Manchester, Vermont | Could You Live Here?

Clockwise from far left: Sited on a “gentleman’s farm” built for a wealthy Chicago industrialist in 1902, the Wilburton Inn today provides a historic home base for visitors to Manchester; a nuts and berries salad at Ponce Bistro, a downtown eatery that mixes international influences with farm-fresh ingredients; a view from the Wilburton Inn’s terrace; master craftsman Charlie Hisey, who has been hand-making Orvis fishing rods for over a decade.
Credit: Mark Fleming

Sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Other times, it’s simply there.

In Manchester, Vermont—wedged between mountains and divvied up into two distinct communities—it takes a visitor only minutes to see how stunning the landscape can be.

Oozing charm and low-key elegance, pristine Manchester Village is crisscrossed with white marble sidewalks—a seeming extravagance, except that the materials were handy (local quarry) and abundant. Mount Equinox, at 3,848 feet, dominates one side of Route 7A, which bisects the town; opposite, the Green Mountains shimmer with a mistiness that’s practically Arthurian. A short distance away, Manchester Center kicks in: It’s a hub of commerce, with a fine independent bookstore and a number of appealingly disguised designer outlets, from Ann Taylor and Armani to J. Crew (though just up the road there’s a major nod to homegrown retailing in the form of the Vermont Country Store’s corporate headquarters).

For pure beauty, there’s the legendary Battenkill River. It has challenged trout fishermen for decades, and its location marks the epicenter of American fly-fishing (Orvis lives here, since its founding in 1856). Meanwhile, the mountains so entranced Abe Lincoln’s son, Robert, who vacationed here as a boy, that he built his summer mansion, Hildene, high on a Manchester hilltop, surrounded by views and breezes, there for all to visit today.

I almost felt I’d replicated Hildene life when I checked into the 1902 Wilburton Inn, run by the Levis family—except that this union of artistic invention and gourmet breakfasts was also one of the most mindfully stimulating stays I’ve ever experienced, on an estate dotted with sculptures, ringed with mountains, and vaguely reminiscent of The Sound of Music. These hills really are alive.

And while the Battenkill’s catch-and-release policy means you won’t be fishing for your dinner, there are more than two dozen eateries here, ranging from New American cuisine to Mexican street food. You can even stave off hunger with wood-fired pizza while debating which Persian rug to buy at Depot 62.

The Setting

A roundabout in the heart of Manchester Center sends drivers spinning off to the four compass points, with a different experience down each road. Take 7A south for an upscale ramble to Manchester Village, settled in 1761. It bristles with massive “cottages” of every era and description, set back on deep lawns and anchored by the famous Equinox Resort. Just beyond the village, the Mount Equinox Skyline Drive delivers hairpin turns and vertiginous views—well worth the $15 toll—courtesy of the silent Carthusian monks who own it. Back in town, turn north to delve deeper into Manchester Center, or east, on Route 11, into a swarm of shops. To the west, it’s pretty Dorset and the cool, sparkling swimming waters of its marble quarry.