Chipman Inn or Out

This area is known as Robert Frost country, and there are several sites where you can find out more about the famed poet and his life in the area. Start with a walk on the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail (two miles to the trailhead), then stop by at Robert Frost House, where he spent 39 summers. There are lots of other walking trails in the surrounding Green Mountain National Forest, including the Skylight Pond Trail (10 minutes’ drive) and Silver Lake Trail (15 minutes). In winter, you can get directly out onto 30 miles of cross-country ski trails from the inn or Rikert Outdoor Center (five minutes), or take to the slopes at Middlebury College Snow Bowl (10 minutes). Middlebury (15 minutes) is worth a visit to see the Henry Sheldon Museum and nearby Morgan Horse Farm as well as visiting the attractive Middlebury College. Also nearby are the excellent Shelburne Museum (50 minutes), home to a great collection of American folk art and artefacts like a historic lake steamship, and Fort Ticonderoga (an hour), a key site in the American War of Independence.