VT 251: Manchester & Shaftsbury

Recreation Path in Manchester

The neighboring Vermont towns of Manchester & Shaftsbury in southwestern Vermont are a bit like night and day (or should I say day and night, respectively). Where Manchester (comprising the historic village as well as Manchester Center) has a thriving retail, art, and food scene, Shaftsbury has clearly seen better days. As Manchester has been a second home to me my entire life, my coverage of it will be far more detailed and travel guide-y than most other town I cover in these VT 251 blog posts.

MANCHESTER

Marble sidewalk in Manchester

Pond Trail @ Equinox Preserve

Main Street, Manchester Center

A VT-shaped slab along the rec path

Hildene: A Lincoln Family Home

Historic Manchester Village

Vista from Seven Springs Sculpture Garden

@ Seven Springs Sculpture Garden

Town of Manchester

Fall near Mt. Equinox

Manchester's website aptly describes the town: "From shopping and dining, to cultural, recreational and community events, Manchester is the quintessential New England community. Ideally located in southwestern Vermont, [it] is easily accessible to the rest of the Northeast but tucked into the Green Mountains in the picturesque Battenkill River Valley."

Chartered in 1761, Manchester has just under 5,000 residents (as of 2020). Tourists began arriving in the second half of the 19th century (thanks to the railroad) and have been coming ever since, drawn by the town's historic architecture and beautiful setting in the mountains.

Culturally, Manchester is home to Hildene, the estate of Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Todd Lincoln, which is open to the public, and has trails, a farm, beautiful grounds/ gardens with amazing views, and an original Pullman train car to explore. There are guided tours of the mansion, and as I recall, there is even one of Abraham Lincoln's hats on display there! Additionally, there is the Southern Vermont Arts Center, which offers varied exhibits, a sculpture garden, a delicious restaurant(Cur'Ate), and grounds leading to a great system of trails within the Equinox Preserve which offer both easy and challenging hikes. The town has several art galleries and Pastime Pinball, which is a great destination for kids (or those young at heart), especially on bad weather days. During the summer months, there is a spectacular sculpture garden which I cannot recommend strongly enough. Seven Springs Garden & Sculpture Park is a spot which was settled before the American Revolution and farmed for generations before becoming cultivated with formal gardens adorned with sculptures. While it is open to the public (and is free), you do need to reserve your visit online.

Manchester offers some good retail therapy, if that is of interest. There are some outlet stores in town (Eileen Fisher, Le Creuset, Gap, Eddie Bauer for example), and possibly the best bookstore I've been to -- The Northshire Bookstore. Expect to spend some time at this place -- besides the books, it's got great gifts, games, and is just a fabulous store! Other favorite stores of mine in Manchester include a really wonderful kitchen shop (Vermont Kitchen Supply), a quintessential fine crafts/ Artisan shop called Epoch, and an Italian market called The Italian Market of Manchester which sells Salsa Parm (a to-die-for slightly spicy Parmesan dip/spread). Lastly, I really enjoy shopping in and taking glass blowing classes (make reservations in advance!) at Manchester Hot Glass.

As for food, Manchester has a lot to offer; so much, in fact, that I have devoted an entire blog post to my favorite places there. And, while the ones in the blog are my favorites, there are other really good places to eat in and around town: Historical (colonial) food, Mexican food, Burmese food, general American food, donuts, etc. (If you want specific recommendations for those, just ask in the comments).

If you are into fly fishing or hunting (and the like), you'll be interested to know that Orvis was founded in Manchester in 1856, and their flagship store is still there, as well as an outlet store. Plus, the flagship store (which offers fly fishing lessons) is located next door to The American Museum of Fly Fishing.

SHAFTSBURY

The Chocolate Barn

Shaftsbury

Clearbrook Farm

In Shaftsbury's town center

As for Shaftsbury, there's really not much for me to say. Like Manchester, it was chartered in 1761 and is small (less than 4,000 residents), but there is virtually no commerce to speak of outside of Clear Brook Farm (fresh produce, local meats, and plants) and The Chocolate Barn just across the road from it on historic route 7A, which sells all sorts of chocolate, fudge, ice cream, as well as whimsical gifts. It's an agrarian community, for sure, and, like many farming communities, there isn't much of a town center to visit or much to see there.

Stay tuned for more installments!