The Vermont Town with Marble Sidewalks Has Been Doing Understated Luxury Since the Gilded Age
5 Reasons to Visit® · United States
The Vermont Town With Marble Sidewalks Has Been Doing Understated Luxury Since the Gilded Age
With literal marble sidewalks, a hotel open since 1769, and Orvis at its heart, Manchester has been quietly perfecting understated New England luxury beneath Mount Equinox for more than a century.
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Manchester, Vermont, has been refined and self-assured since the Gilded Age families discovered it in the 1850s — and it has never lost that quiet confidence. Tucked between the Green Mountains and the Taconics at the foot of Mount Equinox in southern Vermont's Shires region, this town of marble sidewalks and white-columned inns has spent more than a century perfecting a particular kind of understated New England luxury. Part historic mountain resort, part outdoor playground, part shopping destination, it remains one of the most polished and enduringly popular towns in Vermont.
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The details tell you everything. Manchester's commercial streets are literally paved with marble sidewalks — Danby marble quarried from the mountains above, abundant enough to use for paving — a small extravagance that sets the tone for the whole town. The Equinox Hotel has operated continuously since 1769, hosting American Revolutionaries and U.S. presidents (Mary Todd Lincoln summered here), and the marble-sidewalked Manchester Village, with its stately homes and columned porches, is the picture of genteel New England.
It is also, improbably, a serious retail destination. The Orvis Company has been headquartered in Manchester since 1856, and its flagship store and fly-fishing school on the Battenkill River anchor a deep sporting culture — this is one of the birthplaces of American fly-fishing. Alongside it, the Manchester Designer Outlets bring more than forty upscale and designer stores to the heart of downtown, tucked into New England-style buildings, while the Northshire Bookstore and the nearby Vermont Country Store round out a shopping scene that punches far above the town's size.
Marble sidewalks, a 1769 hotel, and four-season mountains — Vermont with quiet confidence.
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History and culture run deep. Hildene, the Georgian Revival estate that Robert Todd Lincoln built in 1905, is one of the most significant presidential-family homes in New England, its mansion, gardens, farm, and restored Pullman car open to visitors across a broad valley setting. The Southern Vermont Arts Center and a cluster of galleries give the town a genuine arts life, and Manchester's streets carry the legacy of the writers and artists — Rudyard Kipling, Norman Rockwell among them — who made this corner of Vermont their home.
And the four-season outdoors are the constant. Mount Equinox, the Taconics' highest peak at 3,848 feet, rises over the town, reachable by hiking trails or the private Skyline Drive to a summit with views into three states. The Battenkill River draws fly-fishers and paddlers, the surrounding hills blaze with some of New England's best fall foliage, and the nearby ski mountains of Bromley and Stratton make Manchester a refined base for a winter on the slopes, one of several southern-New-England mountain draws alongside the Berkshires hub of Pittsfield. Golf, cycling, and hiking fill the warmer months.
Manchester is honest about being a coveted, established resort town rather than an undiscovered find — its polish and popularity are long-standing, peak foliage and ski weekends draw crowds, and desirability keeps prices high. But that enduring quality is exactly the appeal. Marble sidewalks and a 1769 hotel, Orvis and designer outlets, a presidential estate, and four-season Green Mountain adventure have made Manchester one of the most quietly luxurious towns in New England. For the visitor it makes a refined mountain escape. For those fortunate enough to settle in, it makes the case for understated Vermont elegance with the outdoors at the door — which is exactly why it never goes out of style.
Manchester, Vermont: FAQ
Is Manchester, Vermont worth visiting?
Yes. Manchester offers the historic Equinox Hotel (open since 1769), marble sidewalks, the Orvis flagship and fly-fishing school on the Battenkill River, the Manchester Designer Outlets, Hildene (Robert Todd Lincoln's estate), the Southern Vermont Arts Center, Mount Equinox and its Skyline Drive, world-class fall foliage, and skiing at nearby Bromley and Stratton. It makes a refined four-season mountain escape in southern Vermont.
Why do people move to Manchester, Vermont?
Manchester offers a refined small-town lifestyle beneath Mount Equinox with a walkable historic village, a strong arts and shopping scene, four-season outdoor recreation, and a stable local economy anchored by employers like Orvis and the Vermont Country Store. It appeals to retirees, second-home buyers, and remote workers, though it's a coveted, established resort town where housing is expensive.
What is Manchester, Vermont known for?
Manchester is known for its marble sidewalks, the historic Equinox Hotel (operating since 1769), the Orvis Company headquarters and fly-fishing heritage on the Battenkill River, the Manchester Designer Outlets, Hildene (the Lincoln family estate), Mount Equinox, and its role as a refined four-season resort town and base for skiing at Bromley and Stratton. Burton Snowboards was also founded here.
Is Manchester, Vermont a good place to live?
Manchester offers a refined, walkable village, a rich arts and shopping scene, four-season outdoor recreation from fly-fishing to skiing, and a stable local economy, making it one of the most desirable towns in Vermont. The main trade-off is that it's an established, upscale resort town where housing prices are high and peak seasons draw crowds.
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