Montpelier

For the city in France, see Montpellier.

Vermont State House

Montpelier is the capital city of Vermont, the smallest state capital in the United States with a population of 7,855 as of the 2010 census.

Understand

Montpelier is the smallest state capital in the United States. It is also the only state capital that does not have a McDonald's restaurant. The local newspaper is the Times-Argus.

Climate

Downtown flooding has become more common in the last few years. While not a danger to people, some shops or roads in the downtown area may be closed for a few days in the early spring.

Montpelier
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D       3     28 3       2.7     33 6       2.9     42 16       3.2     55 30       3.9     69 42       4.1     78 53       4.4     83 58       4.1     81 55       3.5     73 47       3.9     59 35       3.6     46 26       3.4     32 13 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation+Snow totals in inches    Data from NOAA (1981-2010)
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D       76     −2 −16       69     1 −14       74     6 −9       81     13 −1       99     21 6       104     26 12       112     28 14       104     27 13       89     23 8       99     15 2       91     8 −3       86     0 −11 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation+Snow totals in mm

Visitor information

• 1 Capital Region Visitor's Center, 134 State St., ☏ +1 802 828-598, bgs.capitolregionvisitorcenter@vermont.gov. (updated Dec 2017)

Get in

By car

A common way to get to Montpelier is by auto. It is located along Interstate 89. It is about 3 hours from Boston and Montreal.

By plane

You can also fly into Burlington, Vermont, which is about a 45-minute drive from Montpelier. Or, if it is a weekday, you can take the bus from Burlington to Montpelier.

By train

• 1 Montpelier station (about 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from the downtown area). Amtrak has the Vermonter passenger train with daily service between Washington, D.C., New York and St. Albans, Vermont. Unfortunately there aren't sidewalks for a good portion of the distance between the station and downtown.  

By bus

• Greyhound serves downtown Montpelier with buses that connect to Boston, Montreal, and Manchester NH airports. Buses stop in front of city hall at 39 Main St.
• Megabus connects Montpelier with Boston. Buses stop at the Dog River Park & Ride, off of exit 8 on Interstate 89.

Get around

• Walking - It is a very small town, walking is an excellent way to get around from the State House and downtown area. You will find that people park their vehicle downtown and then can walk all of downtown and the State House area. Montpelier is a very compact town. Drivers are very courteous to pedestrians at the frequent cross walks you find in the downtown area.
• Green Mountain Transit bus service covers Montpelier and other area communities. A Capital Shuttle operates seasonally.

See

• 1 Vermont State House, 115 State St, ☏ +1 802 828-1411. This golden-domed building is the most notable in the capital and is the meeting-place of the Vermont Legislature. The building is open to the public. Guided tours available late June through October: M-F 10AM-3:30PM, Sa 11AM-2:30PM. Free audio tour wands are available year-round from the Sargent-At-Arms office, off the Main Lobby. (updated Apr 2017)

• 2 Vermont History Museum, 109 State St, ☏ +1 802 828-2291. Pavilion Building. (updated Oct 2016)

• 3 T.W. Wood Gallery, 46 Barre St (At the Center for Arts and Learning), ☏ +1 802-262-6035, twwoodgallery@gmail.com. Tu,W, Th, F, S noon-4PM; Th noon-8PM. (updated Apr 2017)
• 4 Montpelier City Hall. Built in 1908/9 (updated Nov 2017)

Do

• 1 The Morse Farm Sugar Works, 1168 County Rd, toll-free: +1-800-242-2740. Take a free tour of the sugar house and sample the maple syrup. You can even sample some of the different grades of syrup. It is open year round. March is when the maple sap flows and the syrup is made. Try the sugar on snow, maple sugar drizzled over shaved ice. (updated Oct 2016)

• 2 Savoy Theater, 26 Main St, ☏ +1 802 229-0598. This is a small 130 seat theater for independent, alternative and foreign films. They also host the week long Green Mountain Film Festival in March each year and have baby friendly matinees on Monday. (updated Oct 2016)

• Farmers Market, State Street. Open on Saturdays 9AM-2PM from May to October. Produce from numerous organic gardeners and area farms. Flowers, baked goods, breads, herbs and also crafts. 

