Getting There -- Arlington, Manchester, and Manchester Center all lie north of Bennington on Historic Route 7A, which runs parallel to and west of Route 7; you can take either route. Dorset is north of Manchester Center on Route 30, which diverges from Route 7A in Manchester Center. Vermont Transit (tel. 800/552-8737; www.vermonttransit.com) provides bus service to Manchester Center; the bus stop (and ticket sales) are located at 119 Canal St.
Visitor Information -- The Manchester and the Mountains Regional Chamber of Commerce (tel. 800/362-4144 or 802/362-2100; www.manchestervermont.net) maintains a year-round information center at 5080 Main St. (Rte. 7A N.) beside the small village green in Manchester Center. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and from Memorial Day weekend through October, it's also open on Sundays from noon to 5pm and until 7pm on Friday and Saturday nights. If you're staying in Arlington, that hamlet maintains its own small self-serve visitor information center at the Stewart's gas station on Route 7A. Just take what you need.
For information on outdoor recreation, the Green Mountain National Forest maintains a district ranger office (tel. 802/362-2307) in Manchester on routes 11 and 30 east of Route 7. It's open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4:30pm.
Sticker-Shock Alert! -- With its proximity to the New York Thruway (about 40 miles west in Albany), the Manchester area attracts a disproportionate number of affluent weekenders from the Big Apple and its metro area; some innkeepers here estimate that perhaps half of all their business originates in the Land O' Yankee Fans. As a result, the quality and price of inns and restaurants tend to be much higher in this region than they are throughout the rest of Vermont. The lesson? Don't consider Manchester representative of all of Vermont. It isn't.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
