Audio Walking Tour of Manchester

Manchester has its own historical walking tour that is self-guided using the Travel Storys app. It goes from the Manchester Village area, where the Equinox and Kimpton Taconic hotels are located, and into Manchester Center, with information about landmarks along the way using your app’s GPS. Depending on how long you spend at each stop, it should take around 45 minutes. This is a great way to get acquainted with the area and you can do it whenever you have time. Download the app here before you arrive! No registration is required.

Spots: Unlimited

Available: Anytime

Fitness Level: 1

Land Rover Driving Experience

What better way to take in Vermont than while driving a top-of-the-line Land Rover at one of three driving experiences in the nation. Develop your driving skills with expert coaching including navigating steep inclines and descents with the Green Mountains as your backdrop. This experience is offered year-round from the office across the street from the Equinox. 

Spots: 40 total

Available: Morning, Afternoon

Fitness Level: 1

Exclusive Tour of Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home

Located on 412 acres in Manchester Village, the historic Lincoln family estate Hildene is a favorite destination for locals and visitors alike. Whether you’re a history buff, a nature lover, or a fan of gorgeous architecture, Hildene offers amazing grounds and gardens, trails, Hildene Farm, informative tours, engaging exhibits, and a fabulous museum store. The home also retains many of the original furnishings. 

Don’t miss the restored 1903 Pullman railcar “Sunbeam” and the “Many Voices” exhibit (the southernmost stop on Vermont’s African American Heritage Trail). You can also admire the mountain views from the garden.

This tour visits the historic home, the wooden Pullman car (one of six remaining in the country!), and the farm, with visits to the goat dairy and cheesemaking facility with tastings on a day when it is not generally open to the public.

Spots: 40

Available: Afternoon

Fitness Level: 2

Skiing tour at Bromley Ski Area

Bromley, a.k.a. Vermont’s Sun Mountain, is your family-friendly ski resort with 47 trails that funnel to one centralized base area. Opened in 1936 by Fred Pabst Jr. of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer fame, it has been geared toward families ever since. 

Bromley’s southern exposure makes it a sunny mountain too. Recent upgrades to Bromley’s base lodge, improved snowmaking and continued attractive family ski pricing make Bromley a good choice for young families skiing Vermont’s Green Mountains – in white.

Located only 15 minutes from Manchester, this guided ski tour will explore the blue and green slopes. Note that for this tour, ski rentals are not included but are available onsite.

Spots: 15, Available: Morning

Fitness Level: 5 *Must be an intermediate skier comfortable on blue trails.

Fly Fishing History Tour

Manchester has a long history with the sport of fly fishing. This tour starts with a guided visit to the American Museum of Fly Fishing, which has artifacts like vintage reels, hand tied flies, and hundreds of paintings.

From there, you can go to the nearby Orvis Flagship store. Orvis is a family-run retail and mail order business founded in 1856 in Manchester by Charles F. Orvis. The company specializes in high end fly-fishing, hunting, and sporting goods.

Both locations are a short walk from the Equinox.

Spots: 10

Available: Morning, Afternoon

Fitness Level: 2

Historic Marble Rail Trail

From 1904 to 1925, the Manchester, Dorset & Granville Railroad line, moved marble from the quarries in Dorset to Manchester Depot. After being cut and polished at the finishing mill, blocks of marble left Manchester on another train headed to New York City to build massive structures such as the New York Public Library. The rails were pulled up in 1934. Today, the rail bed has been transformed into a 2.5 mile stone multi-use path for walking, running and bicycling.