In the summer of 1609, French explorer Samuel
de Champlain became the first European to
behold the lake now known to be the sixth largest
lake in the United States. Guided by Native
Americans in a party of 24 canoes, Champlain
encountered a 490-square-mile body of water,
about 120 miles in length and dotted by more
than 70 islands.
Celebrate the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial
Event: Plan Your Vermont Vacation
400 years on, now bearing the name of its French
discoverer, Lake Champlain and its surrounding
valley still invite exploration by residents
and visitors alike. With close to 600 miles
of undulating shoreline, the lake offers endless
opportunities for boating, swimming, fishing,
camping, hiking, and biking. Vermont streams
feeding into Lake Champlain — Otter
Creek and the Winooski, Missisquoi, and Lamoille
Rivers — are all scenic waterways worthy
of further exploration.
Lake Champlain Activities and Attractions
for Children, Families and Everyone Else!
With views of the Green Mountains to the east
and the Adirondacks to the west, the lake is
a vacationer's playground. An excellent kid-friendly
place to get acquainted with the area is ECHO,
which stands for Ecology, Culture, History,
and Opportunity of the Lake Champlain Basin.
Conveniently located on the Burlington waterfront,
ECHO
immerses guests in the sights, sounds, smells,
and feel of past and present life in the Basin.
Another wonderful spot for children of all
ages is the Lake
Champlain Maritime Museum. Follow the Basin
Harbor Road out of Vergennes to see actual boats
that have been brought up from the bottom of
the lake, along with replicas of historic vessels.
Learn how to build your own boat or launch your
own lake exploration in a rented kayak. Speaking
of kayaks and canoes, the Lake
Champlain Paddlers' Trail links access sites
and camping opportunities for "human-powered"
boats.
If you're a certified SCUBA diver, you can
literally immerse yourself in the Lake and its
history by visiting underwater historic sites
established by the Lake
Champlain Maritime Museum. To find out how
to dive a number of shipwreck sites, visit the
Lake
Champlain Underwater Preserves page.
If sightseeing above water is your preference,
drive south from Burlington and explore the
paddlewheel steamship Ticonderoga and a real
lighthouse at the Shelburne
Museum. At nearby Shelburne
Farms, you can explore a 14,000-acre working
farm located directly on Lake Champlain.
If you would like to visit other farms or enjoy
a farm stay, check out the offerings available
at the Vermont
Outdoor Guide Association website.
If your passion is biking, go to Lake
Champlain Bikeways and click on Vermont
Theme Loops. You can even bike while
your luggage gets transported from inn to inn,
by making arrangements through Vermont
Self-Guided Inn to Inn Biking Tours. Many
more suggestions for biking can be found at
the Vermont
Outdoor Guide Association website also.
To enjoy a bird's eye view of Lake Champlain,
Vermont
Sky Diving will take you up, up, and
away!
Lake Champlain Accommodations, Campgrounds,
Tours and Outdoor Activities
Make reservations to relax and enjoy the view
from an Adirondack chair at one of many lakeside
accommodations by visiting Vacation
Vermont and get even more info from the
Lake
Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce.
If you're aiming for a family-friendly Vermont
camping trip, be sure to visit the Vermont
Campground Association website. Elsewhere
on the web, you can even reserve
your own campsite at Button Bay, Burton
Island, or one of the many other beautiful Vermont
State Parks. Two bridges and four ferry
crossings facilitate any number of options for
day trips. What better way to enjoy Lake
Champlain than a relaxing cruise via ferry?
For complete directions and schedules, go to
the Lake
Champlain Ferries website.
Organize your own family birding expedition
by using the popular guide Birdwatching
in Vermont (by Ted Murin and Bryan Pfeiffer)
which
provides detailed maps to all the hot spots.
Trips to explore flora and fauna of the area
can be found through organizations such as the
Vermont
chapter of the National Audubon Society
and the Vermont
Outdoor Guide Association. Be sure to visit
one of the area's many Farmers
Markets to get fresh picnic provisions,
breads, award-winning cheeses, and local fruits
and berries. Several area breweries, wineries,
and cideries provide daily tours, while others
provide tours by appointment. You will find
a listing on the Vermont
Brewers Association website.
Explore and Enjoy Lake Champlain!
Each town bordering Lake Champlain will
be celebrating the four-hundredth birthday
of the Lake's discovery in many different
ways. To learn what's going on when, consult
Vermont's
Official Champlain Quadricentennial Site
for activities, dates, and times.
