U.S. News Insider Tip: Bring a picnic to enjoy on the museum's spacious grounds, where you'll find picnic tables, benches and plenty of lawn space. – Jen Rose Smith

The Shelburne Museum really does have a little of everything on display. Its 39 buildings brim with Americana and exhibits spanning textiles, exquisitely carved decoys, Vermont firearms, folk art, decorative art and horse-drawn vehicles. A permanent collection of impressionist paintings is a particular highlight, with works by Degas, Cassatt, Manet and Monet.

Ben & Jerry's ice cream is still produced in Vermont – and you could see the sweet stuff churn at a Waterbury factory that's about 30 miles from downtown Burlington. The 30-minute Factory Experience tours are an inside look at the company's manufacturing process and history, starting with its 1978 founding in Burlington. (Keep in mind manufacturing schedules and tour schedules are separate, so you may not get to see ice cream production.) You get a free sample of ice cream, too; recent visitors praised generous sample sizes and the option to choose vegan and dairy-free alternatives.

After the tour, visit the Scoop Shop for cones and sundaes; but, be prepared for a long wait, according to past travelers. Then, pay your respects to discontinued flavors at the Flavor Graveyard. That's where bygone pints, many bearing playful names like Vermonty Python and Ethan Almond, are memorialized with mock gravestones. 

More than 10 miles of walking trails wind through the forests and fields of Shelburne Farms, a grand, 19th-century lakefront estate that's now a nonprofit dedicated to education and sustainable agriculture. It's just 7 miles south of Burlington, and is a popular destination for walkers (leave the dogs, bicycles and drones at home – trained service dogs are permitted).

Your visit should start at the Welcome Center and Farm Store on Harbor Road. That's where you can pick up a trail map, or purchase some of the cheddar cheese, maple syrup and produce produced on-site (plus some goods from other Vermont farms). Accessible via the Farm Barn Trail or the seasonal tractor shuttle is the Farm Barn. Here, meet the animals at the Children's Farmyard or come on cheesemaking days to see the cheesemakers at work (call ahead to ask about cheesemaking schedules). Recent travelers called the farm a highlight of their trips to Vermont and loved the views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains across the water. 

A car-free street buzzing with pedestrians in every season, Church Street Marketplace is downtown Burlington's social hub. In summer months, many of its 30-plus restaurants and cafes throw open their doors to scatter dining tables across the pavement; food trucks cater to festival crowds and revelers enjoying the late-night scene at bars and clubs.

This is also a main shopping destination for downtown Burlington, with options that range from international clothing brands to locally owned boutiques selling maple syrup, pewter, jewelry, art and souvenirs. Recent visitors enjoyed people-watching and browsing shops for unique gifts.

U.S. News Insider Tip: If you're hoping to bring home beer from local breweries but don't have time to visit them all, the best place to pick up cans is the Beverage Warehouse located in Winooski. – Jen Rose Smith

With more breweries per capita than any other state in the United States, Vermont has a well-earned reputation for world-class beer. You can taste your way through award-winning beers, ciders and Vermont's signature hazy and aromatic IPAs at Burlington breweries – many of which are in the city's walkable downtown core and part of the Vermont Brewers Association's Burlington Beer Trail.

This 8-mile, paved path runs along the Lake Champlain waterfront from south of Oakledge Park to the Winooski River, linking up a series of parks, neighborhoods and beaches. It's a popular hangout spot throughout the year, but summer is when the bike path fills with cyclists, walkers, runners and more.

It's mostly flat, and recent visitors have praised its excellent lake views, easy-going terrain and opportunities to detour into neighborhoods with breweries and restaurants. Bring your own wheels or rent a bike at the nonprofit Local Motion, which is located along the path near the Waterfront Park.

Revolutionary War veteran and Vermont founding father Ethan Allen built a small home in Burlington 1787, and that local history is preserved at the city's Ethan Allen Homestead Museum. The restored Allen House is just one part of the broader museum grounds, however. The main museum building is a converted 1930s barn that contains a gift shop, permanent installations and a recreated 18th-century tavern. Also within the main museum are exhibits on Abenaki culture and the Green Mountain Boys militia that Allen led. A monthly lecture series covers Vermont and early American history, its topics ranging from gardening to artisanal crafts to Abenaki culture. And in case you were wondering, Vermont-founded furniture brand Ethan Allen was named in honor of the American legend.

Recent visitors to the homestead said they spent more time exploring the grounds than the museum itself. The grounds feature a recreated 18th-century garden, recreated Abenaki village Negôni Alnôbaakik and 4 miles of walking trails through wetlands and riverside habitat.

Once a hardworking stretch of factories and loading docks, the Burlington Waterfront is now the best place in the city to catch sunsets over Lake Champlain and New York's Adirondack Mountains. Cyclists pedal along the Burlington Bike Path, and warm weather fills the waterfront's expansive lawns with picknickers, volleyball games and book-toting students from nearby collages. Recent visitors loved the swinging loveseats with views of Lake Champlain, and mentioned hands-on science and natural history museum ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain as another waterfront highlight.

