Things to Do in Vergennes, Vermont: Falls, Opera House (2026)

The best things to do in Vergennes, Vermont, are Otter Creek Falls, a show at the 1897 Opera House and the free Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Vergennes is an Addison County city of 2,553 people, the smallest of Vermont’s 10 cities by population.

It was chartered in 1788 as Vermont’s first city, and Ethan Allen suggested naming it for the Comte de Vergennes, France’s foreign minister. During the War of 1812, Thomas Macdonough built and armed the fleet here that beat the British on Lake Champlain.

Otter Creek Falls

Otter Creek flows north through the middle of town and drops 37 feet at the falls, just west of downtown. The falls powered the sawmills and factories that made Vergennes an industrial town in the 1800s. Vergennes was stitched together from parts of three towns at this spot for exactly that water power.

★ Good to know Pair the falls with a walk up Main Street, where many commercial blocks are about 150 years old and built of local stone.

Vergennes Opera House

The people of Vergennes built this hall in 1897 on the second floor of City Hall, at 120 Main Street. It sat dark for 27 years before volunteers restored it and reopened it in 1997, just in time for its 100th birthday. It’s still run entirely by volunteers. The restored hall hosts jazz, folk, classical, opera and theater year-round, and it’s known for its acoustics.

★ Good to know Check the Friends of the Vergennes Opera House calendar before your trip; shows are the best way to see the room.

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

This museum sits right on Lake Champlain at North Harbor, next to Basin Harbor, about 6 miles from downtown. Its 3-acre campus holds more than 10 exhibit buildings, a replica Revolutionary War gunboat, the Philadelphia II, and a replica 18th-century blacksmith forge. Admission is always free.

★ Good to know It’s a seasonal museum, open daily from late May to mid-October; leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds but not inside exhibit buildings.

Rokeby Museum

This farm museum at 4334 US 7 in neighboring Ferrisburgh was home to the Robinson family for almost 200 years. The family were abolitionists, and the Addison County Chamber calls Rokeby one of the best-documented Underground Railroad sites in the country. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1997.

★ Good to know It’s on US 7 north of town, so it fits easily on a drive to or from Burlington.

Button Bay State Park

This 253-acre park sits on a bluff in Ferrisburgh above Lake Champlain, looking west to the Adirondacks. It’s named for the button-like clay concretions found along the shore. There’s a swimming pool with lifeguards, a nature center with a park interpreter, a hiking trail, fishing and campsites. Samuel de Champlain visited in 1609, and Ethan Allen and Ben Franklin came through in 1776.

★ Good to know The park is open from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through the second Monday in October, and day-use fees apply.

Also in town

The Bixby Memorial Free Library hosts book clubs, bridge and tai chi; Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express stops just north of the city.

When to goLate May through mid-October, when the maritime museum and Button Bay are open. The Opera House keeps a year-round schedule.

How long to stayOne day covers downtown, the falls and the maritime museum; add a second for Rokeby and Button Bay.

Heads upThe maritime museum and Button Bay close for the winter, so build a cold-weather visit around downtown and the Opera House.

Getting herePatrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV) is the closest airport with scheduled airline service, about 40 minutes north by car. Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express also stops at Ferrisburgh–Vergennes.

Is Vergennes the smallest city in Vermont?

By population, yes: it had 2,553 people in 2020. Winooski covers less land. The Addison County Chamber bills Vergennes as America’s smallest city, at about 2 square miles.

Is the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum free?

Yes. Admission is always free, and so is parking. The museum is open daily from late May to mid-October.

What is Vergennes known for?

It was Vermont’s first city, chartered in 1788, and Thomas Macdonough built his War of 1812 fleet here. Otter Creek Falls and the 1897 Opera House anchor the small downtown.

What other towns are near Vergennes?

Middlebury, the Addison County shire town, is to the south. For more ideas, see our small towns in Vermont.

Where to find them

Otter Creek Falls Vergennes, VT 05491 Website Directions
Vergennes Opera House 120 Main St., Vergennes, VT 05491 Website Directions
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum 4472 Basin Harbor Road, Vergennes, VT 05491 Website Directions
Rokeby Museum 4334 US 7, Ferrisburgh, VT Website Directions
Button Bay State Park 5 Button Bay State Park Rd., Ferrisburgh, VT 05491 Website Directions