The heart of the town is the shady, elliptical Woodstock Green. The famous Admiral George Dewey spent his later years in Woodstock, and local folks may explain very convincingly that the green was laid out in the shape of Dewey's flagship. This is such a fine and believable explanation for the odd, cigar-shaped green that it causes no small amount of distress to note that the green was in place by 1830, or 7 years before Dewey was born.
To put local history in perspective, stop by the Woodstock Historical Society, 26 Elm St. (tel. 802/457-1822). Housed in the 1807 Charles Dana House, this beautiful home has rooms furnished in Federal, Empire, and Victorian styles, and offers displays of dolls, costumes, and early silver and glass. The Dana House and adjoining buildings with more exhibits are open from late May to the end of October, plus weekends in December. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from noon to 4pm. Admission is $2.
Beer Here Now!--In Bridgewater Corners, a few miles west of downtown Woodstock on Route 4 -- it's just past the junction with Route 100A -- sits the newish brewery that is headquarters to the Long Trail Brewing Co. (tel. 802/672-5011; www.longtrail.com). The company's ales are renowned throughout the state of Vermont, and if you visit you'll soon learn why.
Drop by for some free samples of the various seasonal brews (ask the bartender to set you up), nosh on a basket of free popcorn, buy a six-pack or T-shirt for the road at the small gift shop, or hunker down for some burgers and beer on the patio, with its woodsy views. The surrounding hillsides are especially beautiful in autumn and winter.
A Side Trip to Quechee--About 5 miles east of Woodstock is the riverside village of Quechee (kwee-chee). This picturesque town still revolves spiritually and economically around the restored brick mill building along the falls. Simon Pearce Glass (tel. 802/295-2711) makes fine glassware and pottery from the former Downer's Mill, a historic structure that now houses a glassmaking operation, retail store, and well-regarded restaurant. Visitors can watch glass blowing take place weekdays and summer weekends from a downstairs viewing gallery. It's open daily from 9am to 9pm.
Birders and other wildlife aficionados will enjoy a trip to the Vermont Raptor Center (tel. 802/457-2779), newly relocated to Quechee and home to some two dozen species of birds of prey that have been injured and can no longer survive in the wild. The winged residents typically include bald eagles, great horned owls, peregrine falcons, saw-whet owls, and an array of hawks. At press time, rates and opening hours were not set for the 2004 reopening in the new facility; call for updated prices and hours of operation.
There's also a popular touristy attraction just outside the village on Route 4, Quechee Gorge.
A Visit to Quechee Gorge--Five miles east of town, Route 4 crosses Quechee Gorge, a venerable attraction that has reliably hauled in bus- and carloads of tourists for decades. The sheer power of the glacial runoff that carved the 165-foot gorge some 13,000 years ago must have been dramatic. Equally impressive is its engineering history: The chasm was spanned in 1875 by a wooden rail trestle. The current steel bridge was constructed in 1911 for the railroad, but the tracks were torn up in 1933 and replaced by Route 4.
The bridge's best view is from the bottom of the gorge, accessible by a well-graded gravel path that descends south from the parking area on the gorge's east rim. The round-trip requires no more than half an hour. If the day is warm enough, you may also follow the path northward, then descend to the river to splash around in the rocky swimming hole near the spillway.
