Middlebury Travel Guide

Middlebury is a gracious college town amid rolling hills and pastoral countryside, its town center idyllic in a New-England-as-envisioned-by-Hollywood sort of way. For many, it provides the perfect combination of small-town charm, access to the outdoors (the Adirondacks and Green Mountains are both close at hand), and a dash of sophistication: The influence of college students and out-of-staters have brought a natural foods store, ethnic restaurants, and more arts, crafts, and books than you would expect to find in a place several times Middlebury's size.The town centers on an irregular sloping green. Above the green is the commanding Middlebury Inn; shops line the downhill slopes. In the midst of the green is a handsome chapel, and the whole scene is lorded over by a fine, white-steepled Congregational church, built between 1806 and 1809. Otter Creek tumbles dramatically through the middle of town as a waterfall and is flanked by a historic district that feature vestiges of former industry. In fact, Middlebury has some 300 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. About the only disruption to the historical perfection is the growl of trucks downshifting as they drive along the main routes through town.Middlebury College, which is within walking distance at the edge of downtown, doesn't so much dominate the village as coexist nicely alongside it. The college has a sterling reputation for its liberal arts education, but may be best known for its intensive summer language programs. Don't be surprised if you hear folks gabbing uncertainly in exotic tongues while walking through town in summer. (Students commit to total immersion, taking the "Language Pledge," which prohibits the use of English while they're enrolled in the program.) The town is also home to several good inns. Just keep both eyes on the road: Abundant pedestrians and some rather strange traffic patterns around the green mean you'll constantly need to be on your toes.