Tour The Ben & Jerry’s Factory
Waterbury’s most popular attraction is the Ben & Jerry’s Factory, so this is something that must be on your itinerary when you visit!
Most people know that the famous ice cream brand started right here in Vermont, and the factory is honestly such a fun place to visit. You can tour the production facility, get the inside scoop (pun totally intended) on all things B&J, and even get a free ice cream sample at the end of your tour.
But you don’t have to book a tour to visit. They have a really cool gift shop, an ice cream shop with tons of flavors to choose from (often featuring exclusives), and also the flavor graveyard.
The graveyard is a fun place to stop if you’re short on time and want to swing by for a quick visit. Swing by the ice cream shop first for a cone, and then walk over to check out the graveyard. It had tombstones for discontinued flavors, and depending on how old you are, it’s likely to be a fun trip down memory lane!
Things To Do Near The Ben & Jerry’s Factory
Since most people have Waterbury on their radar because of Ben & Jerry’s, I wanted to include a section on things to do near the factory to help you plan your itinerary. All of these suggestions are within a 5-minute drive or less from the Ben & Ferry’s Factory in Waterbury, and they’re all equally as fun to visit.
5. Sample The Cheeses At The Cabot Farmer’s Store
One of my personal favorite places to visit in Waterbury is the Cabot Farmer’s Store, which serves as a shop and tasting area for all the amazing Cabot cheeses. Throughout the shop, you’ll find stations with samples of different cheeses, and local farmers are often there sharing samples of cheeses they’re making.
The store is pretty great, too, featuring local good like maple syrup and jams/jellies, as well as cute souvenirs, cutting boards and some home goods.
And of course, you’ll find pretty much all the Cabot cheese you could possibly want, so this is the perfect place to stock up and bring some home with you.
Location Tip: The Cabot Farmer’s Store is in the same plaza as Smuggler’s Notch Distillery and Lake Champlain Chocolates!
6. Sip On Spirits At Smugglers Notch Distillery
After sampling your cheeses, head on over to the Smuggler’s Notch Distillery to sample locally-made spirits! Producing their own vodka, gin, rye, bourbon, liqueurs and rum, you’ll be able to pay a small fee to sample 4 of their spirits, and they also sell full and mini-sized bottles once you find your favorite.
They also make their own barrel-aged maple syrup, and often have complimentary samples of this, too! And honestly? It’s really good, so you may want to plan to pick some up here.
Location Tip: Smuggler’s Notch Distillery is in the same plaza as the Cabot Farmer’s Store and Lake Champlain Chocolates!
7. Sample Lake Champlain Chocolates
One of the most famous chocolate shops in New England originated right in Vermont, so you’ll definitely want to plan to visit Lake Champlain Chocolates when you’re in Waterbury.
They pretty much always have samples available at the counter to try before you buy, and you’ll find endless selections here with all kinds of flavors. They also have a beverage counter with coffee and delicious hot chocolate, which is perfect on a chilly fall or winter day.
I always find it impossible to walk out of this place empty-handed 😂
Location Tip: Lake Champlain Chocolates is in the same plaza as the Cabot Farmer’s Store and Smuggler’s Notch Distillery!
8. Get Donuts (And Tons More!) At Cold Hollow Cider Mill
One of the best country stores to visit in Vermont is Cold Hollow, which also happens to be a cider mil serving fresh cider and donuts. This is especially fun to visit in the fall season when everything is all about those cider donuts, but it’s also open year-round.
Inside, you can watch them make the donuts, and shop at their incredible country store. It has everything from local specialty foods like maple syrup, maple candies and jams/jellies, home decor, apparel, souvenirs and so much more.
Pro Tip: Order the cider slushy with your donut and thank me later!
Location Tip: They’re just a mile down the road from the plaza with Cabot, Lake Champlain Chocolates and Smuggler’s Notch Distillery.
9. Visit The Cold Hollow Cider Tasting Room & Cafe!
Located right in the same area as the cider mill, Cold Hollow has a relatively new restaurant and cafe, as well as hard cider tasting room! The cafe serves up great sandwiches, soups, salads and breakfast, and I suggest stopping here first for a meal, and then getting your donut across the way at the cider mill for dessert 😉
The tasting room for their hard cider is in the same building, and they offer flights and glasses to try out their drinks. They also have a small shop where they sell their canned cider in 4-packs.
Pro Tip: You can also get cider by the glass, or a cider flights, when you order at the restaurant!
10. Shop At The Woodstock Farmer’s Market
Less than a mile down the road from Cole Hollow, you’ll find the Woodstock Farmer’s Market. Part deli, grocery store, farmer’s market and bakery, it has a little bit of everything, with a focus on local produce and products.
If you’re heading out on the trails for the day, this is the perfect place to swing by and grab some sandwiches and snacks from their deli cooler, and some sweet treats from their bakery to throw in your day pack for lunch.
Things To Do Near Waterbury, VT
Since Waterbury is the perfect location to visit some amazing destinations in Vermont, I’ve included a section on the best day trips and afternoon excursions that are an easy drive from Waterbury!
11. Explore Stowe
Stowe is one of the most popular destinations in all of New England, and for good reason. It’s most definitely worth the hype because it feels like a dreamy village out of a movie set, and has cute little shops, restaurants, nature paths and breweries to visit.
