Everything worth doing.Within 20 minutes.

Vermont's first commercial vineyard, planted in 1997 on the West Shore Road bluff above the lake — the Champlain Islands' moderating water effect lets Snow Farm grow Riesling and Pinot Noir that wouldn't survive most Vermont winters. The ice wine, made from grapes left on the vine into a hard freeze, is the bottle to bring home. A distillery added in 2023 turns out gin and grappa alongside the wine list.

A cold-climate winery on Route 7 since 1998, working the same Champlain Valley conditions that push Snow Farm's grapes toward brighter acidity. The IAPETUS label covers the natural-wine side of the operation; Eden ice ciders round out the tasting flight for anyone who wants something other than grape. Weekend live music runs through the summer on the lawn. Open until 8:30 most nights — later than anywhere else on this list.

A surf-inspired lounge parked right on the King Street ferry dock — tacos, a loaded patio, and sunset views straight down the lake toward the Adirondacks. It draws a loud, young, boat-shoes crowd on summer weekends, which is either the appeal or the reason to come on a Tuesday instead. Open 11 to 9, Monday through Saturday. Walk over from the Community Boathouse if you've got a slip for the night.

One of Vermont's original farm-to-table dining rooms, inside a Gilded Age Webb-Vanderbilt farmhouse on the 1,400-acre working estate. The kitchen builds the menu around what's coming off the farm that week — Shelburne Farms cheese, its own maple, market-garden produce. Breakfast runs 7:30 to 11 on weekdays; dinner needs a reservation, especially for the porch. Open May through mid-October only — call ahead in shoulder season to confirm it hasn't closed for the year.

An 1891 waterfront inn on City Bay with two different meals depending on the season. The main dining room runs nouvelle American year-round and takes dogs everywhere except inside; the Pier Bar — built out over the water on three sides — opens Father's Day through Labor Day only and is the better seat if the timing lines up. Weekend brunch draws a line by 10. Reserve through Toast or call ahead for a table on the pier at sunset.

The Burlington outpost of the Waterbury original, on Cherry Street next to Hotel Vermont — a nightly-changing menu built on Champlain Valley producers and Green Mountain ranchers. Dinner only, 5 to 10, bar open later. The Butcher Room in back runs a private chef's-choice dinner for parties of six to twelve if you're planning something bigger than a Tuesday reservation. Book ahead; this is the table locals point out-of-towners toward first.

Steps from Waterfront Park on Lake Street — small-batch, constantly rotating taps that put Burlington on the national beer map. The patio faces the water and fills before the sun drops behind the Adirondacks; live music runs some nights, local art hangs on the walls year-round. Sister spot Deep City serves brunch next door Thursday through Monday if you're not ready to leave the block.

The Pine Street beer hall behind the brand that put New England IPA on tap in Vermont back in 2006 — Conehead is still on the board. Mornings run a coffee-beer-and-waffle menu from 8 to 2 that most visitors never find; afternoons shift to the full kitchen. First come, first served on the covered patio, no reservations ever taken.

Burlington's South End waterfront park — two beaches (Blanchard Beach and the Cove), the world's first fully accessible treehouse, and enough grass and shoreline that it doesn't feel like the city five minutes north. Parking runs two dollars an hour May through October; a Burlington Parks season pass or Green Mountain Passport waives it. Good fishing off the southwest corner for smallmouth and the occasional lake trout.

The 14.4-mile rail trail out of Burlington's Waterfront Park, running north into the marble-and-granite Colchester Causeway laid over open water. The gap in the middle — locals call it the Cut — gets bridged by the Local Motion bike ferry, running Friday through Sunday from late May and daily once summer's in full swing. E-bikes have doubled ridership in the past few years, which means longer ferry waits on a July Saturday. Go early.

The most-visited day-use park in Vermont — a 2,000-foot natural sand beach on the causeway between Milton and South Hero, with a stone bathhouse the CCC built in 1935 still standing. Shallow, warm water compared to the open lake, which is why families choose it over the Islands' rockier beaches. Kayak rentals and a food concession on site. No camping; day use only, and it fills.

South Hero's working orchard since 1967 — fifty-plus apple varieties across fifty acres, a farm stand stocked with Vermont specialty foods, and cider donuts that come out of the fryer warm most mornings. The Hackett family has farmed this soil for three generations; the Champlain climate gives the fruit a flavor mainland orchards don't quite match. It's also a marked stop on the Local Motion bike ferry route — pull off the trail and buy a half-dozen for the ride back.

Saturdays at 345 Pine Street, Mother's Day weekend through the end of October — Vermont produce, cheese, and prepared food in the South End, a short walk from Zero Gravity and Switchback if you want to make a whole morning of it. Runs 9 to 2. Get there before eleven for first pick of the bread stalls.

The hub of the Burlington waterfront — 185 slips and 73 moorings, transient dockage from May 15 through October 15, and the departure point for the Spirit of Ethan Allen and Whistling Man Schooner. Free Wi-Fi on the docks courtesy of Burlington Telecom. Reserve a slip through Dockwa or call ahead; walk-up transient space goes fast on a summer weekend.

Family-run rental outfit based right at the Community Boathouse — bowriders and a wake-equipped Chaparral 21 Surf, waterskis and a wakeboard included. The easiest way onto the open lake without owning a boat or knowing anyone who does. Book ahead for a July weekend; call rather than relying on a same-day walk-up.

South Hero's gateway marina on Route 2 — pontoons, kayaks, canoes, and rowboats by the half-day or full day, plus a fuel dock and a small store for the ice and tackle you forgot. Season runs May 15 to October 15, Boathouse open 9 to 6 daily. The default rental fleet for anyone staying on the Islands without a boat of their own.

Lake Champlain's largest cruise ship — a 363-passenger triple-decker running scenic, lunch, brunch, and themed dinner cruises daily out of the Community Boathouse. The sunset cruise is the one to book; the boat turns so everyone gets the light at some point. Reserve ahead in summer, especially for a Friday dinner cruise.

Two wooden-rigged sloops, Friend Ship and Wild Rose, running two-hour sailing cruises out of the Boathouse since 1996. Bring your own food and drink — that's part of the pitch. Late May through early October only. The sunset sail is worth timing your evening around; the wind usually cooperates.

The aquarium and science center anchoring the south end of the Boathouse pier — hands-on lake ecology exhibits, a look at Champ (the lake's own lore), and enough tanks to fill a rainy afternoon with kids. Open daily, 10 to 5. Pair it with lunch at Splash next door and call it a half-day.

Thirty-nine buildings spread across forty-five acres — an assembled collection of Americana that includes a full steamboat, the Ticonderoga, hauled overland from the lake. Open daily, 10 to 5, May 9 through October 25. The Circus Building closes September 28, 2026 for a preservation project and stays shut the rest of the season — check before planning a visit around it specifically.