Discover Caledonia

Woodlands, bogs, and trails

A fire lookout tower on the summit of Burke Mountain in Darling State Park was built in 1912 and is considered Vermont’s first fire lookout tower. From there, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. It’s a striking starting point for exploring the region’s natural attractions and history together.

Groton State Forest covers 26,164 acres across parts of Caledonia, Orange, and Washington Counties. Its recreational opportunities are spread throughout the area and include camping, hiking, swimming, boating, fishing, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Including the forest in your trip lets you choose activities for different seasons rather than limiting your visit to a single kind of outdoor experience.

The Groton Management Unit also features a range of landscapes: heavily forested areas shaped by glaciers, lakes and ponds, apple orchards, permanently open former fields, and state-designated natural areas. Peacham Bog Natural Area offers a different natural highlight. It covers 748 acres and is Vermont’s second-largest bog. Forests, open areas, and bogs give the destination a variety of landscape themes.

Activities at Darling State Park include skiing, mountain biking, and primitive camping, as well as hiking. Dog Mountain, meanwhile, covers 150 acres on a mountaintop in St. Johnsbury. The property has hiking trails and dog ponds, and is open to people and their dogs at all times. Dogs may run, play, and swim off-leash, and there’s also an obstacle course.

Art, history, and regional traditions

In St. Johnsbury, Horace Fairbanks presented the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum to the town’s residents in 1871. It houses the oldest surviving, unchanged art gallery in the United States. In 1996, the U.S. Department of the Interior designated the Athenaeum a National Historic Landmark. The building’s history and its special place in art history offer two distinct reasons to include it in your trip plans.

The Caledonia County Fair also brings history together with a look at life today: it presents Vermont’s agricultural past and present in an entertaining and educational way and is described as the state’s oldest agricultural fair. A notable event in its history took place on September 15, 1910, when Charles Willard made the first airplane flight in the state of Vermont there.

In Peacham, the Snow Roller Barn Museum displays large rollers pulled by horses or oxen. They were used to pack down snow on local roads well into the 20th century. Maple Grove’s Sugar House Museum explains the entire maple syrup-making process. Visitors interested in traditional crafts can watch live blacksmithing demonstrations and see a collection of tools and equipment at the Ashbel Goodenough Blacksmith Shop; check the demonstration schedule before your trip.

The Peacham Historical Association’s Historical House is a former residence dating from the 1820s. Its exhibits cover the history of Peacham, and the house is open to the public during the warmer months. On the grounds of Caledonia County State Airport, a museum opened in the former Pudding Hill Schoolhouse in September 2021 to preserve historic aviation artifacts from Vermont’s state airports.

Exhibits, events, and active days

Catamount Arts presents exhibitions featuring painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, new media, and installations. A seasonal highlight at the Fairbanks Museum is its Butterfly House, where visitors can see native butterflies and their host plants; it’s open from June through September. The Children’s Museum of the Northeast Kingdom offers hands-on play and discovery at scheduled admission times. Its programs include seasonal celebrations, story times, workshops, and community days. Check the relevant dates and admission times before your visit.

There are also two distinct trail options for outdoor activities. Kingdom Trails offers a network of more than 100 miles of non-motorized trails for shared recreational use in all four seasons and for all ability levels. The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail connects 18 communities over 95 miles between St. Johnsbury and Swanton and is considered New England’s longest rail trail. The St. Johnsbury Farmers Market takes place on Saturdays from May through October; check the schedule before your visit.

Whether you want to focus on forests and trails, art and history, or seasonal offerings, Caledonia has a variety of themes to build into a trip. Choose hotels in Caledonia to suit your itinerary and the places you’d like to visit.

Explore more destinations: Saint Johnsbury, Lyndon, Waterford, Franklin County, Windsor County, Lamoille, Orleans County, Essex County.

For the broader travel overview: Vermont.