SIGHTSEEING

Guided Sightseeing Tours

Looking for a Vermont sightseeing adventure? Let us show you around! We at ATA have been exploring Vermont for more than 30 years―and our Sightseeing Day Tours are a great way to see the area’s best local attractions. We will show you local, secret sites off the map, such as waterfalls, swimming holes, scenic local roads and automobile-accessed jaw-dropping vistas.

Tours also include quaint villages, historical sites, gold and marble mines, local country stores, Vermont artisans’ stores, iron furnaces and forges, covered bridges, cheese tasting, brewery tours, antiquing and much more! John is amateur Vermont historian with a vast knowledge of the states geology, culture and the past and current industries from mining, maple, timber, mill to farming. One of John’s favorite is sharing the fascinating history of the Vermont marble industry and its role with Supreme Court building, the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Jefferson Memorial and even the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.

Our 1- to 8-hour tours can be customized based on your own personal interests. Sightseeing tours can be combined with a hiking excursion, kayaking adventure or caving trip to make a full day’s adventure you will recall for years to come!

For our personalized sightseeing tour prices, see ATA’s Guided Day Adventure Rates webpage. Please call or contact John for group availability and for more information; though he might be out leading a tour, so please leave a message or use our reservation form to book your adventure.

OUR SIGHTSEEING TOURS CAN INCLUDE:

\

Waterfalls

\

Swimming holes

\

Scenic local roads

\

Automobile-accessed jaw-dropping vistas

\

Quaint villages

\

Historical sites

\

Gold and marble mines

\

Local country stores

\

Vermont artisans’ stores

\

Iron furnaces and forges

\

Covered bridges

\

Cheese makers and tasting

\

Brewery tour

\

Antiquing

\

And much more!

Waterfall, Cliff Jumping & Swimming Hole Adventures

Swimming Hole Adventures

Want to enjoy the perfect family activity? Let us guide you to our favorite swimming holes located all over the state. Our experts know where to locate the best family–friendly swimming holes where you can splash, play, and cool off in beautiful, refreshing streams. These 2-to-3-hour tours include 30 to 60 minutes of driving. Longer trips are available as well!

Triple Waterfall & Swimming Hole Tour

This is one of our family-friendly favorites—rivers a half mile in length consist of three swimming holes, each one with its own unique personality, ledges to jump from and fun play areas. This area is about 30 minutes away from Killington, and we offer both 1– and 2-hour tours.

Waterfall Drive-By Tour

Visit the area‘s most impressive waterfalls, combining driving with short, easy hikes. We have two areas to choose from, depending on your group‘s desires. These tours take approximately 2-to 3- hours, including driving time.

Cliff Jumping Adventure

Perhaps you‘d prefer an adrenaline rush and would enjoy jumping off a 10-, 20- or 30-foot cliff? If so, you’re in luck! We offer multiple spots all over the state to engage your inner daredevil, with a couple of our favorites only a 20–to–60–minute drive from Killington. Not including driving time, adventures last an hour or longer.

For our personalized sightseeing tour prices, see ATA’s Guided Day Adventure Rates webpage.

MARBLE INDUSTRY ADVENTURES

Marble Quarry Tunnel Tour

Unlike other quarries that were primarily just large holes dug into the Earth, the marble quarry tunnel is unique in that it’s a deep, arch-shaped cavern dug directly into the east slope of a mountain. The mine features offshoot passageways and a large pond of water that freezes solid in the wintertime, making it a perfect (and unique!) spot for ice skating.

The Marble Quarry Tunnel Tour is a lasting reminder of the small town’s colorful past, including a huge mining boom in the late 1700s due to the high quality and uniquely colored marble that occupied the mountain bedrock. From the year 1785 when the first marble quarry broke ground up until the 1920s, marble from the surrounding quarries found its place in the architecture of cities like New York and Washington, D.C. Drive time from Killington is 1 hour, and this tour features a 1.5-mile round–trip hike on a logging road. Including driving time, the tour lasts approximately 3 hours.

