Burlington’s waterfront, a working dairy-farm-turned-landmark, a bike ferry that crosses open water, a lake-view vineyard on an island, and the ice cream factory that put this state on the map — all inside a loop short enough for a long weekend, with one rental car and no ferry reservations beyond the free ones.
Day 1Burlington Waterfront & Shelburne Farms
Land at Burlington International Airport, pick up a rental car, and spend the afternoon between the city’s lakefront marketplace and a 1,400-acre farm just south of town.
🚗 Pick Up Your Rental Car
15 min at baggage claim · from $65 USD/day
Several major agencies, including Enterprise Rent-A-Car, operate directly out of Burlington International Airport (BTV) — grab the car curbside and you’re on the road in under 20 minutes.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car — Burlington Intl. Airport · 1200 Airport Dr, South Burlington, VT · enterprise.com
🧀 Shelburne Farms Day Visit
Half-day · pay-what-you-wish admission
A National Historic Landmark farm on 1,400 rolling acres overlooking Lake Champlain, with a working dairy barn, a cheese-making room you can watch through the glass, walking trails down to the lakeshore, and gardens around the old Webb family mansion.
Shelburne Farms · 1611 Harbor Rd, Shelburne, VT · 802-985-8686 · shelburnefarms.org
🛋️ Check-In — Hotel Vermont
Check-in 4pm · from $240 USD/night
A LEED-certified boutique hotel two blocks off Church Street Marketplace, with a wood-fired rooftop fireplace lounge and lake views from the upper floors — Burlington’s closest thing to a design hotel.
Hotel Vermont · 41 Cherry St, Burlington, VT · (802) 650-0080 · hotelvt.com
🍽️ Dinner — Church Street Tavern
Dinner · mains $16–28 USD
New American pub fare right on the pedestrian marketplace — burgers, lake perch, and a deep Vermont draft list, with sidewalk seating when the weather holds.
Church Street Tavern · 103 Church St, Burlington, VT · (802) 658-1309 · churchstreettavernvt.com
Day 2The Lake Champlain Islands
Drive north across the Sand Bar causeway onto South Hero and North Hero — the islands and peninsulas that make up the Champlain Islands — for a slower, water-level day.
🚴 Island Line Trail & Local Motion Bike Ferry
2–3 hrs · bike ferry ~$8 USD round trip, seasonal (late May–mid Oct)
Pedal the converted rail causeway out onto Lake Champlain itself, where a seasonal bike ferry run by Local Motion carries riders across the open-water gap to Colchester’s shore and back — one of the only places anywhere to bike across a lake.
Local Motion · localmotion.org
🍷 Tasting — Snow Farm Vineyard & Distillery
1 hr · tasting flights from $15 USD
Vermont’s oldest vineyard, on South Hero’s West Shore Road, pours lake-moderated reds and whites (plus small-batch spirits) from a lawn that slopes down toward the water.
Snow Farm Vineyard & Distillery · 190 West Shore Rd, South Hero, VT · snowfarm.com
🛋️ Check-In — North Hero House Inn & Restaurant
from $280 USD/night
A converted 1891 summer resort right on the lake, with its own swimming beach, hammocks over the water, and a row of Adirondack chairs angled for the sunset.
North Hero House Inn & Restaurant · 3643 US Rural Rte 2, North Hero, VT · 802-372-4732 · northherohouse.com
🍽️ Dinner at the Inn
Dinner · mains $24–38 USD
The inn’s own dining room runs a short, lake-to-table menu on a screened porch over the water — order the trout if it’s on.
Day 3Smugglers’ Notch, Waterbury & the Factory
Loop back south through the mountains, with a stop at the state’s most-toured ice cream factory, before returning the car at the airport.
🏭 Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour
30 min · $6 USD/adult, book ahead — released 14 days out
A 30-minute walking tour through the working Waterbury factory ends, as it should, with a free scoop — leave time afterward for the outdoor ‘Flavor Graveyard’ of discontinued pints.
Ben & Jerry’s Factory · Waterbury, VT · benjerry.com
🏔️ Scenic Drive — Smugglers’ Notch
45 min drive · seasonal, closed in winter
Route 108’s narrowest, steepest stretch squeezes between 1,000-foot cliffs and house-sized glacial boulders on the way into Stowe — one of New England’s great short mountain drives whenever it’s open.
Smugglers’ Notch Scenic Highway · gostowe.com
🚕 Return Flight
~45 min drive back to BTV · allow 2 hrs before a flight
Drop the rental car back at Burlington International Airport in time for your flight home — or push one more hour north for a last look at Stowe’s village green first.
Download your itinerary here
