Burlington, Vermont

Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont, the center of Chittenden County.
Located on a hillside between the shores of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains , The town center is on a hill overlooking Lake Champlain. The Winooski River flows along the northern city limits. The Lake Champlain Transportation Company has regular ferry services between Burlington and New York State in all seasons except winter.Burlington is part of an urban area comprising the contiguous towns of South Burlington, Winooski, Colchester, Essex and Williston as well as the village of Essex Junction.

Burlington is the largest city in the state of Vermont. It is located on Lake Champlain, in the heart of a small urban area that is essentially the center of all the fun in Vermont.
Burlington was named after the Burling family, who were the first to develop the surrounding lands. The settlement was founded in 1763, but its active settlement began only ten years later, when a shipyard and a sawmill started working here. There was a garrison in the city in case of an attack by the British. When the Anglo-American War of 1812-1814 broke out, the British fleet was bombarded from Burlington.

Burlington is the largest cultural center in Vermont. In 1791, the University of Vermont was founded here, in 1878 – Champlain College. The old university building (“Old Mill”) was laid by General Lafayette. 11 km south of the city, on an area of ​​18 hectares, the Shelburne Museum is spread, covering the life of American pioneers. Also, tourists are attracted by the house and grave of one of the leaders of the North American rebels, Etan Allen.

Burlington is a college town, home to the University of Vermont (“UVM”) and Champlain College. St. Michael’s College is located nearby (in Colchester).
The current downtown area is located on a hill overlooking Lake Champlain and is home to the University of Vermont. Former industrial prosperity has left behind much of the architecture of the Victorian era, including the buildings of architects Ammi B. Young, HH Richardson and McKim, Mead & White. Burlington became for a while a filming location to represent this era in the United States ,In addition to admiring the architecture in Burlington, you can usefully and enjoy the study of museums and exhibition centers.

Access : Coordinates: 44.475833, -73.211944 / Burlington is located in the east of Chittenden County, about 65 km northwest of Montpelier, 110 km north of Rutland and 150 km southeast of Montréal. / Burlington International Airport receives daily flights from Chicago and Orlando, as well as weekly flights from Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto and Washington. / By car :  From New York you can get here in 6 hours, from Boston in 3.5 hours, and from Montreal in 1.5 hours. Daily shuttle buses run to Burlington from New York, Boston, Saratoga Springs, and Amtrak trains from Washington via New York.

Highlights :

•  Unitarian Church, built in 1816  Richardson Building (1895) with angular peaked turrets  a masonic temple (1898), which is distinguished by beveled rows of windows.
•  Downtown Burlington is small, one of the most beautiful in New England, and is great for walking. And the most famous part of it, the real heart of Burlington is the Church Street area with a pedestrian zone. The Burlington Preservation Organization was founded in 199810 to protect historic architecture in Burlington. Each year, prizes are awarded for having restored old buildings.
•  The former Howard Opera House (1878), now commercialized. All of these buildings form part of the Church Street Historic District, which is listed in its entirety on the national registry. And they are all built, which is typical for this area, of red stone.
•  The Follet House, erected in 1840 on the model of ancient temples with a Doric colonnade, and the classic post office and customs building (1906) look quite different / The Berne Gallery on Main Street is definitely one of the must-see attractions in the city.
•  The Robert Hull Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont is dedicated to art and anthropology. His collection contains about 25 thousand objects of different eras and cultures.
•  The Shelburne Museum, which is located a few kilometers from the city. This is a whole museum complex of almost 40 buildings, which houses the most extensive collections of arts and crafts, paintings, sculptures, traditional costumes, toys, household items, etc
•  the “fabulous” House of Daniel Webster Robinson. It was built in 1886 as the private residence of a tycoon and is closed to the public: the building is occupied by the university club “Alpha Xi Omega”.
•  The Williams Science Hall at the University of Vermont is an example of the Victorian style of architecture in New England.
•  Several art galleries are located around Church Street. The Burlington City Arts, commonly referred to as the BCA, presents contemporary art exhibitions and performances by visual artists.
•  Burlington is home to Vermont’s largest public library, the Carnegie Fletcher Library. This library maintains the National Register of Historic Places.
•  On the shores of Lake Champlain, many residents walk, walk their dogs or even cycle. The place is called the Waterfront Park. Each year the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival is held there.
•  Close to the lake and the renovated Old Harbor, the Burlington Aquarium and Science Center features more than 70 species of fish, amphibians, invertebrates and reptiles.
•  Burlington is also a biking city with several tens of kilometers of bike lanes in the downtown area and in the suburbs,the bicycle network is now connected to the Colchester bicycle path, along the shores of Lake Champlain.

Events : The Mardi Gras Parade is held on Fat Friday in Church Street and features many live bands with special events ./ The Discovery Jazz Festival takes place in the first two weeks of June . / Vermont Brewery Festival in mid-July. In early August, Burlington hosts the Fools’ Street Show and the Boat Race Festival /  Air show takes place here at the end of the August.

Activities : sightseeing / photo opportunities / take a walk if you have time, is the campus of the University of Vermont / Take a cruise on the lake. /  visit to the Ben & Jerry ice cream factory / the Champlain Lake Chocolate Factory also accepts guided tours.

Go next : North: Colchester, 1.9 mi / Southeast: South Burlington, 2.2 mi / West: Chesterfield, New York, 14.3 miles / Smuggler’s Notch and Stowe ski resorts are within 45 minutes from the city / The Canadian border and Montreal, Quebec are less than two hours away.