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For other places with the same name, see Montpelier (disambiguation).
Vermont State House

Montpelier is the capital city of Vermont, the smallest state capital in the United States with a population of 8,035.

Understand

Montpelier is the smallest state capital in the United States. It is also the only state capital that does not have a McDonald's restaurant. The local newspaper is the Times-Argus.

Climate

Downtown flooding has become more common in the last few years. While not a danger to people, some shops or roads in the downtown area may be closed for a few days in the early spring.

Montpelier
Climate chart (explanation)
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation+Snow totals in inches
See Montpelier's 7 day forecast    Data from NOAA (1981-2010)
Metric conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
 
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0
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation+Snow totals in mm

Get in

By car

A common way to get to Montpelier is by auto. It is located along Interstate 89. It is about 3 hours from Boston and Montreal.

By plane

You can also fly into Burlington, Vermont, which is about a 45-minute drive from Montpelier. Or, if it is a weekday, you can take the bus from Burlington to Montpelier.

By train

Amtrak has the Vermonter passenger train with daily service between Washington, D.C., New York and St. Albans, Vermont. The train station is about 1.5 miles from the downtown area and there aren't sidewalks for a good portion of the distance.

By bus

  • Greyhound serves downtown Montpelier with buses that connect to Boston, Montreal, and Manchester NH airports. Buses stop in front of city hall at 39 Main St.
  • Megabus connects Montpelier with Boston. Buses stop at the Dog River Park & Ride, off of exit 8 on Interstate 89.

Get around

  • Walking - It is a very small town, walking is an excellent way to get around from the State House and downtown area. You will find that people park their vehicle downtown and then can walk all of downtown and the State House area. Montpelier is a very compact town. Drivers are very courteous to pedestrians at the frequent cross walks you find in the downtown area.
  • Green Mountain Transit Agency (GMTA) has bus service that covers Montpelier and other are communities. See the Capital Shuttle schedule.

See

Do

  • The Morse Farm Sugar Works, 1168 County Rd, toll-free: +1-800-242-2740. Take a free tour of the sugar house and sample the maple syrup. You can even sample some of the different grades of syrup. It is open year round. March is when the maple sap flows and the syrup is made. Try the sugar on snow, maple sugar drizzled over shaved ice. 
  • Farmers Market, State Street. Open on Saturdays 9AM-2PM from May to October. Produce from numerous organic gardeners and area farms. Flowers, baked goods, breads, herbs and also crafts. 
  • Lost Nation Theater, City Hall, 39 Main St. See one of the theater productions or special programs that are available all year long. 
  • Summer Evening Concerts (State House Lawn). During the summer every Wednesday night. Free 
  • Hubbard Park (Via Spring St. or Winter St. off Route 12). Hike to the top or drive and climb the 50 foot high tower to see a spectacular view from the highest point in the city. Open daylight hours. Free. 
  • Vermont Mountaineers. Attend a Vermont Mountaineers baseball game. The Mountaineers are members of "The New England Collegiate Baseball League" (NECBL) and the league has all NCAA baseball players. Early June to early August. Tickets $4.00, Senior, Student or Military $2.00 and Family Ticket Pack $7.00. Good homemade burgers and hot dogs at the game. 

Learn

  • New England Culinary Institute (NECI), +1-877-223-6334 (email:info@neci.edu), has a campus in Montpelier and operates the La Brioche bakery, Main Street Bar & Grill, and the Chef's Table.

Buy

  • La Brioche Bakery & Cafe, 89 Main St, ☏ +1 802 229-0443. Breads, pastries and cakes. Custom orders available. Open Monday through Friday 6:30AM to 7PM and Saturday 7AM through 5PM. Run by NECI, so the quality will vary as students are learning how to cook. 
  • Cool Jewels, 2 State St, ☏ +1 802 223-1718. Beads, rocks, crystals and jewelry. Stop and see the Ultimate Beadbox in the store window. 
  • Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA), 36 College St, ☏ +1 802-828-8600. VCFA is the nation's only college devoted exclusively to graduate education in the fine arts. Offering MFA degrees in Graphic Design, Music Composition, Visual Art, Writing, and Writing for Children, VCFA is located on a hilltop campus just above downtown Montpelier. 

