My girlfriend is flying up to Burlington tomorrow for a conference.  I'm driving up next Friday to meet her there and to stay for 5-6 days.  I've been to Vermont before but haven't been to Burlington.

Any suggestions for things to do in the area (museums, parks, historic sites, etc.)?  Any good places for food/drinks?  We are already planning on going to Magic Hat and Ben and Jerry's at some point.  We are staying at an AirBnB and will hopefully find a farmers market so we can cook at the place we're renting instead of eating out all the time but I would love to find some good places to eat.

Thanks!

What town are you staying in?

The possibilities of things to do are nearly endless...

My favorite farmers' market is Shelburne, on Saturday mornings. Second place I would give to Burlington...not sure the timing as I rarely make it out there. Make sure to try Rookie's Root Beer, at most farmers' markets, they are a husband-wife company whose products are a nearly-religious experience in incredible taste, especially the original root beer.

If you like hiking and/or photography, the views from some of the state parks (especially Mount Philo) are incredible and can be had with just a few planned hours on the trail. Underhill State Park offers more challenging trails but due to overhead canopy and the backside of Mount Mansfield, views are limited until you get quite a way up.

Be aware that Ben and Jerry's (the main place, on Route 100 in Waterbury) during the summer is like Walt Disney World...complete parking lot chaos, tour buses and slow-moving pedestrians everywhere, mile-long lines, etc etc etc. After you've spent half your day there just making your way to the gift shop, keep heading north on 100. You will find the Cabot Cheese place with tons of free samples, then visit the town of Stowe, which is relatively small but scenic and full of good little restaurants and odd shops. Stowe during the summer is relatively empty but most things are still open. It's the exact opposite of the beach community I grew up in...Stowe during ski season is gridlocked and the level of activity resembles downtown in a city. Head a little south to the rotary in Waterbury, go east on Route 2, and encounter some awesome higher-end eateries and breweries. The world-famous Alchemist is out there.

Excellent breweries are all over. Up and down Pine Street in Burlington there are at least a few who do sampling, many offering pub food. Magic Hat is a bit to the south and off Route 7, but still easy to find and close to the city.

If you want good scenic rides to kill an hour or two, I would recommend following Route 15 east/northeast from the "five corners" intersection in Essex, out to the Cambridge area. Also the aforementioned Route 100 from Waterbury to Stowe, and on northward. Interesting shops, people, and land are aplenty.

I could write a book, and I haven't even lived here for long :) I will let others step in.

We are staying in Winooski, which is supposed to be only minutes from Burlington.

Thanks for the suggestions!


ETA:  My girlfriend and I have both been to Ben and Jerry's so if it's busy we'll just skip it.  The only other time I was in VT I stayed in a small place south of Ben and Jerry's but I forget the name of the town.  The venue for the wedding I was in at the time was something like the Old 1492 House/Barn or something. it was the 1824 House in Waitsfield.

We just got back from our trip and had a great time.  Thank you, @D6T for the suggestions!

There were a lot of great places to eat at in Burlington including Farmhouse, American Flatbread, El Cortijo, and Blue Cat Cafe.  Surprisingly, Winooski had a lot of great places to eat like Misery Loves Co., Mule Bar and Waterworks (this place was really good!).

We visited a few breweries (Magic Hat and Fiddleheads), wineries (Shelburne Vineyards and Snow Farm Winery) and even Citizens Cider.

Winooski and Shelburne both had farmer's markets that were great.  Lots of good things to eat at each of those.

Mt. Philo had some great views and was a pretty easy hike.  I don't recommend the Devils Chair trail.  It was really rocky and steep at points which detracted from our enjoyment a little bit.

Ben and Jerry's was fun but the line to get ice cream after the tour was too long so we just go some at the shop in Burlington.  Just north of B&J's was the Cabot Cheese Shop where we got a few blocks of cheese.

To cap off the vacation, we did the Sunset Cruise on the Ethan Allen III around Lake Champlain.  It was a bit cheesy and a little expensive for what it was but it was still a good time.