This Friendly College Town With Rail-Trails And Historic Charm Is Nestled In A Picturesque Valley In Vermont

With a long history and New England charm, Vermont is known for its stunning scenery and outdoor recreation. The state gets its name from the French phrase for the Green Mountains, 'Les Monts Verts,' and lives up to its reputation as a scenic beauty, with lakes, mountains, and rivers creating an amalgamation of iconic sites, like the New England mountain getaway of Londonderry, or the small town of Stowe, known as "Fall's Color Capital." Just 15 miles west of Rutland is the charming college town of Castleton, rich in Vermont history and standing as a testament to the state's stunning natural beauty.

Located on the shores of Lake Bomoseen, Castleton offers an idyllic lifestyle with local events, swimming and boating on the lake, and nearby hiking trails. Life here is quiet and calm, with residents and visitors enjoying the town's incredible trails and easy access to nearby ski towns.

Visitors from Boston can fly directly to Rutland Southern Vermont Regional Airport, then take the 18-mile drive to Castleton via US-4. If you're coming from somewhere else, you'll need to fly to Burlington International Airport, 66 miles away, and take a drive down US-7 and VT-30 to get to Castleton. You can also enjoy a scenic Amtrak journey from Burlington to Castleton via the Ethan Allen Express Train.

Although Castleton was chartered in 1761, people only began settling in the area over the next couple of decades. The pivotal moment for the town came almost a century later, when the railroad arrived, bringing new settlers and industries with it. The town's Main Street, which remains a popular historical tour site to this day, hosts many of the town's historic buildings, dating back to the 1800s. Castleton University students are also involved in a project to uncover and document the town's lesser-known history, particularly its Native American and African American history.

The arrival of the railways in 1850 allowed the town to flourish. By then, Castleton already had Vermont's first medical college, established in 1818 by Selah Gridley, John Le Conte Cazier, and Theodore Woodward, the latter being the only one actually possessing a medical degree (albeit an honorary one). Although the college closed in 1862, the building remains as part of the Castleton University campus.

Castleton is unique in that it's one of the few towns recorded almost in its entirety as a part of the Historic American Buildings Survey, which now sits in the Library of Congress. Some of the buildings on the list (and available to tour) are the Higley House, a red-brick structure with Gothic-style arches, and the old Cobbler Shop, which is possibly the oldest brick building in all of Vermont. Other notable attractions are the Langdon-Hitchcock House and the Castleton Federated Church, both built by the famous builder Thomas Dake.

Castleton's initial growth was due to the town's University and its slate and marble industry. But by the late 1800s, Castleton's tourism sector began thriving, with trams bringing tourists from all over the state to swim and fish in Lake Bomoseen. Today, Castleton's easy access to outdoor recreation is one of its biggest attractions.

Castleton falls on the historic Delaware and Hudson Trail, a 19.8-mile rail trail that begins in Vermont, moves into New York, and then curves back into Vermont. The northern section of the trail is from Castleton to Poultney, with trailheads located at Castleton University and Main Street, while the southern section ends at Pawlet, just over 8 miles from the cozy New England destination of Dorset, with its four-season charm. You can still see some of the rails embedded into the road in this section, although most of it has been removed and is now a dirt track covered by soft green vegetation. The section between Poultney and Castleton is also colloquially known as the Slate Track, as the original railway was used to carry large amounts of slate and marble between towns.

If long walks aren't for you, you can check out Lake Bomoseen instead. Here you can go fishing, boating, and swimming at the lake during the summer. Book one of the lake-view cottages at Lake Bomoseen Lodge and Taproom for a luxurious lakeside retreat, with complimentary kayak and canoe rentals for a day of fun on the lake. Here's a tip from a previous guest on TripAdvisor: book the 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. pontoon for an incredible sunset cruise.