Burlington is comprised of three distinct areas: the UVM campus atop the hill, the downtown area flanking the popular Church Street Marketplace, and the waterfront along Lake Champlain.
University of Vermont -- Founded in 1791, and funded by a state donation of 29,000 acres of forest land across 120 townships, the university now has grown to accommodate 7,700 undergraduates and 1,200 graduate students, plus 300 medical students. The campus is set on 400 acres atop a hill overlooking downtown and Lake Champlain to the west and offers a glorious prospect of the Green Mountains to the east. The school has more than 400 buildings, many of which were designed by noted architects of their day, including H. H. Richardson and McKim, Mead, and White. (By the way, it's UVM, not UVT; the initials stand for Universitas Virdis Montis, or University of the Green Mountains.)
UVM doesn't have a college neighborhood with bars and bookstores immediately adjacent to the campus, as is common at many universities. Downtown serves that function. Downtown and the campus are 5 blocks from one another, connected via aptly named College Street. A shuttle, which looks like an old-fashioned trolley, runs daily on College Street between the Community Boathouse on the waterfront and the campus, and operates year-round between 11am and 9pm -- and it's free.
Church Street Marketplace -- Downtown centers around the Church Street Marketplace, a pedestrian mall that's alive with activity throughout the year. This is the place to wander without purpose and watch the crowds; you can always find a cafe or ice cream shop to rest your feet. While the shopping and grazing is good here, don't overlook the superb historic commercial architecture that graces much of downtown. A number of side streets radiate from Church Street, with an appealing amalgam of restaurants, shops, and offices.
The Waterfront -- The waterfront has benefited from a $6 million renovation centered around Union Station at the foot of Main Street. The renovation includes some newly constructed buildings such as the Wing Building, an appealingly quirky structure of brushed steel and other nontraditional materials, blending in nicely with the more rustic parts of the waterfront. Next door is the Cornerstone Building, with a restaurant and offices, offering better views of the lake from its higher vantage. Nearby, the city's Community Boathouse is an exceptionally inviting destination on a summer's day . Bear in mind that Burlingtonians accept a fairly liberal definition of the adjective "lakeside." In some cases, it may mean the shop or restaurant is 100 yards or so from the lake.
