Get ready for a jam-packed getaway of total-solar-eclipse fun in Vermont.
Although it ’s gorgeous all year - round , this spring is an particularly good clip to escapeBostonand embark on a conifer - dapple route misstep to Burlington , Vermont .
nest along Lake Champlain ’s shore with the Adirondacks to the due south , the college townspeople long - know for its eco - forward mindset and esthetic cache has a astronomic 2024 destiny that only four other East Coast placement can brag about : It stands squarely in the course of totality for the April 8 total solar occultation — and is set to feel three minute and sixteen second gear of supernal fear that afternoon when the moon entirely block the sunlight .
Solar eclipse events in Burlington, VT
Burlington bear nearly 35,000 visitors for its unobstructed view of the 2024 occultation . Kick things off on April 5 with a cultural exploration of eclipses atTotality Talks : Omens from Above : A Curious History of Eclipses as Signs , and terminate the dark with cocktails , a makers ' market , food trucks , and springy medicine at theIlluminate Vermontstreet festival .
On eclipse eve , April 7 , Obscura BTV and VTIFF PresentMoonflix Matinee : 100 Years of Short Films About the Moon , a curated collection of five employment , include the 1926 shortMoonland — about a male child and dog on an interstellar visit , complete with mammoth mushrooms , castles , and a curmudgeonly lunar month man . As the sun rises for its big day on April 8 , Burlington ’s choice public viewing blot like the Waterfront and Battery Parks will welcome Guest , and declamatory blank space feature ticket celebration , like the drome ’s outcome , Transcend : Experience The Solar Eclipse(think : unrecorded bands and deep - fried cookie ) .
Similarly , ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlainhas partnered with the Vermont Astronomical Society on an educational knock with scope , sun - oculars , and a nationwide eclipse live - stream . Otherwise , bundle your favourite Martian costume and join the shenanigans atVenetian Soda Lounge , where they ’ll have cosmic - theme craft cocktails , a costume competition , and live bands .
South End|LeoPatrizi/Getty Images
Consider institute your bicycle or taking the city ’s eclipse shuttle regardless of which event you attend . roadstead go to major screening areas will be close , and parking will be confine , given the once - in - a - life-time vibration of the event .
Travel time
3.5 hours from Boston
More things to do in Burlington, VT
Between occultation events , Burlington ’s eclectic God Almighty ' scene offers everything from Ghanaian - cheer bead jewellery atAkweley Designto tinctures atRailyard Apothecary . The beloved Church Street Marketplace embodies the spirit of Burlington with shops likeKeep Vermont Weird , Burlington City Arts , Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center , and pet - friendly coffee hub likeThe Cosmic Grind .
Head over to Burlington ’s South End — a locality steeped in esthetic ventures — with shops likeMontstream Studio , where you ’ll find stack of smaller , easy - to - pack picture and little works . Along the agency , savor the metropolis ’s vivacious murals .
Burlington ’s declamatory medicine venue , High Ground , is part of a robust community of music - drive venues like the multi hyphenate café - gallery - music spotArts Riot Distillery . Do n’t miss out onRadio Bean and Light Club Lamp Shop — a soulful , beguiling zoological garden of craft cocktail , fibber , and live music — with plenty of quirky vintage lamps strew about .
have a go at it that Phish got their showtime on the street of Burlington , it ’s no surprise you ’ll find a prospering busker scene , so your full occultation experience will have a complain - roll in the hay soundtrack at the ready .
Restaurants and bars in Burlington, VT
When it ’s time to fuel up , take advantage of the Lake Champlain view at the iconic seafood hutch , hut on the Shore , Santiago’sCuban - inspired cuisine , or mark a creemee ( Vermont - speak for soft - serve frosting cream ) atBurlington Bay Café .
Those crave a Parisian bite can dine atLeunig’sor knowing Burlington will be interfering , gossip the many topically source shops likeThe Mill Marketif the eating place are booked . Breakfast ? The folk atAugust Firstserve it all day , and the famedSkinny Pancakehas waterfront survey .
A wiliness brewery haven like Burlington wo n’t let down during eclipse fandom . Head to Pine Street , home toZero Gravityand more . Far from a one - hit wonder , however , Burlington ’s drunkenness range is unmatched with theRi RaIrish Pub , nearbyShelburne Vineyard , and later - nighttime red-hot spotRed Square .
South End|Photo credit: Nick-Edwards, photo courtesy of Hello Burlington
Where to stay in Burlington, VT
Popular spots likeHilton Burlington Lake Champlainare booking fast , but in addition to checking online , you may want to call property likeGreen Mountain Suits HotelandMade Inn Vermont B&B. Even if they ’re sold out , these locals might bang someone with a bang-up Airbnb , Vrbo , or campsite - style holding .
