10 Top Reasons to Visit St. Johnsbury
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Irwin Gelber, Executive Director |
Charlie Browne, Director |
Stephen Huneck, Artist |
Downtown St. Johnsbury - Boutiques, restaurants, artisan galleries and much more to delight every shopper!- St. Johnsbury Athenaeum - Housed in a remarkable 1871 building designated a National Historic Landmark, the Athenaeum serves both as the town's library and an authentic 19th century-style art gallery. Albert Bierstadt's enormous painting, "The Domes of the Yosemite," is the centerpiece of the collection.
Dog Chapel - Created by late artist Stephen Huneck, this unique homage to dogs and other pets attracts visitors from around the world.- Maple Grove Museum - Experience Vermont maple sugaring and sample maple candy made with vintage equipment at the "maple center of the world."
- Burke Mountain - Exciting skiing and snowboarding only a 20-minute drive from downtown. Also home to music festivals, camping, hiking and magnificent fall foliage views.
Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium - Superb natural science collections, housed in a landmark Victorian building.- St. Johnsbury Country Club - Lush and beautiful, The St. J Country Club offers a challenging course and reasonable rates.
St. Johnsbury Academy - Acclaimed secondary school that combines the best of private and public education. Outstanding campus and facilities.- Kingdom Trails - Extensive network of scenic recreational trails maintained for mountain biking and hiking in the spring, summer and fall, and for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.
- The beautiful Northeast Kingdom - St. Johnsbury is the gateway to the northeastern part of Vermont, often referred to as "The Northeast Kingdom."
And there's much more to discover in and around St. Johnsbury....
St. Johnsbury is the “Gateway” to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. With the amenities of a much larger city and the charm of a small town, it beckons visitors to enjoy its Victorian beauty. Named by National Geographic Adventure as the #1 Small Town for Adventure, St. Johnsbury is a hub for outdoor activities in the summer, including boating and fishing in rivers and lakes, mountain and road biking, and hiking nearby peaks. But the town of St. Johnsbury itself is host to enough adventure to keep everyone busy for the weekend without ever venturing outside its town borders.
Friday
4 p.m.
1) DOG DEVOTION
If you’ve driven here with the family pet, your first stop is a chance for you and Fido to stretch your legs. Stephen Huneck’s Dog Chapel is a replica of a classic New England church, done doggy-style. The pews, stained glass windows, and statuary all sport dog artwork by the late artist Stephen Huneck. He created the chapel to honor pets that have gone to their last reward, and the hundreds of notes adorning the walls of the chapel are tributes to the faithful canine friends of the human visitors over the years. Animals are welcome in the chapel, with its own doggy door, and throughout the 400-acre property, which includes the Huneck art gallery and workshop, a dog agility course, hiking trails, and a pond for dogs to cool off in.
Dog Chapel at Dog Mountain
143 Parks Rd.
802-748-3075
Open Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2) DINNER AND DANCING – VERMONT STYLE
Elements Food & Spirit is a bistro by the Passumpsic River that serves “comfortable, creative cooking.” The menu features food from local farms and changes monthly, always including vegetarian options, one prix fixe full dinner, and even a “blue plate special.” The lovely dining room and bar, once an old mill and situated next to a waterfall, morphs into a spot for great live music from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays. After a relaxed dinner, enjoy the evening’s entertainment along with a wide selection of local beer, wine from around the world, and other spirits.
Elements Food & Spirit
98 Mill Street
802-748-8400
Open for dinner Tue. - Thu. 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri. - Sat. 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Open for live music Fri. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
9 a.m.
3) FARMER’S MARKET
A cowbell rings on the stroke of 9 a.m. to signal the start of the St. Johnsbury Farmer’s Market. Savvy locals line up at their favorite booths to get the pick of the local crops. Over 60 vendors sell at the Market every Saturday morning. The mostly organic produce, eggs, and meats are also used as ingredients for the great prepared food available at the market, including Derek’s “Genuine Jamaican” (and he is!), breads, sandwiches, pretzels, desserts, as well as maple syrup, crafts, wool, and lots more. Stroll around and find your breakfast here, including Vermont roasted coffee and homemade blueberry muffins. Does it get more Vermont than that?
St. Johnsbury Caledonia Farmers’ Market
Pearl Street, behind TD Bank
802-592-3088
Open Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., late May - late October
10 a.m.
4) VICTORIAN ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORY
St. Johnsbury’s wide Main Street is known for its magnificent Victorian architecture that is highlighted on the Historic St. Johnsbury Walking Tour. Download the tour to your mp3 player from the DiscoverStJ website before you venture out in the morning, and then pick up a map at the Welcome Center on Railroad Street or the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum on Main Street. St. Johnsbury had a manufacturing heyday in the mid-19th century, thanks to the success of the Fairbanks Scales Company. The philanthropic Fairbanks family created several cultural institutions that are still thriving today, including the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, and the St. Johnsbury Academy. The walking tour includes these and many other Main Street buildings and homes. Be sure to go inside the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum to see the recently restored interior in the 1871 National Historic Landmark building. Although its Art Gallery is closed for renovations this summer, you can still view the collection digitally inside the Athenaeum, including the magnificent Albert Bierstadt painting, “The Domes of the Yosemite.”
