Sometimes, all you have is a weekend. Fortunately, sometimes a weekend is all you need. If you are looking for some outdoor-focused relaxation time, or just a new, mountain crisp locale at which to unplug, unwind and reset, let us introduce you to Manchester, Vermont - an outdoor enthusiast's haven, with a hefty smattering of fantastic eating establishments to fuel all that outdoors-ing.
First, a little bit of background for the uninitiated: founded in 1761, Manchester is located about 3 hours from both Boston, MA and Montreal, QC, 1.25 hours from Albany, NY and 3.5 hours from midtown NYC. Nestled up against the foot of Mount Equinox (part of the famed Green Mountains from which the State's name is derived), this small New England town punches well above its weight in terms of hotel, restaurant and outdoor activity offerings. It has, since at least 1900, been a a weekend getaway destination, such that it features high-end dining, world class boutique hotels and resorts, and more outdoor activities than you can shake a walking stick at. Oh, and they have marble sidewalks, which is just awesome.
With its medley of outdoor activity options, Manchester will entice you to get out and get your blood pumping. First, there's the 6 plus mile Equinox Mount and Lookout Rock trail (with an entrance directly behind the Equinox Resort, discussed below). With an elevation gain of just under 3000 feet, the nearly 5 hour average trek is not for the neophyte hiker, but the views from Lookout Rock are well worth it (see picture at the top of this article). You can also drive up there via the Mount Equinox Skyline Drive, if hiking a fairly consistent incline isn't your definition of fun. The afore-mentioned trail is just one of 10 or so located in the 900 plus acre Equinox Preservation Trust.
If hiking isn't for you, those gurus of green space at Orvis host fly-fishing lessons and wingshooting lessons. Further still, Equinox Golf Resort & Spa houses a beautifully well-maintained 18 hole, Par 71 golf course, which is open to the public, and which has been rated as one of the top 3 golf courses in Vermont by Golfweek. And there's the 80 acre purpose-built Land Rover off-road driving course, if locomotion by motor power is more yoru speed (pun intended).
Finally, Manchester isn't just a summer month destination. In fact, being only 10 miles from Bromley Mountain, 20 +/- miles to Stratton and 30 miles from Mount Snow, Manchester is a perfect and popular jumping off point for a weekend on the slopes.
Breakfast & Lunch
As you can see, if you've only got a weekend to spend in Manchester, you're probably going to spend a fair amount of it outdoors. As such, we generally suggest grabbing some quicker bites for breakfast and/or lunch and saving the big sit down meals for dinner. To that end, Ponce Bistro is a great little spot right on Main Street, as you head towards the more densely packed shopping area known as Manchester Center. The food has numerous influences (including a clear Puerto Rican tilt) and includes a fun play on huevos rancheros (with rosada beans served on a sun dried tomato tortilla) and a good smattering of crepes. If your not in a breakfast mood, Ponce has some excellent lunch options including the olive tapenade and Serrano ham (with cheddar, greens and herb aioli, on a baguette (our personal favorite)) and Spanish meatloaf sandwich (with sophrito and Manchego cheese).
Nipper's Cafe, owned by two Manchester born and bred natives, is another great breakfast/lunch location, offering some tried and true favorites like a traditional American breakfast (bacon eggs, etc.), a broad array of omelets and benedicts (for which they are known) and numerous other big breakfast bites of the type needed to fuel a day out in the wild. Other solid options include Moonwink, with a heavy focus on Burmese noodles, and Thai Basil, with its healthy mix of Thai influenced stir fry and curries.
Dinner
So you've spent all day hiking, golfing and fishing and have worked up quite the appetite. It's time for an elegant dinner, with a expertly crafted cocktail or well-paired glass of wine as a necessary accoutrement. Fortunately, Manchester has many great restaurants and watering holes to sate your hunger and quell your thirst.
The Reluctant Panther Inn and Restaurant, helmed by Vermont's 2018 Chef of the Year, Sigal Rocklin, offers an impressive wine list (no surprise, then, that they won a 2022 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence) and a Vermont-focused menu. The setting is intimate (read: great for date night) with both interior seating as well as a small, but cozy, patio area if you just can't bring yourself to leave the verdant mountain environs just yet. Expect staples such as a Vermont Farms pork chop (with bacon potato gnocchi, apple, butternut squash, pickled fennel and brown butter sage sauce) and Roasted Misty Knoll chicken breast (with butternut squash and mascarpone ravioli, romanesco, creamy shallot sauce and pecan crumble). The service here is excellent, with a wait staff that's friendly and knowledgeable and, just as importantly, present when you need them yet fully cognizant of the fact that sometimes, the best parts of the meal are those quiet, reflective moments between bites.