Visitors can choose from a range of sightseeing boat tours that depart the waterfront in the summer. Some daily cruises on the Spirit of Ethan Allen include narrated tours, while others feature buffet meals or brunch; the Whistling Man Schooner Co. has tours aboard historic Friendship sloop sailboats.

A centerpiece of the Burlington Waterfront, science and nature museum ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain is a favorite stop for young families. Daily programming includes engineering challenges and animal presentations, with 3D film lineups that make the natural world the focus. Other permanent exhibits focus on invasive species, weather patterns of Lake Champlain, turtles and engineering. The Champ Lane Early Learning Exhibit is designed with the youngest children in mind, and hosts weekly story times for preschoolers and their caregivers.

Recent visitors mentioned hands-on activities ideal for children, as well as crowd-pleasing aquarium animals that range from American eels to spotted turtles to yellow perch.

U.S. News Insider Tip: The popular Switchback Brewing Company is walking distance away from the park, less than a half-mile, with craft beers on tap and a menu of hot dogs and snacks. – Jen Rose Smith

Framing the Lake Champlain shoreline in Burlington's laid-back South End, this family-friendly park bustles through the warm-weather months. Visitors can stroll walking trails or play at bocce, volleyball and tennis courts. There are also picnic tables and plenty of lawn for lounging.

Agricultural traditions remain a point of pride in mostly rural Vermont, where seasonal farmers' markets double as social hubs – a place to stock up on fresh produce, maple syrup and all the week's gossip. The Burlington Farmers Market is the state's most substantial event, with dozens of vendors selling agricultural products, prepared food and crafts. Bring a shopping bag to stock up on gifts and souvenirs: Easy-to-pack highlights include maple candies, fruit preserves, dried Vermont cranberries, handmade jewelry and more.

While the market runs year-round, the Saturday markets that run from mid-May through the end of October are by far the biggest, drawing crowds energized by summer produce, more vendors and an open-air venue on Pine Street. Aside from a limited number of accessible spaces reserved for visitors, there is no parking on-site; parking can be found on South Champlain Street, Howard Street and a few lots nearby. Winter markets are every other Saturday from mid-November through late April. The winter market location tends to change, so plan to check the website before departure.

Burlington's main venue for stand-up comedy is Vermont Comedy Club, where appearances range from touring comedians (such as Ron Funches, who plays Cooper in the "Trolls" franchise) to locals who try their hand at telling jokes at the club's weekly stand-up open mikes. Shows at the Vermont Comedy Club have an intimate feel, even when events are sold out; the showroom seats no more than 140 people at cabaret tables.

In addition to stand-up, the Vermont Comedy Club schedule includes drag brunches, karaoke, trivia, improv and showcases by students attending the club's improv classes. Recent travelers called out the great atmosphere and friendly. Seating is first-come, first-serve and is all on one level, so visibility can be a bit limited from the back.

The Green Mountain Audubon Center is a 255-acre nature preserve with 5 miles of hiking trails through forest managed for healthy birds and wildlife. You'll need a car for the 19-mile trip from downtown Burlington, a journey that takes you from the Champlain Valley into the more rugged terrain of Vermont's Green Mountains. Stop by the Education Barn on Sherman Hollow Road to grab a trail map and start exploring.

Recent visitors loved the riverside walking opportunities, and a duck blind with sheltered views of beaver and bird habitat. The center's trails wind through hemlock swamp and northern hardwood forest, which are habitats for more than 100 bird species, including red-eyed vireos and rose-breasted grosbeak. Listen for the liquid, musical call of the hermit thrush: It's the Vermont state bird and is renowned for its beautiful song.

Founded in 1931 on the beautiful University of Vermont campus, the Fleming Museum of Art houses 24,000 objects exploring art and anthropology from around the globe. Its permanent collections span pre-Columbian sculpture to Native American, Asian, African and Oceanic artwork. More than 8,000 objects belong to the wide-ranging American art collection, comprising First World War recruiting posters to historic farm tools, Tiffany & Co. flatware and historic dresses. (There's even a small-but-intriguing collection of dolls, spanning century-old toys to 1960s Barbies.)

Just as fascinating is the museum's Vermont collection, which features 19th-century canvases depicting Burlington Bay and the facing Adirondack Mountains. Visitors to the Fleming Museum of Art praised the eclectic collection and attentive staff ­– and mentioned the museum is a great Burlington activity on cold or rainy days. While you're there, take some time to explore the surrounding university campus, whose architectural highlights include a long list of grand buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The oldest surviving building, Grasse Mount, was built in 1804 and was once home to Vermont governor Cornelius P. Van Ness.

When you're in the mood for a show, look no further than the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. Originally opened in 1930, the Flynn serves as the cultural pulse of Burlington, showcasing everything from a live ballet performance one night to a mariachi band the next. Among the local groups that call the Flynn home are the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and the Vermont Youth Orchestra.

Past visitors appreciated the venue, complete with its old-fashioned marquee and art deco interior.