Best Attractions in Vermont | 2014 Editors’ Choice Awards

Looking for fun in the Green Mountain State? You won’t have to look far! Read our picks for the best attractions in Vermont for 2014. BET PLACE TO MAKE A SPLASH: PUMP HOUSE WATER PARK, Jay Skiing mecca Jay Peak’s recent spate of development has made it an all-season destination. This top indoor attraction includes a chute that rockets riders to a splashdown at 45mph, a “river” with its own rapids, and a gentler kids’ area. 830 Jay Peak Road. 802-988-2611; jaypeakresort.com BEST CAPITAL CITY STAGE: LOST NATION THEATER, Montpelier The capital of Vermont is a stage capital as well. From Shaw to Simon, Wilde to Wilder, “the theater with heart in the heart of Vermont” has presented classic and modern plays and musicals at Montpelier’s City Hall Auditorium Arts Center since its relocation in 1989. 39 Main St. 802-229-0492; lostnationtheater.org BEST SCARY STROLL: QUEEN CITY GHOST WALK, Burlington Actor/author Thea Lewis offers several different nighttime tours that highlight the area’s haunted past, including a visit to UVM (“one of the most haunted campuses in the country”), a spine-tingling stroll through Lakeview Ceme­tery, and “Darkness Falls,” a ghostly tour of downtown Burlington. 802- 51-1313; queencityghostwalk.com BEST MYSTERY BOOKSTORE: MYSTERY ON MAIN STREET, Brattleboro If the butler did it, you’ll catch him here. Vermont’s only mystery and crime bookstore stocks titles ranging from vintage noir to Brattleboro’s own Archer Mayor, including signed and collectible volumes, in a browser-friendly environment complete with comfy sofas. 119 Main St. 802-258-2211; mysteryonmain.com BEST ISLAND GETAWAY: BURTON ISLAND STATE PARK, St. Albans Vermont’s only full-service island state park is a short ride on a motor launch from St. Albans Point. Camp, swim, hike, rent a canoe or rowboat—and enjoy the state’s only park canteen offering light meals, beer, and wine. The state’s passenger ferry leave from Kamp Kill Kare State Park. Hathaway Point Road. 802-524-6353; vtstateparks.com BEST OVER-THE-TOP MANSION: WILSON CASTLE, Proctor Here’s a rarity in a state not known for ostentation: Built in the 1870s by a Vermont doctor and his aristocratic English wife, this imposing brick “castle” boasts 32 rooms, 13 fireplaces, and a wealth of stained glass and elaborate woodwork. Tours daily in summer; murder mystery weekends in September. 2708 West St. 802-773-3284; wilsoncastle.com BEST ROCK SHOW ROCK OF AGES GRANITE QUARRY TOURS, Barre Central Vermont’s granite foundations have supplied the world with this durable stone for more than a century. Watch workers cut great blocks of granite from the 600-foot quarry walls; then tour workshops where artisans sculpt statuary and memorials. 560 Graniteville Road. 877-870-9057; rockofages.com

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