Download the audio podcast of the walking tour from www.discoverstjvt.com
Pick up a map at the St. Johnsbury Welcome Center (51 Depot Square) or the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum (1169 Main Street)
Tour starts at Courthouse Park, corner of Main Street and Eastern Avenue
12:30 p.m.
5) LOCAL LUNCH AND SHOPPING
St. Johnsbury’s retail hub is Railroad Street, which runs parallel to Main Street. In the past ten years, boutiques and specialty shops have sprung up along the street to provide a mix of services for local shoppers and visitors. In the heart of the street is Dylan’s Cafe, a great spot for lunch with food that is “hip, innovative, and fresh.” Using local sources for meat, eggs, and produce whenever possible, co-owner Erin Papin believes that Dylan’s Café reflects the way things used to be done in a village, with all the members of the community supporting each other. After lunch, stroll down Railroad Street and visit some of the shops that have given St. Johnsbury its reputation for unique wares with a small-town feel. Caplan’s Army-Navy is an old-fashioned store for all your outdoor needs. Podo Shoes has an extensive inventory of shoes you can walk in. Moose River Lake and Lodge has everything for the well-appointed Vermont cabin. The Northeast Kingdom Artisan’s Guild is a showcase for local artists’ handcrafted work. Boxcar and Caboose bookstore is an independent bookstore with a coffee bar. Sunshine Boutique and Uniquity are great places for jewelry and gifts.
Dylan’s Café
378 Railroad Street
802-748-6748
Open Mon. - Sat. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
6) NATURAL HISTORY
The Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium is a gem of a natural history museum. Begun as a Victorian “cabinet of curiosities,” Franklin Fairbanks gave it to the town in 1890, housing Fairbank's extensive collection of natural wonders from around the world. The building was designed by local architect Lambert Packard in the Richardson Romanesque style and is on the National Historic Registry. Today the museum includes the only public planetarium in Vermont, as well as the very popular Weather Center, which broadcasts daily weather forecasts on Vermont Public Radio by the “Eye in the Sky” team of Mark Breen, Steve Maleski, and Chris Bouchard. In September, the museum hosts the annual Festival of Traditional Crafts, a family-friendly event showcasing bygone crafts that will fascinate young and old alike. New exhibitions rotate frequently, but the showstopper at the Fairbanks Museum is the permanent collection. The dioramas of mounted animals and birds are of a quality seldom seen today; bird lovers will be amazed by the hummingbird collection alone. Don’t miss the bug art!
Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium
1302 Main Street
802-748-2372
Open Tue. - Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
7) SPICY THAI FOR DINNER
Don’t be deceived by the clapboard-sided building that houses Kham’s Thai Cuisine – it’s the real thing. The restaurant serves a wide selection of authentic Thai favorites, including curries, Pad Thai, crispy duck, and a spice level choice of 1-to-4-stars. Diners who have traveled in the Far East verify that Kham’s knows its Thai food. If your group has 6 or more people, reservations are a good idea, because it’s a small dining room.
Kham’s Thai Cuisine
1112 Memorial Drive
802-751-8424
Open Mon. - Sat. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
8) MOVIES AND ART
Catamount Arts is St. Johnsbury’s premier arts center. Each night, Catamount’s theatres screen two independent or foreign films that change every week. And the price is right -- $6 for non-members, $5 for members. Housed in a restored historic Masonic Temple, Catamount has two art galleries with rotating shows of local artists’ work. Check their schedule for special events; they broadcast the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series and other live HD events, as well as sponsoring frequent live performances that may be held at the St. Johnsbury Academy campus or nearby Lyndon State College. An annual July event is the fundraising Garden Tour of area properties with spectacular gardens and magnificent views.
Catamount Arts
115 Eastern Avenue
802-748-2600
www.catamountarts.org
Open 1 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Film screenings nightly at 7 p.m., plus Sat. at 9 p.m., Sun. at 1:30 p.m., and Wed. at 4 p.m.
Sunday
8:00 a.m.
9) A WALK IN THE WOODS
You don’t have to venture outside the town limits to take a hike in the woods. The St. Johnsbury Town Forest has four marked trails within its 96 acres, so you can easily get in a brisk hike before breakfast. St. Johnsbury’s Town Forest was created in 1922 to commemorate World War I veterans. It is kept up by local Scout troops and other volunteers. No campfires, overnight camping, bikes, or motorized vehicles are allowed. Pets must be leashed, and trash must be taken out with you when you leave the forest. The website www.hikenewengland.com has detailed two hikes in the St. Johnsbury Town Forest, along with maps and photos.
St. Johnsbury Town Forest
Trailhead at Almshouse Lane off Concord Ave.
Download the trail map here
10) OLD-FASHIONED DINER FARE
No trip to Vermont is complete without a meal at one of the state’s many diners. St. Johnsbury’s Anthony’s Diner on Railroad Street serves exactly the type of breakfast you would want after a hike in the woods -- blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup, omelettes, French toast -- and the sizable portions are just what you’d expect.
Anthony’s Diner
50 Railroad Street
802-748-3613
Estabrook House Bed and Breakfast
1596 Main Street
802-751-8261
www.estabrookhouse.com
Comfort Inn
703 US Rte 5 South
802-748-1500
www.vermontvacationland.com
Fairbanks Inn
401 Western Avenue
802-748-5666
www.stjay.com