In fact, most people will stay in Stowe, and then spend the afternoon in Waterbury, and this is also what I recommend for first-time visitors.
12. Visit The Covered Bridges
There are a few covered bridges around the Waterbury area, and you can even make a little road trip out of it, too!
The closest ones to Waterbury are:
- Gold Brook Covered Bridge in Stowe (also known as the haunted Emily’s Covered Bridge!)
- Red Covered Bridge in Morristown
- Waitsfield Covered Bridge in Waitsfield
- Pine Brook Covered Bridge in Waitsfield
- Warren Covered Bridge in Warren
If you have an interest in covered bridges, and are in the Waitsfield area already to see the ones from the list above, there are quite a few other covered bridges nearby. Click the link below to check out my post on a Vermont Covered Bridges Road Trip for more info and tips!
13. Sample More Spirits At Green Mountain Distillers
Close to Red Covered Bridge in Morristown, you’ll find Green Mountain Distillers in Morristown, which is just 10 minutes outside of Stowe. The tasting room here is pretty quaint, but the owner is so nice, and they make some wonderful spirits here to try.
The fee for the tasting is very small, and they also sell the full-sized bottles to take home your favorite. On your way here, you’ll also drive through some scenic country roads that are especially beautiful in the fall during foliage season.
14. Head To Burlington
One of the best cities in Vermont to visit is Burlington, which is only about 30 minutes from Waterbury, and 40 minutes or so from Stowe. And as mentioned earlier in the post, you actually have to drive through Waterbury to get from Stowe to Burlington, so it’s super easy to visit them all, even on a day trip.
Burlington has so many wonderful things to see during your visit, including even more amazing breweries, a waterfront park, a bike path along Lake Champlain, Church Street Marketplace for shopping and tons more.
15. Take A Day Trip To Woodstock
Woodstock is often regarded as the most beautiful town in Vermont (and sometimes, in all of New England), and it’s definitely in my own top five! In the fall season, it doesn’t get any better than Stowe and Woodstock for fall foliage in Vermont, and Woodstock is home to such a picturesque village with shops, restaurants and even a covered bridge right in town.
During your visit to Woodstock, you’ll also want to consider visiting Billings Farm & Museum, Sugarbush Farms and the other two covered bridges in town.
How To Spend 1 Day In Waterbury
Most people visit Waterbury while passing through, but I do recommend budgeting at minimum a half day to see everything it has to offer. If you have a full day, even better! My recommendation is, if this is your first visit to Vermont, plan a half day in Waterbury. If you’re a seasoned Vermont traveler, consider a full day to explore some of the local parks, and revisit old favorites (like Cold Hollow!).
Here’s my suggestion for a first-time, half-day itinerary:
- Start with a tour at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory.
- Head over to Cold Hollow for lunch and a hard cider tasting, then the cider mill for donuts and shopping.
- Last stop is the plaza with the Cabot Farmer’s store, Lake Champlain Chocolates and Smuggler’s Notch Distillery.
- If time allows, you can also visit some of the covered bridges in the area, or explore the historic district.
Here’s my suggestion for a full day itinerary:
- Start in the historic district, and grab a coffee and pastry from Hender’s while you stroll around.
- If you’re feeling like some time in nature, head to one of the state parks for a scenic nature walk. The best one for a walk is probably Waterbury Center State Park.
- Then head to Cold Hollow for lunch and a hard cider tasting before visiting the cider mill for a donut and shopping.
- If time allows, head to the Ben & Jerry’s Factory for a tour.
- Finally, visit the plaza with the Cabot Farmer’s store, Lake Champlain Chocolates and Smuggler’s Notch Distillery.
- If you need to stop for dinner, head to the Prohibition Pig!
Are Waterbury And Waterbury Center, VT The Same?
During your planning, you may see that some things on this list are located in Waterbury, and others in Waterbury Center. You may be wondering, are they the same?
The answer is actually pretty simple: Waterbury Center is a village that’s part of the town of Waterbury, VT, so yes, they’re the same.
More Of My Vermont Travel Guides:
- Vermont In The Fall
- Vermont In The Winter
- Vermont In The Spring
- All The Best Things To Do In Vermont
- Things To Do In Woodstock, VT
- Things To Do In Stowe, VT
- Visiting Stowe, VT In The Winter
- Best Places To Stay In Vermont In The Fall
- What Is Vermont Known For? I’ll Tell You!
- Vermont Covered Bridge Road Trip Itinerary
- Best Vermont Pumpkin Patches & Farm Stands To Visit In The Fall
- Christmas In Vermont: All The Most Festive Things To Do
- Awesome Corn Mazes In Vermont
- Best Time To Visit Vermont
- Must-See Places On A Vermont Route 100 Road Trip
That’s A Wrap On Things To Do In Waterbury, VT
And there you have it – you’re now a seasoned pro on all the best things to do in Waterbury, VT! What’s high up on your agenda? Maybe cheese tasting at the Cabot Farmer’s store? A Ben & Jerry’s Factory tour? The good news is, you can cram a lot into one afternoon in Waterbury, and all the attractions put together make for a memorable day in the Green Mountain State.