Another wonderful dinner option, The Silver Fork is as much a modern art gallery as a fine dining must. Set in the historic Mark Skinner library, the décor is an eye-catching medley of mid-century architecture and bright and colorful local artwork (all of which can be purchased through the Sothern Vermont Art Center). Headed by married couple Melody and Mark French (sommelier and head chef, respectively), the Silver Fork's menu reflects Chef French's eclectic culinary background, casting a net wide enough to encompass dishes as diverse as escargot en croute, duck eggrolls with seaweed salad, a salmon strudel wrapped in spinach and filo dough, and a creole shrimp mofongo. The wine list is very well-balanced and pairs well with the dishes on call. If you're spending a weekend in Manchester, dinner at the Silver Fork is a must.
Our final dinner suggestion, the Copper Grouse, located in the renowned Kimpton Taconic Hotel, offers up elevated tavern fair from former Husk alum Chef Dustin Johnson. Set in a sophisticated, warmly lit and spacious dinning room, with leather booths, wide plank hardwood floors and a distinctly New England atmosphere somewhere between well-appointed hunting lodge and ski chalet, the Copper Grouse's menu practically begs you to order something which feels significant (like the duck breast with pork braised escarole, black berry gastrique and charred pearl onions or the cider braised pork cheek, with red cabbage and cheddar grits) and then commence regaling your friends with fantastic tales (true or myth, your secret is safe with us) of pheasant hunts, mountain climbing or recent off road Land Rover excursions. And if your not washing down all that tall tale telling with a local whiskey-based cocktail, you're doing it wrong.
Where to Stay
When it's time to lay claim to your castle away from home for the weekend, this charming little town's got plenty of options. See below for some of our suggestions for the best inns, hotels and resorts in Manchester, VT.
Equinox Golf Resort & Spa has been serving guests since 1769, including numerous past U.S. Presidents. It features a full service spa, gorgeous indoor pool, luxurious porch, massive outside fire pit and outdoor games. In addition, this beautiful resort directly abuts the 914 acres of preserved mountain land that is the Equinox Preservation Trust, so it is a perfectly situated central station for your weekend. And with the onsite Chop House restaurant, Marsh Tavern and beautifully appointed Falcon Bar (featuring more than 50 varietals of wine and single malt scotches), you can easily, and happily, just stay on premises all weekend.
The Woodstock Inn and Resort, formerly owned by conservation- minded Laurance Rockefeller, is an award-winning resort boasting 142 newly renovated guestrooms, a 10,000 square foot LEED certified spa, tennis courts, two pools (one indoor and one outdoor), yoga classes and that current darling of outside family activities that is pickleball. Home to the excellent The Red Rooster restaurant (any place that offers beef bone marrow, with apple butter, salsa verde, frisee and a baguette for spreading/dipping is a win in our book) and Richardson's Tavern (which, amongst other things, offers an impressive wine list of the type that no self respecting oenophile would overlook (have a hankering for a 2017 Opus One Bordeaux or a 2018 Peter Michael Cabernet for that special occasion? Yeah, they've got you covered). Indeed, the Woodstock Inn and Resort is so beautiful, it's worth a trip unto itself.
Finally, Kimpton Taconic Hotel (home to the above-mentioned Copper Grouse) has been getting a lot of attention as of late, being named one of the top 10 resort hotels in the Northeast by none other than Travel + Leisure magazine. Not one to eschew Manchester's outdoorsy focus, The Taconic Hotel offers axe throwing, a Land Rover driving experience (as with the Equinox, above), and fire pits for post action-filled-day lounging. Located right on Main Street, the Taconic offers on-site accommodations as well as three, slightly more secluded, cottages adjacent to the main building. It's also an easy walk to the downtown area, with its varied shopping outlets, and all of our restaurant suggestions.
As you can see, Manchester, Vermont is a perfect weekend getaway offering plenty of activities and a host of excellent hotel and dining options. If you're looking for a New England weekend getaway, put Manchester, VT on your to-do list. You'll be happy you did.
These are just some of the best restaurants, bars and hotels in Manchester, Vermont, but there is so much more to see. Hopefully our Manchester Vermont Itinerary can help you to start planning your visit today!
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