Cumulative Official Town Count | Unofficial Town Count |
215 | 48 |
Route 100 is one of Vermont's most scenic byways, traveling north-south almost the entire length of the state, running up the spine of the Green Mountains. This edition of my VT 251 exploration cuts through the Green Mountains and part of Route 100; specifically through BRISTOL, LINCOLN, WARREN, GRANVILLE, & HANCOCK: towns which collectively offer easily-accessible waterfalls, a great ski area, two of Vermont's gap roads, a covered bridge, some less-than-thriving small towns, some extremely thriving small towns, and, of course, lovely scenery.
BRISTOL
Bristol, VT (pop. 3,766 in 2023) is a charming small town in the heart of the Green Mountains, complete with a town green, thriving Main Street, supermarket and a bunch of restaurants/ cafes. The town bookstore, Recycled Reading of Vermont is a gem, and contrary to the name, there are plenty of new books; as well as a myriad of musical instruments, vinyl records, games, puzzles, and craft supplies. Bartlett Falls (aka Bristol Falls) is a nice place to sunbathe/ splash in the water, but I was glad that these "falls" weren't located at the end of a long hike as they were a bit smaller than I expected. Bristol is a town I will definitely return to for a day.
LINCOLN
Lincoln, VT, settled by Quakers, is a very small town (pop. 1,323 in 2020) with plenty of land and solitude. It has a library, historical society, and community hall, as well as an unimpressive general store (dating back to 1843 and carrying typical general store offerings) and a fairly decrepit creamery building. That said, Lincoln definitely has town pride -- they had a little booklet written up for tourists, which is the only one of its kind I've seen. While the town is located between two towns with a lot to offer (Bristol and Warren), Lincoln feels far more remote than they do. In fact, the seasonal connector to Warren is the Lincoln Gap Road, the highest elevation vehicle-accessed mountain pass road in the state (at 2,424 feet). [In Vermont, gap roads are mountain pass roads, and there are six of them in the state, many of which are closed seasonally, and some of which include unpaved sections. These roads are beautiful, twisty, steep, and typically not very well-traveled (except in fall, where there is traffic to be found all over the state due to foliage tourism).] Other than the challenge (or fun) of driving the Lincoln Gap Road, or wanting to get between Bristol and Warren, I'm honestly not sure why one would visit Lincoln. But I can imagine it to be a nice place to live/ have a home...
WARREN
Warren, VT is a charming, small, upscale, resort town of just under 2,000 (in 2020). It is best known as the home of Sugarbush Resort, the Warren Falls, and Warren Covered Bridge (aka Lincoln Gap Bridge). The Warren store is a destination country-type store catering to the resort crowd (they have a really nice assortment of wine, cheese, sweets, deli, beer, gifts, etc.), and The Pitcher Inn is located conveniently just across the road from the store. The inn offers sumptuous accommodations and fine dining with a great wine cellar. Like many other small towns, Warren has a dual-purpose building housing the library and town hall. To be honest, I would like to return to Warren, staying at that inn for a romantic getaway -- maybe during ski season, or maybe not.
GRANVILLE
Granville, VT feels pretty much like a decrepit town in what feels like the middle of nowhere. That said, it is home to Moss Glen Falls -- but not the one by the same name in Stowe. It is a nice but not super-impressive waterfall, BUT it is very close to the road (route 100) and a super-short walk so it scores major points for that. There is the Bowl Mill, which may be the only place in town to buy something (other than the sad general store). Of historical interest, there is a grange to see (not visit) which used to house the town library, and also the Corner School Schoolhouse, which started as a one-room schoolhouse in 1871, and has since been the town library and (now) a resource center for Granville, dedicated to the preservation of the region's unique natural and cultural history. Lastly, as Granville is a tiny town (pop. 301 in 2020), it stands to reason it has one of the smallest post offices I've seen (unmanned, about the size of a large shed, and filled with post office boxes).
HANCOCK
Hancock, VT is another tiny town (pop. 359 in 2020), is shaped like a shoe, and is named after John Hancock. (You can't say you don't learn anything from me!) There's not much to the town other than the Old Hancock Hotel and Hubbard's Country Store. Hancock has the only gas station in the area (with prices to reflect the lack of competition), and is home to Middlebury College's Snow Bowl (ski area) and Middlebury Gap (in the Green Mountains). The town is a mix of farm land (on the east side) and mountain (on the west) -- which is where you can find Texas Falls (and Recreational Area). The Falls are 35 feet tall and are well worth the not-strenuous walk to visit them. If you are wondering why the falls are named as they are, you're in good company. Vermont Public Radio has this to say: "“No one can explain how the name “Texas” came to be associated with this small place so deep in the Green Mountains. The name dates to at least 1850 where it appears on old maps of the area. It might have been named to commemorate the short-lived Republic of Texas. Or maybe it’s just a joke. Somebody was laughing at the very idea of anything being Texas sized in tiny Vermont.”
So there you have it. More towns to follow, of course, but I hope you enjoyed this VT 251 exploration into some of the loveliest towns and waterfalls in the state.