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Woodstock, Vermont
Including Quechee, Killington, & Randolph
Note: The following is the complete introduction to the Woodstock chapter in our book Play Hard Rest Easy: New England. Our website provides the basic content of our books, free of charge; however, for complete descriptions of the outdoor activities, sightseeing, shopping, lodging, and dining options, you'll want to order the book here, from Amazon, or any bookstore. Here's to a great journey!
Copyright 2003, Walkabout Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Have you ever held a glass diorama of a pristine New England village˘the kind you shake to make it snow inside˘and wondered what it would be like to visit? You can find out when you travel to perfect-as-glass Woodstock, a fastidiously preserved 19th-century village. Here, gift store art reflects life, which in turn, becomes art. Despite more than 200 years of human settlement, there's hardly an aging line in this village, and many of the Federal mansions and early 19th-century homes look better than the day they were built. But don't take our word for it; visit the town Ladies Home Journal only called "the prettiest small town in America."
Woodstock sits in central Vermont about 10 miles west of the broad Connecticut River, which forms the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. Centuries-old farmsteads, virgin and second-growth stands of New England hardwoods, and rolling, verdant hills rising to the Green Mountains in the west quilt the open land around Woodstock and the surrounding villages. Native Americans of the Abenaki Tribe were among the first to enjoy the bounty of this highland region bejeweled with several fish-laden rivers, including the White River and the Ottauquechee. Abenaki influence remains˘Ottauquechee means "swift-mountain stream"˘but the tribe did not stick around after the arrival of European settlers in the 1760s.
The region's pioneers built farms and mills along the Ottaquechee, giving rise to a continual influx of settlers in Woodstock and neighboring Quechee. In 1875, the Woodstock Railroad Company scored an engineering coup by constructing a bridge over the 168-foot deep Quechee Gorge. The train to Woodstock solidified the county seat's prosperity, delivering convenient commerce and sophistication. In Quechee, textile mills, most notably J.C. Parker & Company, makers of wool for infant flannel, and Dewey & Company, producers of fabric used in several professional baseball team uniforms, created a vibrant community of mill workers, while Woodstock was home to many professionals, including educators, doctors, lawyers, and statesmen.
These Woodstock residents worked hard and prospered, but they took their play seriously as well, taking every opportunity to enjoy sports and the scenic outdoors. The region has many old hiking paths, including one of the nation's first documented hiking trails, on neighboring Mount Ascutney. By the early 20th Century, the Woodstock Inn was doing an excellent business in all four seasons, hosting the forerunners of today's upscale, soft adventurers. Around 1900, Woodstock built Vermont's first golf course, followed by the nation's first rope tow for skiers in 1934, which pulled skiers up a hill on Clinton Gilbert's farm just outside of town.
Home to some of the nation's first conservationists, Woodstock has a proud tradition of caring for its land. George Perkins Marsh, a 19th-century congressman who spearheaded the creation of the Smithsonian Institute, lived in Woodstock and wrote the influential book on ecology, Man and Nature. Another Woodstock resident, Northern Pacific Railroad tycoon Frederick Billings, bought Marsh's farm and developed the ideal working dairy farm. Billings also reforested previously clear-cut Mount Tom and Mount Peg, Woodstock's two in-town peaks. Finally, Billing's granddaughter, the late Mary Rockefeller, and her husband, Laurance S. Rockefeller, poured millions of dollars into preserving Woodstock, developing additional recreational opportunities and conserving the land. In addition to purchasing and rebuilding the venerable Woodstock Inn, the Rockefellers gifted their mansion on the Billings-Marsh farm and the surrounding land to establish the United States≠ newest, and Vermont≠s first, national park, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park˘the only one in the country dedicated to the history of environmental conservation.
With Woodstock's scenic surroundings, the town's National Historic District designation, exceptionally tidy demeanor, and expansive array of fine lodging and dining, the town sees a steady stream of visitors throughout the year. Fortunately˘regardless of how many people are in town during your stay˘there's more than enough charm and beauty to provide every wanderer a unique visit. While all four seasons bustle with outdoor activity˘summer offers perhaps the broadest range of outdoor excursions˘fall and winter are the region's most scenic seasons. Beginning in late September through mid October, crisp leaves of brilliant orange, red, and yellow hues hasten through the air to their winter home on the ground, and from December through March, snow showers can create that diorama scene that made you want to climb inside.
The Way Around
Woodstock lies on Route 4, about 10 miles west of the intersection of Interstate 91 and Interstate 89 at White River Junction, along the serpentine Ottauquechee River. The heart of Woodstock is its oval town green, where the major streets converge. Everywhere you turn, you'll find elegantly restored homes, inns, upscale shops, galleries, and restaurants. Woodstock is the perfect walking town, and you can avoid the parsimonious time limits on parking meters by using the free, municipal lot on Pleasant Street. Wile away the hours strolling beautiful streets like Central, Church, Prospect, Elm, and the side streets and alleys connecting them. Cross the Middle Covered Bridge on Union Street, and you can explore River Street or Mountain Avenue and the Faulkner Park. From the village green, South Street/Route 106 stretches five miles through horse country to the rural village of South Woodstock, a small township listed as a National Historic District.
