★ 4.0The unlikely food and beer capital of Vermont — Ben & Jerry’s, Alchemist, and enough breweries to plan a whole weekend.
The unlikely food and beer capital of Vermont — Ben & Jerry’s, Alchemist, and enough breweries to plan a whole weekend.
Where to stay in Waterbury
The village core around Main Street and Stowe Street is the one place here where the car can stay parked: the station, the restaurants and several taprooms sit within a few blocks of each other. Spread north along VT-100 through Waterbury Center and you trade that walkability for quiet, easy parking and a shorter run up to Cold Hollow and the Stowe road, but you will be driving to dinner. Duxbury and the back roads across the Winooski are quieter again and usually cheaper per night. Anything with a foliage view is spoken for across the first three weekends of October, so treat that fortnight as a separate planning problem.
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Stays in Waterbury
★ 4.0
★ 4.0
★ 4.0
★ 4.0On the ground
Things to do in Waterbury
- Tour Ben & Jerry’s on VT-100The factory sits on VT-100 just north of I-89 exit 10 and runs short guided tours ending in a sample; the Flavor Graveyard out on the hill behind it is free and funnier than the tour. Go early, because the car park fills by late morning in summer and foliage season.
- Queue for beer at The AlchemistThe brewery behind Heady Topper has a visitor centre in Waterbury with tastings and cans to take away. It is the anchor of a beer circuit that also takes in brewpubs on Main Street and in Waterbury Center, all within a short drive.
- Eat your way down Main StreetFor a town of a few thousand people, Waterbury’s short Main Street carries a startling number of serious kitchens, smokehouses and taprooms. It is walkable end to end, which matters if you are drinking.
- Swim or paddle the Waterbury ReservoirLittle River State Park on the reservoir has a beach, boat and kayak rentals in summer, and camping. The history hike above the campground leads through the stone walls, cellar holes and cemeteries of a farming settlement abandoned in the last century.
- Climb Camel’s HumpVermont’s most recognisable undeveloped summit rises just west of town, most often climbed by the Monroe Trail from Duxbury. It is a demanding four to six hour round trip with a bare rocky top; stay on the marked path across the alpine zone.
- Buy cider donuts up the roadCold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury Center presses cider and turns out hot cider donuts most of the year, and it is a standard stop on the drive up VT-100 toward Stowe. Autumn is the busy season, for obvious reasons.
Getting around & the essentials
Transport
Waterbury sits at exit 10 of I-89, where VT-100 heads north to Stowe and south toward Sugarbush and the Mad River Valley. Burlington International (BTV) is about 30 minutes northwest, and the Amtrak Vermonter stops in the village. A car makes the brewery and mountain circuit far easier, though the village core is walkable.
Good to know
Common questions
Why stay in Waterbury instead of Stowe?
Waterbury is about 20 minutes down VT-100 from Stowe and typically cheaper per night, while putting you closer to I-89 and the breweries. If your trip is more food and beer than lift tickets, Waterbury is the better base; if you want ski-in, ski-out, it is not.
Can I reach Waterbury by train?
Yes, the Amtrak Vermonter stops in Waterbury, which is one reason the town works as a car-light base. You can walk from the station into the middle of town, but you will want a car or shuttle for Ben & Jerry’s, Cold Hollow and Stowe.
How many breweries can you realistically visit?
Three or four in a day is comfortable if someone is driving or you use a shuttle; the spread between Waterbury village, Waterbury Center and the VT-100 corridor is short but not walkable in full. Vermont’s drink-driving enforcement is serious, so plan the driver in advance.
Is it busy in autumn?
Very. VT-100 through Waterbury is one of the most driven foliage routes in New England, and early to mid October brings queues at the ice cream factory and the cider mill. Book rooms well ahead and start your days early.
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