The 10 Best Things to do in Waitsfield, Vermont (VT)

The Skinner Barn is a beautifully restored historic dairy barn built in 1891 by the Daniel Skinner family. Of classic post and beam construction, it offers a special environment for educational classes, cultural events, parties, and receptions. Flanked by the majestic Northfield Ridge to its east and the mountains that host the Sugarbush and Mad River Glen ski areas to its west, The Skinner Barn offers a quintessential Vermont setting.The upper floor of The Skinner Barn has been restored with loving attention keeping the historical character of the structure intact. This open space, originally designed for hay storage, is now used as an assembly space for a wide range of functions from weddings & rehearsal dinners to theater camps, theater productions, dances and cabaret performances.

Mad River Distillers ferments, distills and bottles whiskey, brandy and rum on our farm in Warren, Vermont. We use regionally sourced non-GMO grains, local fruit and fair trade certified sugar. Our tasting room is in Waitsfield at the Mad River Taste Place, where you can enjoy our local spirits, as well as Vermont cheese, beer, cider and specialty foods.

Spend some time on an authentic working certified organic fruit and vegetable farm in the beautiful Mad River Valley of Vermont. We offer a wide array of veggies & fruit , Hartshorn's maple syrup, and other goodies. We have 4 food festivals: Maple (early April), Strawberry (June), Blueberry (August), and Pumpkin (late September). Participate in a fun, experiential food and farm tour. Learn about organic agriculture, pick some veggies and fruit. Check out our half acre, year round, hydroponic greenhouse and savor the sweet tender flavor of the greens. Visit with our horses, Koko and Amigo. See what Amy's organic medicinal herb, veggie, fruit and flower gardens look like (homeowner scale.) Top if off with a homemade farm to table lunch. We have pick your own strawberries and blueberries. Take a ride around the farm on our cow train. Shop our farm stand. Check out Dave's fall corn stalk display creation, get your pumpkins, mums, apples, and gourds for your Fall decorating.

Est. 2007 Born and raised in Vermont, Stephanie Walker, owner, Walker Contemporary, has 18 years of experience as a contemporary art dealer. Walker began her career at a gallery specializing in 19th & 20th century American impressionist work and then became the Director of a contemporary art gallery on Newbury Street in Boston, where she remained for almost ten years. Before opening her own gallery in Boston in 2008, Walker spent a year living in Los Angeles; traveling all over the country, especially up and down the West coast to fairs, galleries and artists’ studios. It was a pivotal opportunity that solidified and deepened her passion for working with contemporary art and artists. After three years in Boston, Walker moved operations to her home state of Vermont and opened Walker Contemporary in Waitsfield. Walker is deeply committed to the advancement of outstanding contemporary art through the promotion of dedicated, innovative and passionate, emerging and mid-career artists who push the limits of both material and process in order to challenge and inspire the way we see. The gallery is located in historic Waitsfield Village in the beautiful green mountains of Vermont.

The Mad River Taste Place is a learning center, tasting gallery, retail store and gathering place focused on local, artisan food and drink. Over 50 makers are represented with a wide selection of products that range from cultured butter, naturally leavened bread, handmade chocolates, an extensive and changing selection of Vermont cheeses, old-world style charcuterie, craft beer, hard cider, wine and distilled spirits. Many of these products are made within just a few miles of the Taste Place. Our cheesemonger and cicerone are on-hand to offer guided tastings of cheeses, beer, hard cider and distilled spirits. Learn about the producers and what makes their products superior. The difference will be obvious as soon as you taste it. After a hike or morning ski, stop in for a classic European ploughman’s lunch of cheese, charcuterie and bread. Keep the meal local with a pint of Tin Hat hard cider, Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine or a French Press pot of locally roasted Awake Coffee.

Experience the family friendly, stunning timber frame taproom while sipping on world class IPA’s, unique maple brews and other widely appreciated styles of beer, wine, cider and non alcoholic drinks. Enjoy the brewery, four-season beer garden, and local light fare in the picturesque Mad River Valley. Packaged beer and retail merchandise to take home.

Popular Vermont ski area and New England's best ski buy.