Vermont Fall Foliage The Way It’s Meant to Be

Learn from the editors of Yankee which route offers the best fall foliage experience in Vermont!

New Englanders know this: foliage season isn’t just about the leaves. True, leaf peepers love to gaze at the fall fireworks—the explosion of flame, saffron, and gold against the aster October sky. But the trees are just one part of the foliage experience. The roadside farm stands, the country stores, the meandering roads, the art galleries and mugs of hot cider—they all come together to make a fall foliage trip the classic New England pastime. And while everyone has their favorite foliage destination, there’s no place like Vermont. The Green Mountain State overflows with natural beauty, picturesque towns, and culture every day of the year, but autumn brings out her best. There’s hardly a route you can take that doesn’t reveal gasp-worthy views, charming villages, hillside sugar shacks, and weathered barns along its meandering way. But most locals and travelers agree—Route 100 is the best foliage drive in Vermont. When we created the Vermont Collection, we started with the scenic route 100 byway, because each twist and turn reveals another moment you can tuck away in your treasury of peak foliage experiences. Meander here and discover the famous Vermont Country Store. Wend your way further along and come upon a Benedictine monastery. Dairy cows dot the rocky hillsides here, farmhouses and covered bridges there. And, of course, there are the fiery sugar maples, yellow beeches, and paper birches delivering all that fall color.

Opportunities for little side trips abound, and the Vermont Collection includes treats for everyone. Kids and parents alike are drawn to the Adams Family Farm, where fourth-generation farmer Bill Adams gives tours from his 1959 John Deere diesel tractor. The livestock alone will keep you entertained, but how about an evening hayride out to a bonfire pit where you’ll enjoy s’mores under the stars and the smoky blues vocals of Bill’s daughter, fifth-generation farmer Jill? Or, for a more cosmopolitan—but no less charming—experience, stop off in Vermont’s Mad River Valley. There you’ll find farmhouses and covered bridges, plus the weekly organic produce market—that’s also an arts and crafts event and music festival—known as the Waitsfield Farmer’s Market. Farther along, get off the road and into a canoe for a two-hour fall foliage tour. These are only some of the highlights of what you’ll discover on Vermont’s Route 100, and there are even more delights to discover. Whether you’re planning a family trip, a romantic getaway for two, or simply want to get away from it all by yourself, the foliage byways of Vermont will exceed all expectations. Read the Vermont Collection for FREE with your Yankee All-Access Charter Membership! Planning a fall foliage tour? Our Vermont Collection reviews some of the region’s best scenic vistas, charming inns, specialty shopping, and fabulous places to eat, and will provide you with all the inspiration you need to plan your next Vermont road trip—any time of the year. With your Yankee All-Access Charter Membership, you have full access to everything in the Vermont Collection, including:

• Discovering Manchester, with its elegant village, fishing and hiking, farm-to-fork eateries, and primo outlet shopping, in Manchester, Vermont—Could you live here?
• Where to stay to enjoy all four seasons, in Head for the Hills—Yours for a Week in Manchester, Vermont.
• A photo essay paying tribute to the way life used to be in the Northeast Kingdom, in The Last of the Vermont Hill Farms.
• How to put together an idyllic stay in one of Vermont’s quintessential villages, in Perfect Weekend in Woodstock, Vermont.
• The leisurely—yet adventurous—way to explore Vermont’s most famous body of water in Slow Boat on a Big Lake—Lake Champlain.
• The story of how a small town saved its community center and got the world’s best pancakes in the bargain, in Bernard General Store—Local Flavor.
• Dining rooms with spectacular views, in High Cuisine—Vermont Slopeside Dining.
• What to do and where to stay and eat at one of Vermont’s favorite destinations, in Perfect Weekend in Stowe, Vermont.
• The ideal place to enjoy Vermont’s history and foliage views, in The Barn at Four Tooth Farm—Yours for a Week.
• An insider’s guide to one of Vermont’s most famous landmarks, in Behind the Scenes at the Vermont Country Store.
• The stretch of highway where you’ll find the best foliage experience, in Best Foliage Drive in VT—Vermont’s Route 100.

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