A Weekend In: Burlington, VT

Imprint's newest feature, A Weekend In, travels to find out what students are doing in collegetowns across the country. 

Burlington, VT is home to a number of colleges both within the city itself and in the surrounding area, including the University of Vermont, Champlain College and St. Michael's College. With many food and entertainment options, the best way to discover Burlington is to explore the town itself and these surrounding areas- but this helpful guide should help you narrow your search to some of the highlights this city offers for a unique weekend.

FRIDAY:

5:00 p.m.

Grab a quick bite to eat at Al's French Frys, located in South Burlington. Al's has been around since the late 1940s and with a wide array of diner foods, it's a quick and easy stop for lunch or dinner. The hearty French fries are some of the best around.

7:00 p.m.

Why not follow up dinner with a little local sports action? Sure there may not be a professional basketball or football team in the area, but there still are some entertaining sports outlets. In the summer, there's the Vermont Lake Monsters, the Washington Nationals' single-A, short-season single affiliate. The games offer a laid-back environment and nothing goes better with a baseball game than Chessters from Vermont--a delicious chocolate chip cookie and frozen custard sandwich. If your visit falls, closer to the winter, University of Vermont hockey games offer fast paced, Division I hockey (last year UVM's men made it to the NCAA Frozen Four).

SATURDAY:

10 a.m

Lake Champlain, which had its quadricentennial celebration this past summer, is a gorgeous asset to Burlington. Take an hour and a half and hop aboard a narrated cruise offered on the Spirit of Ethan Allen III to learn about the landscape and history of the lake. Of course there is always a chance that you'll see Champ, the legendary monster of Lake Champlain. After the cruise, you can visit nearby Burlington Bay Market & Café to get some real Vermont flavor with a maple creemee (and yes, it's creemee, not soft serve).

Noon

The hub of Burlington is the downtown area with a great mix of chain and independent stores and the Church Street Marketplace is where you'll start to find them. Located just a few blocks from the lake, it's not a bad idea to spend most of Saturday exploring what downtown has to offer, in terms of food, retail and entertainment.

In terms of shopping, larger stores found in Burlington include Macy's, Urban Outfitters and Banana Republic, but a number of Burlington-based stores can be found downtown as well. Steez, an "urban boutique" on Church Street sells both apparel and artwork, and Ecco Clothes for Women and Men offers designer fashions. Outdoor Gear Exchange on Cherry Street provides all sorts of clothing and accessories to engage in the many outdoor activities--such as hiking, skiing, kayaking--that Vermont offers.

Also be sure to check out the Burlington Farmers Market which offers a selection of local food and crafts and is held year round (Saturdays weekly from about May to October, and on specific dates the rest of the year).

5:30 p.m.

For dinner downtown, a satisfying choice is American Flatbread on St. Paul Street. Also, Vermont Pub & Brewery is an excellent place to get cheap food and quality beer, said Julia Hobson, a senior at the University of Vermont. Have room for dessert? While the Ben and Jerry's factory is quite a drive away in Waterbury, you can stop by the Scoop Shop on Church Street and try one of the famous Ben & Jerry's flavors.

8 p.m.

Burlington has some great entertainment venues that offer music and theater year round. Right off of Church Street is the Flynn Center. The "MainStage" auditorium seats 1,453, plus there's a cabaret-style "FlynnSpace" seats 180, as well as an art gallery attached to the theaters. In nearby South Burlington, Higher Ground features a variety of music acts, although FYI, performances here are generally standing room only.