Southern Vermont
From Ethan Allen's boisterous rabble-rousing in Bennington to Rudyard Kipling's years in Brattleboro, southern Vermont is rich with history. You will also find an area rich in the arts, in outdoor recreation, and in opportunities for shopping and fine dining.
The spire of the Bennington Monument towers over all of the rolling countryside surrounding Bennington, reminding all visitors of the importance of the Battle of Bennington in the Revolutionary War.
Even before then, the Bennington area was a hotbed of rebellion, largely due to the presence of that larger-than-life Vermont hero, Ethan Allen, who was determined to win Vermont's independence. Though Allen fell into British hands and spent most of the Revolutionary War in captivity, he succeeded in carving an independent republic out of the Green Mountains. Visitors to Old Bennington can see the location of the tavern where Ethan and his cronies hatched many of their schemes. Old Bennington is also the site of the Old First Church, a beautiful and historic colonial-era church as graceful as any in the United States. The poet Robert Frost is buried in the adjacent cemetery.
Arlington also saw much of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, but more recently was the home of artist Norman Rockwell, thus exemplifying another major attraction of the region - its many opportunities for sampling the arts.
The Bennington Museum has a large historical collection, plus perhaps the largest collection anywhere of the works of primitive artist Grandma Moses. Contemporary works of art are also shown in Bennington, at the Southern Vermont Art Center in Manchester, and in the Brattleboro Art Museum on the eastern side of the Green Mountains. The internationally famous Marlboro Music Festival is held each August on the hilltop campus of tiny Marlboro College
Camping on the Battenkill
Route 7A
Arlington, VT 05250
Phone: 802.375.6663
Hidden Acres Campground
792 US Rt. 5, Dummerston, VT 05301
Phone: 802-254-2098
Brattleboro North KOA
1238 US Rt. 5, East Dummerston, VT 05346
Phone: 802-254-5908 (info) /800-562-5909 (res.)
