Rutland VT with kids
 

Have a wedding near Rutland this fall. Staying at the Best Western (Hampton Inn has no availability).

What are some good dining options (any cuisine) with kids? And how about local attractions?

So far the plan is to stop in Quechee on the way there...hike to the gorge, maybe visit the Montshire Museum. And on the way home we plan to stop in Weston to visit the Vermont Country store.

Are there any nice, family hikes near Rutland? Any fun parks for the kids?

Thanks.

Check the ski areas for off season activities, Okemo is about a half hour south and has lots:

http://www.okemo.com/explore/otherseasons.asp

Casual restaurants in Rutland..Yellow Deli and Table 24.
Killington Ski area is outside of town.
The best place on your list for kids is Montshire Museum, a must do,hands on, well done children's museum.Don't miss it. You'll like the Vermont Country Store and the kids will like the candy there.

Hathaway Farm in Rutland is fun.
http://www.hathawayfarm.com/

The Montshire Museum is great. Take a picnic lunch because you'll want to stay a long time. We went in summer when water play was great but it's outdoors. We had our gds change into bathing suits after lunch. They loved it there.

We haven't gone to watch the hawk migration that takes place in the fall. Are you driving on Rt 101? I believe there's a hawk watch place on Pack Monadnock. There's also one in Concord.
http://www.nhaudubon.org/locations/raptor-observatories

How old are the kids? For sure, get off the commercial drag and explore downtown. There is a new Children's Museum there, unsure of the hours. Apple picking; Mendon Mountain Orchards is the closest. Pine Hill Park offers great hiking, and it's in Rutland, at Gorgetti Park, on the northern part of town. From there, you can do a trail to or/and overlooking Rocky Pond. Rutland also has a very fun, unique attraction, a salt cave, across from Walmart Plaza.

Sals is a very good, hole-in-the wall local Italian Restaurant, on West Street.

The hawk migration is excellent from Mt. Philo, a very doable short mountain hike, maybe an hour north of Rutland. A corn maze might also be fun, but not sure where.

A great place to go with kids is Billings Farm Museum just outside Woodstock Vt. It's a turn of the century working farm with lots of activities - ice cream making, horse drawn wagon rides, animal demos,etc. Just across the road is the Rockefeller Estate, with lots of walking trails.

Thanks everyone!

Kids will be 4 and 6.

dfrost - we will take I89 to get there and 101 back.

On the way we will stop at the Montshire Museum...hopefully the outdoor water play area will still be open! Need to check their website.

I think we'll do Billings Farm before the wedding...assuming it's a late afternoon wedding of course. We'll do this instead of hiking since it looks fun.

On the way home we will go thru Weston to visit the VT Country Store. So maybe we'll hit Pack Monadnock on the way back.

No apple picking or corn mazes necessary...we live in NH. We do love to do both!

Will check out Sals...everyone in our group likes Italian.

Any good sushi places?

There's a small Japanese restaurant on West Street in Rutland that has good sushi, but I've heard that there's also a place up on the mountain that has an hibachi bar, which would be great fun for the kids, and it has a good reputation. Can anyone help me out on the name?

You didn't ask about breakfast spots, but Sugar and Spice, heading up the mountain, is excellent, and very kid-friendly.

cattail - I had come across Sugar and Spice while searching. Thanks for mentioning it. Looks like a nice breakfast option.

And thanks for the sushi rec!