• Lost Nation Theater, City Hall, 39 Main St. See one of the theater productions or special programs that are available all year long. 

• Summer Evening Concerts (State House Lawn). During the summer every Wednesday night. Free 

• 3 Hubbard Park (Via Spring St. or Winter St. off Route 12), ☏ +1 802 223-7335. 7AM-9PM, gates may be locked around dark. Hike to the top or drive and climb the 50 foot high tower to see a spectacular view from the highest point in the city. Free.  

• Vermont Mountaineers, One Ballpark Rd., ☏ +1 802-223-5224. Attend a Vermont Mountaineers baseball game. The Mountaineers are members of "The New England Collegiate Baseball League" (NECBL) and the league has all NCAA baseball players. Early June to early August. Tickets $4.00, Senior, Student or Military $2.00 and Family Ticket Pack $7.00. Good homemade burgers and hot dogs at the game.  

Learn

• New England Culinary Institute (NECI), +1-877-223-6334 (email:info@neci.edu), has a campus in Montpelier and operates the La Brioche bakery, Main Street Bar & Grill, and the Chef's Table.
• Center for Arts and Learning, 802-595-5252 (email:info@cal-vt.org), is an arts and education center in downtown Montpelier which is committed to enhancing the cultural life of central Vermont through its founding member organizations, as well as embracing individual artists, musicians, and other non-profits in a collaborative and welcoming community.

Buy

• La Brioche Bakery & Cafe, 89 Main St, ☏ +1 802 229-0443. Breads, pastries and cakes. Custom orders available. Open Monday through Friday 6:30AM to 7PM and Saturday 7AM through 5PM. Run by NECI, so the quality will vary as students are learning how to cook. 
• Cool Jewels, 2 State St, ☏ +1 802 223-1718. Beads, rocks, crystals and jewelry. Stop and see the Ultimate Beadbox in the store window. 
• Vermont College of Fine Arts, 36 College St, ☏ +1 802-828-8600. VCFA is the nation's only college devoted exclusively to graduate education in the fine arts. Offering MFA degrees in Graphic Design, Music Composition, Visual Art, Writing, and Writing for Children, VCFA is located on a hilltop campus just above downtown Montpelier. 

Book stores

Enjoy shopping the fine book stores in Montpelier, all within close walking distance.

• Bear Pond Books, 77 Main St, ☏ +1 802 229-0774. New and used books for all ages and interests. (updated Nov 2016)
• The Book Garden, 50 State St, ☏ +1 802 223-2824. Buy used books and new, used and remainder books available. 

Eat

• 1 Bagitos Bagel and Burrito Cafe, 28 Main St., ☏ +1 802-229-9212, info@bagitos.com. Sun-Mon 8am-2pm T-Sa 7am-8pm. Bagitos offers hand rolled and baked fresh-daily bagels with all the trimmings as well as burritos and tacos, great coffee, desserts, beer on tap and a selection of nice wines. Live music many nights of the week 6-8, a lively Irish session every Saturday 2-5 and old time music sessions once a month. $. (updated Apr 2017)

• 2 NECI on Main, 118 Main St, ☏ +1 802 229-9202. Lunch, dinner Tu-Sa. Fine dining and run by the New England Culinary Institute. Reservations are recommended for Dinner. Quality is extremely variable since the food is prepared by students. If you show up early in first week of the session don't be surprised if you get undercooked sides with burnt main dishes or vice versa. (updated Apr 2017)

• 3 Coffee Corner, 83 Main St (Corner of State and Main), ☏ +1 802 229-9060. Breakfast and Lunch Daily 6:30AM-3PM. Mom and Pop Dinner. (updated Apr 2017)

