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Dog Mountain wins Best Vermont Attraction

Shelburne Museum, Kingdom Trails, Stowe and Church Street Marketplace also winners

With its rolling farmland, picturesque small villages and famed fall foliage, Vermont represents quintessential New England to many. Nearly 80 percent of the state is covered in pristine forest, punctuated by steepled churches, village greens and Colonial-era houses. The state boasts America's densest collection of craft brewers, as well as four seasons outdoor recreation of all sorts.

  • Hildene
    Manchester

    Hildene, the 24-room Georgian Revival mansion that once belonged to Robert Todd Lincoln (the son of Abraham and Mary Lincoln), has been converted into a museum filled with the Lincoln family's personal effects, including the hat President Lincoln likely wore during his famous Gettysburg Address.
    Photo courtesy of Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing

  • Woodstock

    Woodstock's exquisite downtown area features numerous galleries and boutiques, while the surrounding historic homes are a study in 19th and 20th century architecture. Settled in 1765 on the banks of the Ottaquechee River, Woodstock has become a four seasons destination for shoppers, foodies, antiquers, outdoor enthusiasts and history buffs alike.
    Photo courtesy of Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing

  • Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Park
    Woodstock

    Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park is Vermont's sole national park and the first in the national park system to focus on the preservation of natural resources. At the heart of the 555-acre park are the mansion and gardens of Frederick H. Billings, president of the Northern Pacific Railway.
    Photo courtesy of Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing

  • Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour and Ice Cream Shop
    Waterbury

    The guided factory tour of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is more than just a lesson on how the frozen goodness is created. This 30-minute tour also aims to teach visitors about the company’s values, and how those are incorporated into every step of the business process – including making ice cream. Bonus: The tour also includes ice cream samples. If the taste is just enough to make you want more, you can grab a full-size scoop (or two) after the tour in the shop. Ben & Jerry’s, in Vermont, offers this tour year round, save for just a few days, with extended hours in the summer. You know, prime ice-cream-eating time.
    Photo courtesy of Ben & Jerry's

  • Shelburne Farms
    Shelburne

    Visitors to this working farm and dairy on the shores of Lake Champlain enjoy miles of walking trails, open wagon tours, a children's farmyard and a farm store selling some of the products produced on the grounds, including fresh cheese, mustard and Vermont maple syrup.
    Photo courtesy of Shelburne Farms

  • Church Street Marketplace
    Burlington

    Some 3 million people visit the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington each year to shop, dine or simply people watch at this National Register Historic District. By night, the pedestrian thoroughfare has one of the city's liveliest bar scenes.
    Photo courtesy of Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing

  • Stowe

    Stowe is that quintessential Vermont getaway where it's truly possible to snuggle in and let the "real world" melt away. Inns, B&Bs and cozy cafes share city streets with local galleries and artist studios.  Active travelers come for miles upon miles of cross country skiing trails of this naturally stunning mountain valley, while non-winter months offer fantastic biking and hiking.
    Photo courtesy of Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing

  • Kingdom Trails
    East Burke

    Thousands of mountain bikers from around the world come to East Burke each summer and fall to ride the extensive Kingdom Trails. During winter, the area is popular for fat tire biking, snow shoeing and cross country skiing.
    Photo courtesy of Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing

  • Shelburne Museum
    Shelburne

    The Shelburne Museum is like a historical New England in miniature, with 38 buildings (many of them relocated from other places) spread across 45 acres. Some of the structures include a 19th century lighthouse and an old-fashioned jail. The 150,000-piece collection maintained by the museum runs the gamut from weather vanes and quilts to toys and duck decoys.
    Photo courtesy of Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing

  • Dog Mountain
    Saint Johnsbury

    Situated on a private 150-acre farm in Vermont's stunning Northeast Kingdom, Dog Mountain offers a vast off-leash area complete with swimming ponds, hiking trails and a gallery with dog-centric works by folk artist Stephen Huneck. 
    Photo courtesy of Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing

We asked a panel of Vermont travel writers to nominate their favorite state attractions, and for the past four weeks, our readers have been voting for their favorites. The results are in!

The top 10 winners in the category Best Vermont Attraction are as follows:

  1. Dog Mountain - Saint Johnsbury
  2. Shelburne Museum - Shelburne
  3. Kingdom Trails - East Burke
  4. Stowe
  5. Church Street Marketplace - Burlington
  6. Shelburne Farms - Shelburne
  7. Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour and Ice Cream Shop - Waterbury
  8. Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Park - Woodstock
  9. Woodstock
  10. Hildene - Manchester

A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Erica Houskeeper (www.happyvermont.com), Eric D. Lehman, Larry Olmsted (Real Food/Fake Food) and Jen Rose Smith (jenrosesmith.com) were chosen based on their knowledge and experience of travel in Vermont.

Congratulations to all these winning attractions.

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Alert The Experts

Erica Houskeeper

Erica Houskeeper

Erica Houskeeper of Burlington, Vermont, is a freelance writer and communications/PR consultant. In her spare time, she blogs at www.happyvermont.com, which celebrates the people and places of the Green Mountain State. She is the former director of communications for the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing.

Eric D. Lehman

Eric D. Lehman

Eric D. Lehman teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Bridgeport and his essays, reviews, and stories have been published in dozens of journals and magazines, from Edible Nutmeg toThe Wayfarer. He is the author of a dozen books, including Afoot in Connecticut, A History of Connecticut Food, Shadows of Paris, Becoming Tom Thumb, History of Connecticut Wine, and the Insiders' Guide to Connecticut. Follow him on Twitter or Instagram.

Larry Olmsted

Larry Olmsted

Larry Olmsted is the weekly Great American Bites columnist for USA TODAY, covering regional cuisine and restaurants across the nation. He also writes frequently on culinary travel topics for his Forbes.com Great Life column. He is the Contributing Travel Editor for Cigar Aficionado magazine and has written extensively on food and travel topics for a wide variety of publications, including American Way, Celebrated Living, Rhapsody and Hemispheres. His New York Times bestselling book Real Food/Fake Food takes readers on an enlightening (and sometimes disturbing) journey deep into the food industry. Larry has traveled extensively all over the globe; attended cooking classes in Italy, England, Mexico and the United States; and is certified as competition barbecue judge by the Kansas City Barbecue Society.

Jen Rose Smith

Jen Rose Smith

Jen Rose Smith writes about travel and adventure from her home in Northern Vermont, and is the author of three guidebooks to the region. Follow her on Instagram @jenrosesmithvt, and read more of her work at www.jenrosesmith.com.