Two contrasting towns visited on the same day in September 2021
Cumulative Official Town Count | Cumulative Unofficial Town Count |
|---|---|
9 | 4 |
The Vermont towns of Manchester and Shaftsbury are a bit like night and day (or should I say day and night, respectively). Where Manchester (comprising the historic village as well as Manchester Center) has a thriving retail and food scene, Shaftsbury has clearly seen better days. [Note: Manchester has been a second home to me my entire life, and thus my coverage of it will be far more detailed and travel guide-y than likely any other town I cover in these VT 251 blog posts].
Manchester's website aptly describes the town: "From shopping and dining, to cultural, recreational and community events, Manchester is the quintessential New England community. Ideally located in southwestern Vermont, [it] is easily accessible to the rest of the Northeast but tucked into the Green Mountains in the picturesque Battenkill River Valley."
Chartered in 1761, Manchester has just under 5,000 residents today (well, as of the 2020 census). Tourists began arriving in the second half of the 19th century (thanks to the railroad) and have been coming ever since, drawn by the town's historic architecture and beautiful setting in the mountains.
Culturally, Manchester is home to Hildene, the estate of Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Todd Lincoln, which is open to the public, and has trails, a farm, beautiful grounds/ gardens with amazing views, and an original Pullman train car to explore. There are guided tours of the mansion, and as I recall, there is even one of Abraham Lincoln's hats on display there! Additionally, there is the Southern Vermont Arts Center, which offers varied exhibits, a sculpture garden, a delicious restaurant(Cur'Ate), and grounds leading to a great system of trails within the Equinox Preserve which offer both easy or challenging hikes.
Manchester offers some good retail therapy, if that is of interest. There are some outlet stores in town (Eileen Fisher, Polo, Le Creuset, Gap, Eddie Bauer to name a few), and possibly the best bookstore I've been to -- The Northshire. Expect to spend some time at this place -- besides the books, it's got great gifts, games, and is just a fabulous store! Other favorite stores of mine in Manchester include a really wonderful kitchen shop (Vermont Kitchen Supply), an impressive store with native art and wares called Long Ago & Far Away, a quintessential fine crafts/ Artisan shop called Epoch, and an Italian market with a slightly spicy TO-DIE-FOR Parmesan "salsa"/ dip, The Italian Market of Manchester. Lastly, I really enjoy shopping in and taking glass blowing classes (make reservations in advance!) at Manchester Hot Glass.
As for food, Manchester has a lot to offer; so much in fact that I have already blogged about my favorite places: https://www.donnaramadishes.com/post/foodies-will-not-go-hungry-in-manchester-vermont. And, while the ones in the blog are my favorites, there are other really good places to eat in and around town: Historical (colonial) food, Mexican food, Burmese food, general American food, donuts, etc. (If you want specific recommendations for those, just ask in the comments).
If you are into fly fishing or hunting (and the like), you'll be interested to know that Orvis was founded in Manchester in 1856, and their flagship store is still there, as well as an outlet store. Plus, the flagship store (which offers fly fishing lessons) is located next door to The American Museum of Fly Fishing.
As for Shaftsbury, there's really not much for me to say. Like Manchester, it was chartered in 1761 and is small (less than 4,000 residents), but there is virtually no commerce to speak of outside of some farms and farm stands. I really like Clear Brook Farm for fresh produce, local meats, and plants, but didn't even realize it was in Shaftsbury -- I assumed Arlington (oops!). It's an agrarian community, for sure, and, like many farming communities, there isn't much of a town or much to see.
Stay tuned for more installments!