Most visitors to Killington and the surrounding area are familiar with the more popular tourist spots like Killington Resort and Thundering Falls Trail, but there are also lesser-known spots around the area that deserve some attention too. Here are five under-the-radar attractions in Killington for you to explore during your stay here.
Wilson Castle
History and architecture buffs will love Wilson Castle. This 19th-century estate turned house museum is a fun, eclectic mix of styles, featuring a Dutch neo-renaissance front gable and Romanesque Revival porte-cochere. Complete with several turrets and brick detailing galore, the castle has over 80 stained glass windows and 13 tile and bronze fireplaces on the interior. Besides this amazing three-story brick residence overflowing with antiques, there are 18 outbuildings on the site include cattle barns and stables, a carriage house, and the glass house (or orangery). The building and site are open seasonally to tours—including haunted tours—as well as being a prime special occasion and wedding destination.
Wilson Castle
West Proctor Road, Rutland VT
802-773-3284
The New England Maple Museum
Less than a half-hour away from Killington in Pittsford is the New England Maple Museum.
Maple syrup and maple products are an important part of Vermont life and have been ever since English settlers adapted and refined processes used by Native Americans living in the area. A visit to the museum takes you through the history of the state’s maple harvesting starting with the Native Americans and features a mural painted by local artists of maple sampling history. The on-site sugar house was one of the first green sugarhouses in the state. Be sure to stop by their museum shop to load up on tons of maple goodies. This area of Vermont, in the forested foothills of the Green Mountains, is full of maples. Only three types of maple trees are used to produce true maple syrup (sugar maple, black maple, and red maple). There are several historic family maple farms near Killington that offer tours of their operations as well as tasting rooms and gift shops, including Baird Farm Maple Syrup and Sugar & Spice Farms.
The New England Maple Museum
4578 US Route 7 North, Pittsford VT
802-483-9414
The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site
If you’re a history buff, this is one site you won’t want to miss. The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, also known as the Coolidge Homestead and the Calvin Coolidge Homestead District, is located in nearby Plymouth. The district includes a visitor’s center, the Coolidge Homestead, a historic one-room schoolhouse, a general store, the Farmer’s Museum, the Coolidge Farm Shop, the Plymouth Cheese Factory (started by Coolidge’s father, and open for tours and samples), and more. The Coolidge Homestead was President Coolidge’s boyhood home, and on August 3, 1923, just hours after President Harding’s death, Coolidge took the oath of office in the formal front parlor of the home. Coolidge and his wife are buried nearby in the town cemetery, which is worth a visit too.
The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site
3780 Route 100A, Plymouth VT
The Billings Farm & Museum
Established in 1871, and a non-profit institution since 1983, today the Billings Farm & Museum is a fully operational dairy farm as well as a museum. While the museum offers its visitors a chance to see what rural farm life was like back in the late 1800s, the working farm showcases current sustainable agricultural practices and breeds an award-winning herd of Jersey dairy cows. The farm is home to Southdown sheep, oxen, and draft horses too, on over 200 acres of farmland and forest. Explore the 1890s Farm Manager’s House and historic barns, now filled with displays of historic farm implements, photographs, and oral histories. Other barns house farm animals and everyone can get up close and personal when petting the animals. The farm also has a dairy bar and offers winter sleigh rides, sheep shearing, and herding demonstrations, an Annual Quilt Exhibition, Antique Tractor Day, Traditional Crafts Day, National Ice Cream Day, and Maple Celebration, among other year-round activities. This is one of our favorite family-friendly things to do near Killington.
Billings Farm & Museum
69 Old River Road, Woodstock (just 20 miles)
802-457-2355
The Norman Rockwell Museum
This small museum houses the world’s largest collection of Rockwell drawings and paintings. The museum exhibits not only include items from their extensive collection of Norman Rockwell illustrations and paintings, including all of his original Saturday Evening Post covers, but past exhibits have included “Land of Enchantment: A Fantastical Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition,” and “Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration.” The museum also offers virtual exhibitions and tours. Norman Rockwell captured a slice of American history through his unique perspective, subtly offering his view on the cultural and political aspects of society around him. A tour of the museum offers a look into the life, style of painting, and thoughts of one of America’s most recognized and talented artists. You can tour the museum and his studio, watch their video offerings, as well as tour the grounds during your visit.
Norman Rockwell Museum
654 US-4, Rutland VT
802-773-6095