The National Historic Mill Village of Quechee is eight miles east of Woodstock off Route 4. The prosperity of Quechee's textile mills on the Ottauquechee waned in the 20th Century, and for many years, the town sat as a rundown collection of abandoned buildings until the late 1960s, when a development group selected the town as the site for a four-season resort community, Quechee Resort. The well-planned development encompasses most of the town today with vacation homes, golf courses, a ski hill, tennis courts, swimming pools, and a man-made lake. Meanwhile, the abandoned mills proved enticing to artists and artisans, who moved to the area and converted the buildings into gallery and studio space, providing visitors with outlets for browsing and fine shopping. The most notable example of this is Simon Pearce Glass, the glass-blowing and pottery empire run by Irish artist Simon Pearce. Pearce purchased the old J.C. Parker & Company mill complex and converted it into a wunderkind workspace, gallery, and restaurant.
From Woodstock, north on Elm Street to Route 12 takes you past the Billings-Marsh National Park and on to Barnard, another rural crossroads town set on Silver Lake. Farther north on Route 12, about 25 miles north of Woodstock, is the village of Randolph and its legendary mountain biking trails. Heading west on Route 4 from Woodstock, you arrive at Route 100A, which heads south to Plymouth and the Calvin Coolidge State Forest, or you can continue to the highway's intersection with Route 100, where a right turn north will deliver you to Killington.
Home to the largest ski area in the eastern United States, Killington is less a village and more a string of ski shops and other retailers, inns, and restaurants along the four-mile Killington Access Road. Farther north, Route 100 borders the eastern portion of Green Mountain National Forest and runs through small villages like Pittsfield, Stockbridge, and Rochester, home to the Forest's Rochester Ranger District.
Weather
Summer temperatures in Woodstock average in the mid 70s, but it is not unusual to hit a stretch of 90°F days. Thunderstorms can materialize quickly and drop buckets, cooling the air five degrees or more. Always carry a synthetic or natural fiber like Patagonia≠s Capilene® or wool that retains warmth when wet. Summer evenings are often cool enough to wear a sweater. Winter temperatures average in the mid to upper 20s during the day, and Suicide Six, a ski resort just outside Woodstock, reports an average snowfall of 80 inches per year. The best hiking and biking weather comes each fall, between September and late October, when crisp, clear days accentuate the brilliance of the foliage.
Getting to Woodstock
By Air: Burlington International Airport, (802) 863-2874, is 100 miles northwest of Woodstock on Interstate 89, or about two hours by car. Manchester Airport, (603) 624-6539, in Manchester, New Hampshire, is also a two-hour drive from Woodstock. Both airports host numerous commercial airlines and have rental cars and ground transportation services.
By Bus: Peter Pan Bus Lines, 1-800-343-9999, www.peterpan-bus.com, operates daily passenger service from New York City to Woodstock with connections. Vermont Transit/Greyhound Bus Lines, 1-800-229-9424, www.vermonttransit.com, operates daily passenger connecting service from New York City and Boston to Woodstock with connections.
By Train: AMTRAK's Ethan Allen Express services White River Junction (11 miles from Woodstock) from New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington. Connecting service to White River Junction from Boston is also available. Call AMTRAK, 1-800-872-7245, or visit www.amtrak.com for more information.
By Car: From Boston, take Interstate 93 north to Interstate 89 north into Vermont. Take Exit 1 (Woodstock/Rutland/Route 4) and follow Route 4 west into Woodstock. From New York City, take Interstate 95 north to Interstate 91 north to Exit 10N and Interstate 89 north. After two miles, take Exit 1 (Woodstock/Rutland/Route 4) and follow Route 4 west into Woodstock.
Additional Information
For additional dining, accommodations, and sightseeing information, including the dates of special events, contact:
The Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce, 18 Central Street, Woodstock, VT 05091, (802) 457-3555 or 1-888-496-6378, www.woodstockvt.com, operates a staffed informational booth on the village green from June to October in addition to its executive offices on Central Street.
The Quechee Chamber of Commerce, (802) 295-7900, www.quechee.com, runs an informational booth at Quechee Gorge on Route 4 from mid May to mid October.
The Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce, 66 Central Street, Randolph, VT 05060, (802) 728-9027, www.randolphvt.com, staffs an informational booth just off Exit 4 off Interstate 89 from Memorial Day to Columbus Day.
The Killington Chamber of Commerce, Route 4 West, Killington, VT 05751, (802) 773-4181, www.killington-chamber.org, runs a walk-in office as well as very well-organized website.
Click here to view Woodstock's PLAY HARD contents.
Click here to view Woodstock's REST EASY contents.
Click here to view a suggested Woodstock Weekend Itinerary.
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