Marble Industry Tour

ATA’s Marble Industry Tour is a combined tour of beautiful old flooded marble quarries and local artist sculptures with visits to the Marble Museum and gift shop as well. Learn the fascinating history of the Vermont marble industry and its role in constructing the Supreme Court building, Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Jefferson Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Including driving time, this tour is approximately 3 to 4 hours in duration.

For our personalized sightseeing tour prices, see ATA’s Guided Day Adventure Rates webpage.

GOLD MINE ADVENTURES

Gold Panning Adventure

Roll up your sleeves and learn how to pan for gold! We provide all needed supplies, and your guide will teach you the art of panning. Learn how to tell the difference between real gold and “fool’s gold.” This educational experience is filled with fun and perhaps even a souvenir of found gold for show and tell when you get back home! The Gold Panning Adventure is 1 to 2 hours in duration, depending on group size and location.

Gold Mine Tours

The Single Gold Mine Tour can take 2 to 3 hours, including driving, hiking and exploring time. The total hike distance is just under 2 miles. The mine(s) themselves are very small lengthwise, the longest just 200 feet in length.

The Multi Gold Mine Tour takes 3 to 4+ hours, depending on group size, hiking pace and mines visited (with 3-5–mile hikes). The mine(s) themselves are very small length wise, the longest just 200 feet in length.

Gold Industry Tour

Are you ready to strike it rich and have some fun along the way? ATA’s Gold Industry Tour is an enjoyable day trip for the whole family. You can pan for gold, explore a real gold mine from 1860s, visit gold mill remains and learn all about Vermont’s mining history during this informative guided tour. Hiking distance can vary from 3+ miles, if desired. Tours are 3 to 5 hours in duration, depending on group size, ability and sites visited.

For our personalized sightseeing tour prices, see ATA’s Guided Day Adventure Rates webpage.

AUTOMOBILE ADVENTURES

Fire Lookout Tower Tour

This is the perfect sightseeing tour for families and/or those with limited time or physical abilities. Located approximately 30 minutes from Killington, it requires a drive up a beautiful steep mountain road. The easy road hike is less than half a mile uphill, leading to the fire tower. The summit is wooded, so you’ll need to climb the fire tower stairs that give way to jaw-dropping 360-degree views of the surrounding area. Please note: Those afraid of heights might not enjoy this climb.

Waterfall Drive-By Tour

Visit the area’s most impressive waterfalls, combining driving with short, easy hikes. We have two areas to choose from, depending on your group’s desires. These tours take approximately 3 hours, including driving time.

Fall Foliage Back Road Tour

Come watch Vermont’s Green Mountains transform as Mother Nature works her artistry, painting the mountainsides with brilliant oranges, reds and yellows amidst the backdrop of evergreen trees. New England is legendary for its spectacular autumn colors, and “leaf peepers“ will love our 2-to-3-hour Fall Foliage Back Road Tour.

Covered Bridge Tour

This 3-hour tour stops at four bridges, three of which were built around 1840 and span 120 to 140 feet. A few have town lattice construction. Also see the famous marble bridge built by the Vermont Marble Company in 1922.

Brewery & Spirits Tour

ATA’s Brewery & Spirits Tour visits three Vermont breweries and a distillery as well, boasting great conversation amidst beautiful scenery. We have multiple minivans that can accommodate six passengers plus a driver. Tour duration is approximately 4 to 6 hours, depending on group size and location(s) visited.

Cemetery Tour

Exploring a cemetery full of tombstones might seem pretty creepy, and you might in fact find this idea unsettling or even flat-out wrong. However, by examining a “city of the dead,” we can actually learn a lot about how people in the past lived and perhaps even gain clues on how we should live today. What type of cemetery are these ancestors buried in, why does that cemetery exist, is it a town/city cemetery, is it a faith-based cemetery, is it a military or family cemetery? These tours are 100% custom, lasting from 1 to 2+ hours.

During the 17th century there were a number of premature burials. One gentleman with a fear of catching sleeping sickness, which would give the illusion of was buried in a specially prepared grave. The burial vault has two rooms. One for husband and the other for his wife. The burial vault is arched with stairs (capped by the stone in the lower front of the mound) and leads to the two rooms, with the viewing window at the top of the shaft. The 14×14 inch plate glass allowing him to gaze upward in the event that he was buried alive.