• J Morgans Steakhouse, 100 State St (In Capitol Plaza Hotel), ☏ +1 802 223-5252. Open daily 7AM for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The kids will love to watch locomotives traveling throughout the restaurant. They also have a Sunday Brunch. The menu is fairly pricey for Montpelier, and the meals will run right up against the $50 ethics limit since this is a favorite spot for lobbyists to ply their trade when the Legislature is in session. (updated Apr 2017)

• 4 Julio's Cantina, 54 State St, ☏ +1 802 229-9348. On summer days sitting outside, this restaurant offers the best people-watching in all Montpelier. And the food's not bad, either. (updated Apr 2017)

• 5 Mad Taco, 72 Main St, ☏ +1 802-225-6038. A very good Mexican place (especially by Vermont standards) serving cheap lunches and dinners. It has a few seats, but it's mostly a carryout place. (updated Apr 2017)

• 6 Positive Pie, 22 State St, ☏ +1 802 229-0453. This upscale pizza & pasta place features trendy decor and many local microbrews on tap. Some of the best pizza in the state, though service can be very slow by American standards. (updated Apr 2017)

• 7 Philamena's, 41 Elm St, ☏ +1 802-223-5217. (updated Apr 2017)

• 8 Sarducci's, 3 Main St, ☏ +1 802 223-0229. Authentic Italian cuisine from a wood burning oven serving dinner seven nights a week plus lunch Monday thru Saturday. (updated Apr 2017)

• 9 Skinny Pancake, 89 Main St, ☏ +1 802 262-2253. They feature crepes made into main meals as well as fabulous dessert creations. (updated Apr 2017)

Drink

• 1 McGillicuddy's Irish Pub, 14 Langdon St, ☏ +1 802 223-2721. Another local hangout and sports bar. They have individual speakers that you can tune and listen to the game you are watching. (updated Oct 2016)

• 2 Charlie-O's, 70 Main St, ☏ +1 802 223-6820. This is a real locals bar with pool table and a lot of character. No tabs and pay cash. Great place to meet the locals. (updated Oct 2016)

• 3 Three Penny Taproom, 108 Main St, ☏ +1 802 223-8277. This bar features dozens of craft and micro brews from all over the place. Packed with locals. (updated Oct 2016)

Sleep

• 1 Capital Plaza Hotel, 100 E State St, ☏ +1 802 223-5252. (updated Oct 2016)

• 2 The Inn At Montpelier, 147 Main St, ☏ +1 802 223-2727. (updated Oct 2016)

• 3 Doyle's Guesthouse, 35 School St, ☏ +1 802 223-3535. (updated Oct 2016)

• 4 Econo Lodge, 101 Northfield St, ☏ +1 802 223-5258. (updated Oct 2016)

• 5 Betsy's Bed & Breakfast, 74 E State St, ☏ +1 802 229-0466. (updated Oct 2016)

• The Lazy Pear Gallery and Guesthouse, 154 Main St, ☏ +1 802 223-7680. Fully furnished apartments rented on a monthly basis. 

Go next

Montpelier is an excellent place to stay and get out to see other area sites.

• Stowe, Vermont Ski Resort Area, with hiking, shops and restaurants.
• Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Take a factory tour.
• Cabot Creamery, in Cabot. See how cheese is made.
• Church Street in Burlington. Great shopping, food and bars.
• Rock of Ages Quarry, in Barre. The Quarry is located just a few miles from Montpelier. Take tours of an active granite quarry over 600 feet (182 m) deep.
• Hope Cemetery in Barre, has tombstones of granite that are works of art and in some cases unique. Examples are a race car, soccer ball, a cube balanced on one corner, a biplane and a husband and wife that are side by side in bed overlooking their tombs.

Routes through Montpelier

St. Albans ← Essex Junction ←	N  S	→ White River Junction → Springfield
Burlington ← Richmond ←	N  S	→ White River Junction → Concord
Burlington ← Richmond ←	W  E	→ Jct W → St. Johnsbury
END ←	W  E	→ Barre → Littleton
END ← Jct ←	N  S	→ Northfield → Windsor