Colchester, Vermont Area Guide
Colchester, Vermont
Area Guide
Colchester, Vermont is located on the shores of Malletts Bay of Lake
Champlain, minutes north of major urban hub city Burlington. Colchester
is 45 miles south of the United States-Canadian border and 95 miles from
Montreal, Quebec. Colchester’s southern neighbor, the City of
Burlington, is the central hub of the Burlington-South Burlington
metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, South Burlington,
Winooski, Colchester, Essex, Williston and Essex Junction. Colchester is
highly rated for its new urbanism, smart growth, easy living standards
and mixed-use development, along with one of the lowest crime rates in
the country and one of the best air-quality measures nationwide.
Colchester is progressive in attitude and forward-thinking in terms of
ecological awareness and expansion. The Town of Colchester prides itself
on small-town values and cosmopolitan attractions, making it one of the
most highly sought-after places to live in the United States. To learn
more about life in Colchester, Chittenden County or the state of
Vermont, please visit:
Town of Colchester
http://colchestervt.gov/
State of Vermont Tourism
http://www.vermontvacation.com/
Vermont Find and Go Seek
http://www.findandgoseek.net/
History
By the late 1700’s, the 300,000 acres of land that would become the
state of Vermont were co-owned by Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen, as
part of the New Hampshire land grants. The Town of Colchester was
chartered at the same time as Burlington, one of 9 charters grated to
communities of the Lake Champlain area in 1763. The state of Vermont was
admitted into the Union of States in 1791. Burlington’s position on
Lake Champlain helped both the city and the area develop into a center
of trade and point of entry. The wharves allowed steamboat access,
connecting freight and passengers with the Vermont Central Railroad and
the Rutland & Burlington Railroad rail systems, bringing industry,
commerce, manufacturing and new residents to Burlington. By 1860, the
communities of the Burlington area had already flourished into major
northern lumbering ports and manufacturing centers. The historic
districts of Burlington and its neighboring towns have been
well-preserved, bearing testament to the Victorian prosperity of
Vermont’s past. To learn more about the history of the Town of
Colchester, its neighboring towns, Chittenden County or Vermont, please
visit:
Colchester Historical Society
http://colchestervt.gov/historical/index.htm
Vermont Historical Society
http://www.vermonthistory.org/
Vermont Division for Historic Preservation
http://www.historicvermont.org/
Colchester Reef Lighthouse
http://lighthouse.cc/colchester/index.html
Vermont History Museum
http://www.vermonthistory.org/index.php/museum/museum-overview.html
Ethan Allen Homestead Museum
http://www.ethanallenhomestead.org/
Vermont in the Civil War
http://vermontcivilwar.org/index.php
Parks and Recreation
Rudyard Kipling wrote that Lake Champlain was one of the most
spectacular places in the world to view a sunset; our residents and
visitors could not agree more. Colchester, on the Malletts Bay of Lake
Champlain’s shoreline, is equally accessible to the Winooski River,
providing guests with all manner of seasonal water sports available for
enjoyment. From hiking, biking and rock climbing to fishing, swimming,
sailing, kayaking and canoeing, there’s an adventure awaiting you by
land or by water. Equestrian activities, camping, nature watching and
picnicking are available at most national and parks; no matter what your
preference, there’s a place to enjoy it in Chittenden County. The
municipal parks of our communities are meticulously maintained and offer
a variety of amenities to enjoy year round: public gardens, bike paths,
public ice skating facilities, playgrounds and community gyms and
spaces are just a few of the unique features of our local and community
parks. In addition to our wealth of state, national and municipal parks,
nature enthusiasts will not want to miss a visit to the waterfront ECHO
Lake Aquarium and Science Center, which houses over 70 species of
reptiles, amphibians, fish and other invertebrates and is located in
Vermont's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Certified Green Building. To learn more about enjoying the forests,
mountains, rivers and lakes of Vermont’s great outdoors during your time
in Colchester, please visit:
Vermont State Parks
www.vtstateparks.com/
Vermont National Parks Service
http://www.nps.gov/state/vt/index.htm
Vermont Outdoor Guide Association
http://www.voga.org/nature.htm
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
http://www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm
ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center
www.echovermont.org/
www.echovermont.org/
Colchester Town Parks and Recreation
http://colchestervt.gov/Recreation/parksNRec.shtml
Attractions and Entertainment
Colchester is a town of duality—on one hand, it is a bedroom
community of a college town, on the other, it is a progressive,
cosmopolitan New England “micro-city”. Nearby City of Burlington has, on
more than one occasion, been likened to the streets of Paris. The
Church Street Marketplace is the Burlington area’s social and commercial
center, a thriving shopping and dining district that is home to many
community festivals throughout the year for all of the communities of
the region, from Colchester and Essex to Winooski and Williston. Art
lovers can explore the independent galleries of the Church Street
Marketplace, attend one of the annual art festivals put on in downtown
Colchester, or catch the rotating exhibits at the nearby Shelburne
Museum. Sports fans have much to choose from in the Burlington area—from
University of Vermont’s athletic teams to minor league baseball,
basketball, hockey, rugby and roller derby, there’s a team for everyone
to cheer for. In terms of leisure, there’s no shortage of things to do
and places to explore or relax in—there are multiple highly ranked golf
courses, spas, shops and museums for residents and guests to enjoy
during their downtime. For a taste of Vermont, take a tour and tasting
of one of the local breweries, wineries or cideries—or for the sweeter
side that Vermont is known for, take a tour of one of sugarhouses, and
learn how maple syrup goes from tree to table. The Colchester-Burlington
region is also home to some of the most unique dining in
Vermont—everything from authentic ethnic cuisine to local favorites like
Handy’s Lunch or local franchise American Flatbread or honor two local
Vermont favorites with a Ben & Jerry’s cone of Phish Food. To learn
more about the attractions and activities of Chittenden County and the
communities of the Burlington area, please visit:
Theatre, Culture and the Arts
Robert Hull Fleming Museum at University of Vermont
www.uvm.edu
Shelburne Museum
http://shelburnemuseum.org/
Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
www.flynncenter.org/
Vermont Art Galleries
www.artseenvt.com
Sports and Activities
Vermont Golf Courses
http://www.golflink.com/golf-courses/state.aspx?state=VT
Vermont Lake Monsters Baseball
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t462
University of Vermont Athletics Catamounts
http://uvmathletics.com/
Burlington RFC Rugby
http://www.burlingtonrugby.org/
Burlington Bombers Roller Derby
burlingtonbombers.com/
Shopping, Dining, Leisure and Attractions
Church Street Marketplace
http://www.churchstmarketplace.com/
Burlington Town Center
http://www.burlingtontowncenter.com/
Essex Shoppes and Cinemas
http://www.essexshoppes.com/Welcome.asp?Key=1
University Mall
http://www.umallvt.com/
The Vermont Gift Barn & Gallery
http://www.vermontgiftbarn.com/
Vermont Sugarhouses
http://www.vtliving.com/sugarhouses/burl.shtml
Vermont Breweries, Wineries and Cideries Guide
http://www.vermontagriculture.com/buylocal/documents/2006VTBrewersmap1.pdf
Hungry Vermont Diner’s Index
http://hungryvt.com/
Ben & Jerry’s, Burlington
http://scoopshops.benjerry.com/scoopshops/burlington/default.aspx
American Flatbread
http://americanflatbread.com/restaurants/burlington-vt/
Handy’s Lunch
http://www.handyslunch.com/
Events
Geologically, culturally, civically and historically rich, Colchester
and the Burlington metropolitan area is a forward-thinking, progressive
community that honors its small town values and idealism while
embracing its cosmopolitan outlook. Chittenden County’s Town of
Colchester and its neighboring communities have a broad range of
activities, parks, events and attractions to offer residents and
visitors. In the Lake Champlain area, calendars are always scheduled to
the brim. The annual Burlington City Arts Festival of Fools, the Giant
Pumpkin Regatta and Festival and the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival
are area favorites that are not to be missed. To find out what
sporting, historic, cultural or ecological events are happening during
your time in Colchester, please visit these sites:
Vermont Brewers Festival
http://www.vermontbrewers.com/
Giant Pumpkin Regatta and Festival
www.vermont.org/pumpkin/
The Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival
www.ridethedragon.org/
Vermont International Film Festival
www.vtiff.org/
RunVermont, Vermont City Marathon
http://www.runvermont.org
Burlington City Arts Festival of Fools
www.burlingtoncityarts.org/Festival_of_Fools/
Church Street Marketplace Events Guide
http://www.churchstmarketplace.com/events/sponsored/