11 Best Places To Visit/Photograph In Bennington, Vermont
Bennington is a town in the United States, located in Bennington County. It is one of the county’s two shire towns (county seats), the other being Manchester. Bennington is the most populous town in southern Vermont, and it is home to a number of amazing photo spots. The Bennington Battle Monument, a historic church, Robert Frost’s former home, covered bridges, and much more can be found in the town.
Here are the top 11 things to do in Bennington, Vermont:
Bennington Battle Monument
- Address: 15 Monument Cir, Bennington, VT
- Directions: Here
The Bennington Battle Monument is a 306-foot-tall stone obelisk in Bennington, Vermont, United States. It is located at 15 Monument Circle. The Battle of Bennington took place on August 16, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. A local historical organization began planning a memorial for the battle’s centennial in 1877, and numerous designs were considered. In November 1889, the stone monument was completed.
The monument has become a popular tourist attraction. Visitors can overlook Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York, from its observatory level at 200 feet (61 meters), which can be reached by elevator.
Burt Henry Covered Bridge
- Address: 34 River Rd, North Bennington, VT
- Directions: Here
The Burt Henry Covered Bridge, commonly known as the Henry Covered Bridge or just the Henry Bridge, spans the Walloomsac River for 121 feet. It spans River Road, just south of the village of North Bennington, and is a Town lattice truss bridge. It was erected in 1840 and is the oldest covered bridge in Bennington County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Vermont Agency of Transportation renovated it in 1989.
Downtown Bennington Historic District
- Address: Main Street, Bennington, VT
- Directions: Here
The Downtown Bennington Historic District covers Bennington’s historic business district. It features a range of commercial architectural styles from the early nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, and is centered on the intersection of Main, South, and North Streets. In 1980, it was added on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008 it was expanded.
“Old First” Congregational Church
- Address: 1 Monument Cir, Bennington, VT
- Directions: Here
The Old First Church, also known as the First Congregational Church of Bennington, is a historic church in Old Bennington, Vermont. The current meeting house was completed in 1805 after the congregation was formed in 1762. The structure is one of the outstanding examples of Federal period religious architecture in the state. In 1973, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Paper Mill Covered Bridge
- Address: Murphy Rd, Bennington, VT 05201
- Directions: Here
The Paper Mill Village Bridge, also known as the Paper Mill Bridge or the Bennington Falls Covered Bridge, is a wooden covered bridge located northwest of Bennington, Vermont, that carries Murphy Road across the Walloomsac River. Charles F. Sears, whose family was famous in the local bridge-building business, erected the Paper Mill Bridge in 1889. The bridge is a single-span Town lattice truss structure and is the longest covered bridge in Bennington County at 125 feet. In the year 2000, the covered bridge was renovated.
Park-McCullough Historic Governor’s Mansion
- Address: 1 Park St, North Bennington, VT
- Directions: Here
The Park–McCullough Historic Governor’s Mansion is one of New England’s most beautiful and well-preserved Victorian mansions. It is a 35-room mansion located off Vermont Route 67A in North Bennington, Vermont, on 200 acres. Trenor W. Park (1823–1882), a lawyer and entrepreneur who was born in nearby Woodford, Vermont commissioned the house in 1864–65.
The Park–McCullough Historic Governor’s Mansion is a significant example of a Second Empire-style American country home. It also has architectural elements from the Romantic Revival style, which was fashionable at the period.
The house is presently owned by a non-profit and is open to the general public.
Robert Frost Stone House
- Address: 121 VT-7A, Shaftsbury, VT
- Directions: Here
The Robert Frost Stone House Museum is a literary treasure just minutes from Frost’s Old Bennington grave. Frost lived at the house from 1920 to 1929, during which time he wrote many of the poems that would later be included in New Hampshire, his first Pulitzer Prize-winning collection, which includes “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.” Frost wrote the poem at the dining room table on a hot June morning in 1922.
Even before the Frost era, the home, which was completed in 1769, was deemed significant. It’s a rare example of Dutch Colonial building composed of local stone and wood that hasn’t changed much since Frost’s time. The mansion is on seven acres, with some of Frost’s original apple trees still in place.
The home is now open as a museum under the ownership of Bennington College. Learn more HERE.
Robert Frost’s Grave
- Address: 1 Monument Cir, Bennington, VT
- Directions: Here
The poet Robert Frost is buried in the burial area next to the historic Old First Church in Old Bennington, just downhill from the Bennington Battle Monument.
Walking downhill through the churchyard, turn right at the first side path, then left at the next, and you’ll ultimately come upon numerous big gray rectangular granite memorials placed on the ground on the right.
One contains the name of America’s most well-known New England poet.
Silk Road Covered Bridge
- Address: Silk Rd, Bennington, VT
- Directions: Here
Bennington is home to several amazing covered bridges and Silk Road Covered Bridge is a great bridge to check out! The beautiful Town lattice truss bridge stretches 88 feet over the Wallomsac River. The red-painted covered bridge is the oldest standing bridge in Bennington as it was built in 1840 and has only had a few repairs since opening.
The bridge is very picturesque and easy to find. Visitors are able to drive their cars through the bridge, but it is just one lane so be safe!
White Rocks
- Address: 449 NorthBranch St, Bennington, VT
- Directions: Here
White Rocks Trail traverses Bald Mountain near Bennington, Vermont. Instead of going for the summit, you pause at a lovely overlook at 2,400ft and return down from there. White Rocks offers a breathtaking view of Bennington to the west. These are without a doubt some of Bennington’s best vistas. The notable mountain that rises above the town is Mount Anthony. This is a fantastic climb, so don’t miss out!
World’s Tallest Ladderback Chair
- Address: 122 Washington Ave, Bennington, VT
- Directions: Here
The Bennington furniture store Haynes and Kane created a massive 19 foot, 1-inch tall ladderback chair in 1969 and placed it in a grassy area close to its parking lot. The chair took the place of a little bit smaller chair that had been in the same spot since the late 1940s. Rain and snow accumulated on the seat, destroying the chair over time. In the summer of 2000, it was demolished, and Haynes and Kane went out of business soon after.
After years of being unoccupied, LaFlamme’s, a New York furniture company whose owner’s wife grew up in Bennington, purchased it. LaFlamme’s recreated the original chair in 2012, using roughly 3,000 pounds of cedar and white pine, as well as a thousand feet of special rot-resistant maritime rope for the seat.
LaFlamme’s declared bankruptcy in 2017, putting the chair in jeopardy once more. A credit union purchased the chair at an auction in March 2018 and promised to keep it in Bennington. It’s been on the lawn in front of the credit union’s new branch since 2019.
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