Rutland

Look Rutland! Taken with my Sharper Image instant camera.

Rutland is Vermont’s second city that is largely ignored because it is poor and lacks Burlington’s veneer of respectability. I actually like Rutland more than Burlington and here is why:

Reasons To Visit Rutland

  • Anna Nicole Smith filmed her last movie in Rutland. It was about aliens.
  • The marble quarries in West Rutland are amazing.
  • The city was once growing faster than Burlington and you can see it in the grandeur of the buildings downtown.
  • They have Amtrak service to NYC via Albany, NY.
  • Gil’s subs are amazing and there are several other classic sandwich shops in Rutland.
  • The Holiday Inn has a great complimentary breakfast buffet.
  • You can easily get to Manchester, VT and Killington from Rutland.
  • Rutland has a real fake salt cave you can pay money to sit in.
  • The Rutland Farmer’s Market is AMAZING.

Bridgewater

Bridgewater, VT

On the way back from Manchester, I decided I would stop at the Bridgewater Mill because it is an interesting structure and it has a bathroom. Win-win. At some point in the mill’s history, it was repurposed as a marketplace for artisanal goods and I vaguely remember there being a ski shop in the newer part of the building.

Post office, thrift store, and pizza.

I think the mill now contains a fancy furniture store, thrift shop, post office, and a decent pizzeria. I have no idea how any of it stays in business.

mill with cool stuff near killington vermont
I love this rotting building.

This mill is on the road from Killington to Woodstock and a lot of tourists drive by the mill to get to more exciting places.