Local Activities To Fall In Love With
Spring in Vermont makes way for nature trails, mountain adventures, and fly fishing in Manchester. Say goodbye to those last signs of Winter and enjoy explorations of stunning sceneries and nearby mountains.
Spring in Vermont makes way for nature trails, mountain adventures, and fly fishing in Manchester. Say goodbye to those last signs of Winter and enjoy explorations of stunning sceneries and nearby mountains.
Springtime in Vermont… melting snow gives way to the first blossoms of the season, and it’s time to shed your winter layers and start exploring. What better time to go hiking nearby. Try Lye Brook Falls , The Equinox Preserve , Prospect Rock or the Bromley Mountain Trail to get moving in the fresh air. Just remember to bring your duck boots, this is the time Vermonters affectionately refer to as “mud season.”
Prefer a set of clubs to a walking stick? We’ve got you covered – contact our front desk for exclusive preferred rates on tee times at Manchester Country Club .
Starting Memorial Day weekend each year, Bromley Mountain Adventure Park offers up family fun activities from water rides to climbing walls to a scenic chair lift (and more!). All this just 15 minutes from the Taconic…
If you’re ready to depart dry land and spend the day traversing the waters in a kayak or canoe, our friends at Vermont River Runners will help you plan your ideal day on the Battenkill.
Local retail legend Orvis literally wrote the book on fly-fishing. Always wanted to try your hand at casting? The Orvis Fly Fishing School is just down the road from Taconic, and can set up instruction for any experience level.
Seeing Manchester by bicycle is a fun and relaxing way to explore the town. No need to bring your own, as the Taconic offers free use of our Public Bikes ! Hop on and go for a ride.
While the Vermont earth begins to thaw from a long winter, there are days when you may still want to hang out indoors. Spring is a great time to explore your artistic side and seek out entertainment that doesn’t require waders… as a rule.
Opening in late April of each year, and located just minutes from us, the Southern Vermont Arts Center offers a world-class arts experience to locals and visitors alike. Situated on 100 acres of pristine forest, you’ll find permanent and rotating gallery exhibitions, workshops and programs for all ages, performing arts, and Vermont’s largest sculpture park.
Art galleries nearby include Helmholz Fine Art , Epoch 18 Vermont Artisans Gallery and Three Pears Gallery in neighboring Dorset. You can also take a self-guided tour of the studios of craftspeople and other artisans during Vermont Open Studio Weekend each spring.
Theatre aficionados always find something to love by The Dorset Players or at Weston Playhouse . From community theatre to Broadway’s hits performed by nationally recognized artists, Spring is the season when you can see a comedy, tragedy or musical in Manchester – often in the same week.
For your springtime music fix, the Taconic Chamber Players maintain a busy performance schedule around town and in the area. Sample some fine music performed by local artists across a variety of genres.
Spring is a gorgeous time to visit Hildene, the famous historic family home of Robert Todd Lincoln (eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln). Traditionally from late May to early June, you can visit Hildene for the Celebration of Peonies. During this annual event, the Formal Garden kicks off the beginning of the season with thousands of peony blooms – many of the from the original 1907 plants.
Opening seasonally, May through October, is Mount Equinox Skyline Drive , the only place to capture expansive views of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. From its 3,848-foot summit, you can see the best views in all of Southern Vermont. This is a true Vermont instagrammable moment! This 5.2-mile drive will take your breath away. Feeling adventurous? How about a hike to the top? The trails are just a short drive from the hotel.
Let the experts take the wheel while you sit in comfort for a fun and informative ride with Backroad Discovery Tours . If you want a relaxing and educational experience of picturesque Southern Vermont, these affordable tours come highly recommended – and will help you decide what to do on your next visit!
Merck Forest & Farmland Center is a true nature-lover’s experience and is a short drive from the Taconic. With a mission to teach and demonstrate the benefits of innovative, sustainable management of forest and farmland, Merck truly has something for everyone. From walking trails to workshops and demonstrations, seasonal maple sugaring, to camping and purchasing farm-produced goods at the visitors center, Merck is a great place to make memories in the spring.
The best starting point for your springtime Vermont culinary tour is right here at the Taconic, at our year-round breakfast, lunch, and dinner restaurant, The Copper Grouse .
We know you’ve heard about our maple syrup, but do you know the yearly ritual that goes into producing it or the brief period of time when the weather is just right for nature to provide this golden bounty? Join Vermont in celebrating the tradition during Maple Open House Weekend . Sugar makers across the state open the doors to their sugarhouses, inviting guests in to experience the making of magic. You’ll see steam billowing from sugarhouses, smell the sweetness of bubbling sap, and even taste the simple Vermont delicacy of sugar-on-snow.
You can’t come to Vermont without trying the locally-made artisanal cheese. We’re not sure, but we think it’s a law! One great place to start is in quaint West Pawlet at the memorably named Consider Bardwell Farm . At Bardwell, they produce award-winning handmade cheese from goat and cow milk… from happy animals grazing organic pastures. Their raw milk cheese is antibiotic and hormone free, and of course delicious. Visit Consider Bardwell Farm for tours, cheese making workshops, farm dinners, and – most importantly – to buy some cheese to take home as the tastiest possible souvenir of your Vermont visit.
One of the things visitors love about the food community in Vermont is the array of small local businesses producing unique, delicious products that can be taken home, shipped to friends & family, or of course eaten on-the-spot. One such local Manchester gem is Fortuna’s Sausage and Italian Market . Italian specialty Items like dry-cured salami, fresh sausage, imported cheeses, pastas and premium olive oils are all on hand to help you plan a springtime picnic lunch, to round out that Italian recipe you’ve been meaning to try, or to take home as savory souvenirs.