Central Vermont

Central Vermont's economy once centered on marble quarrying and mills. But today, as in much of the state, tourism drives the economic engine. The center of the dynamo is Killington, the East's largest downhill ski resort, but there's more to discover in central Vermont than high-speed chairlifts and slope-side condos. The old mills of Quechee and Middlebury now house restaurants and shops, with wonderful views of the waterfalls that once powered the mill turbines. Woodstock has upscale shops and a national historic park. Central Vermont is also home to the state's capital, Montpelier.

Away from these settlements, the protected lands (except for occasional logging) of the Green Mountain National Forest are laced with hiking trails.