Book stores

Enjoy shopping the fine book stores in Montpelier, all within close walking distance.

  • The Book Garden, 50 State St, ☏ +1 802 223-2824. Buy used books and new, used and remainder books available. 

Eat

  • Chef's Table, 118 Main St, ☏ +1 802 229-9202. Lunch, dinner Tu-Sa. Fine dining and run by the New England Culinary Institute. Reservations are recommended for Dinner. Quality is extremely variable since the food is prepared by students. If you show up early in first week of the session don't be surprised if you get undercooked sides with burnt main dishes or vice versa. 
  • J Morgans Steakhouse, 100 State St, ☏ +1 802 223-5252. Open daily 7AM for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The kids will love to watch locomotives traveling throughout the restaurant. They also have a Sunday Brunch. The menu is fairly pricey for Montpelier, and the meals will run right up against the $50 ethics limit since this is a favorite spot for lobbyists to ply their trade when the Legislature is in session. 
  • Main Street Grill & Bar, 118 Main St, ☏ +1 802 229-9202. Tu-Su with an excellent Sunday brunch from 10AM to 2PM. Another New England Culinary Institute operated property and is casual dining. 
  • Sarducci's, 3 Main St, ☏ +1 802 223-0229. Authentic Italian cuisine from a wood burning oven serving dinner seven nights a week plus lunch Monday thru Saturday. 
  • Julio's Cantina, 54 State St, ☏ +1 802 229-9348. On summer days sitting outside, this restaurant offers the best people-watching in all Montpelier. And the food's not bad, either. 
  • Positive Pi 2, 22 State St, ☏ +1 802 229-0453. This upscale pizza & pasta place features trendy decor and many local microbrews on tap. Some of the best pizza in the state, though service can be very slow by American standards. 
  • That's Life Soup, 41 Elm St, ☏ +1 802 223-5333. The chef uses local ingredients in this innovative soup, salad, and sandwich cafe, with the best desserts in town. They are open for lunch, and dinner, Wednesday through Saturday. Wine and beer. Cash and check only. 
  • Skinny Pancake, 89 Main St, ☏ +1 802 262-2253. They feature crepes made into main meals as well as fabulous dessert creations. 
  • Black Door Bar & Bistro, 44 Main St, ☏ +1 802 223-7070. An upscale restaurant with a small bar off to the side, and upstairs a bar area where bands play at night. 
  • Mad Taco, 72 Main St, ☏ +1 802-225-6038. A very good Mexican place (especially by Vermont standards) serving cheap lunches and dinners. It has a few seats, but it's mostly a carryout place. 

Drink

  • McGillicuddy's Irish Pub, 14 Langdon St, ☏ +1 802 223-2721. Another local hangout and sports bar. They have individual speakers that you can tune and listen to the game you are watching. 
  • Charlie-O's, 70 Main St, ☏ +1 802 223-6820. This is a real locals bar with pool table and a lot of character. No tabs and pay cash. Great place to meet the locals. 
  • Three Penny Taproom, 108 Main St, ☏ +1 802 223-8277. This bar features dozens of craft and micro brews from all over the place. Packed with locals. 

Sleep

Go next

Montpelier is an excellent place to stay and get out to see other area sites.

  • Stowe, Vermont Ski Resort Area, with hiking, shops and restaurants.
  • Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Take a factory tour.
  • Cabot Creamery, in Cabot. See how cheese is made.
  • Church Street in Burlington. Great shopping, food and bars.
  • Rock of Ages Quarry, in Barre. The Quarry is located just a few miles from Montpelier. Take tours of an active granite quarry over 600 feet (182 m) deep.
  • Hope Cemetery in Barre, has tombstones of granite that are works of art and in some cases very unique. Examples are a race car, soccer ball, a cube balanced on one corner, a biplane and a husband and wife that are side by side in bed overlooking their tombs.
Routes through Montpelier
St. Albans ← Essex Junction ←  N  S  → White River Junction → Springfield
Burlington ← Richmond ←  N  S  → White River Junction → Concord
Burlington ← Richmond ←  W  E  → Jct W Template:Rtarrow Lancaster → St. Johnsbury
END ←  W  E  → Barre → Littleton
END ← Jct ←  N  S  → Northfield → Windsor


This city travel guide to Montpelier is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.


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