For our personalized sightseeing tour prices, see ATA’s Guided Day Adventure Rates webpage.

VILLAGE ADVENTURES

Our guided Village Tours are a great way to get to know Vermont by exploring its many historic towns and villages. Our quaint tours of Woodstock, Quechee, Manchester, Weston, Stowe and Middlebury include stops at historical sites, country stores, covered bridges and Vermont artisans’ stores and include cheese tasting, antiquing, glass blowing and much more! Whether located near a waterfall that was employed as an early energy source or situated near abundant natural resources such as marble or slate, these towns’ stories are captured forever in their buildings, streetscapes and landscapes. Vermont’s historic homes and sites include residences of writers and one U.S. president, natural history museums and American Revolution battlefields. There are also homes that preserve and honor the state’s diverse history with independent, self-sufficient farmers, inventors and citizen politicians among its many residents. Tour duration depends on location (3-hour minimum).

Vermont Village & Country Store Adventure

One of our favorite rainy-day adventures, the Country Store Tour provides an authentic “local” feel and includes stops at historical sites, artisan stores and a real Vermont country store that opened its doors in 1946: fun for all genders and ages! You can spend an hour browsing old products, toys, unique items, fudge, maple syrup and cheese, and even engage in food tasting. This fun tour is 3 to 4 hours in duration.

Middlebury Village Tour

The historical village center is developed along the scenic Otter Creek and listed in the National Register of Historic Places with its architecturally distinguished buildings. We start with a quick drive through the Middlebury College campus, one of America’s most prestigious institutions, founded in 1800. At the Old Marble Works, enjoy refreshments overlooking Otter Creek Falls, which flows under a beautiful stone double–arch bridge in the heart of downtown. Afterwards, we’ll walk across the foot bridge and visit the Frog Hollow Galleries, a unique collection of traditional and contemporary Vermont crafts from over 250 Vermont artisans. Down the street, we stop to check out art galleries, rare bookstores and pottery shops. The village is also home to Danforth Pewter and the Vermont Soap Factory, our final destinations. This fun tour is 3 to 4 hours in duration, or longer if desired!

Manchester Village Tour

In the picturesque Green Mountains of Southern Vermont is the historic town of Manchester, nestled at the foot of 3,816-foot Mount Equinox. Home to the finest brand–name outlets in the country, Manchester is a unique blend of New England charm, style, art and culture. The area is alive with quaint inns, bed and breakfasts, antique shops and museums. History buffs will enjoy a tour the Hildene Estate, the Lincoln Family Home, while art lovers will appreciate the Southern Vermont Arts Center Permanent Collection, highlighting contributions of the original founders. The Collection is comprised of over 1,000 objects including paintings, etchings and sculptures, spanning a significant period in regional American art history.

Woodstock & Quechee Villages Tour

Words like romantic, magical and historic are often used to describe the quaint village of Woodstock, called the “prettiest small town in America.” First settled in 1768, it retains the elegant charm and rugged character of American antiquity. With a covered bridge in the middle of town and stately homes surrounding the village green, it is easy to see why Woodstock is sometimes also referred to as the “quintessential New England village.” Downtown is filled with art galleries and shops, including Gillingham & Sons, the oldest general store in Vermont. Established in 1886, the shop carries the finest products from the state and around the world. You can buy everything from snowshoes to banjos, with cheese and a chardonnay in between.

In Quechee, we start our excursion at Simon Pearce Glass and Pottery, where you can watch glass–blowing artists perfect their craft. We then view the incredible falls separating downtown and, if desired, visit the Vermont Institute of Natural Science: enjoying up-close encounters with owls, bald eagles and peregrine falcons, the fastest animals in the world! Around the corner is Quechee Gorge, a 187-foot-deep ravine formed during the last ice age. Next door is The Country Store, an antique mall consisting of more than 450 dealers, 150 of whom occupy a craft center. At the Quechee Cabot Cheese Store, sample Cabot’s award-winning flavored and traditional cheeses, including the “World’s Best Cheddar.“