Montpelier

Montpelier was chartered on August 14, 1781, with its first permanent settlement beginning in May 1787. Colonel Jacob Davis selected the name after the French city of Montpellier, a choice tied to what Wikipedia's account describes as widespread Francophilia in the years following the Revolutionary War alliance with France. The city became Vermont's state capital in 1805 and today has 8,074 residents, making it, by that same source's wording, “the least populous state capital in the United States.”

The Vermont State House is a Greek Revival and Neoclassical building completed in 1859 by architect Thomas Silloway, replacing an 1833 structure by Ammi B. Young that was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in January 1857; Silloway salvaged the earlier building's Doric portico and granite walls. Its dome, originally painted dark terracotta red to evoke Tuscan tile, was not gilded until the early 20th century, “as a part of the Colonial Revival style” that many states adopted for their capitols at the time. A wooden statue of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, tops the dome; the current statue was carved from mahogany in 2018, replacing earlier versions dating to 1858 and 1938. The building's own account describes it as functioning as “the People's House,” with few restrictions on public access whether the legislature is in session or not.

The Vermont State House is the seat of the Vermont General Assembly, and its own visitor site calls Montpelier “the smallest capital city in America.” Its gold-leaf dome and mahogany statue of Ceres make it visible from most of downtown Montpelier. The site lists it open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. between September 12 and October 24, with free audio tour wands from the Sergeant-at-Arms Office.

The State House's visitor site describes Montpelier's downtown as lined with locally owned businesses including restaurants, and the downtown organization Montpelier Alive keeps a dining directory sorted by cuisine at montpelieralive.com/dine. We were unable to confirm which streets the restaurants sit on from an official page, and current restaurant listings and hours should be checked individually.

One brewery within 10 miles of Montpelier, though our source does not record a room you can sit in.

Brewpub locations from Open Brewery DB (MIT)

15 more Highway Heads places lie within about 180 miles of Montpelier in a straight line — far enough that most are a night away rather than an afternoon.

• North Conway (White Mountains)New Hampshireabout 75 mi
• ConcordNew Hampshireabout 90 mi
• ManchesterNew Hampshireabout 100 mi
• PortlandMaineabout 120 mi
• PortsmouthNew Hampshireabout 120 mi
• Albany/CooperstownNew Yorkabout 130 mi
• FreeportMaineabout 130 mi
• AugustaMaineabout 140 mi
• Basketball Hall of FameMassachusettsabout 150 mi
• BostonMassachusettsabout 150 mi
• SalemMassachusettsabout 150 mi
• SpringfieldMassachusettsabout 150 mi
• National Baseball Hall of FameNew Yorkabout 160 mi
• HartfordConnecticutabout 170 mi
• ProvidenceRhode Islandabout 180 mi

• Hope CemeteryFolk art / sculpture gardenBarreabout 5 miles away

  Cost to see it

  Free

  When you can see it

  Any time — outdoors, visible from the road

  Nearest road

  VT-14 / I-89

  Granite carvers' cemetery with whimsical carved headstones

  • Fine for most children, but look it over before you let them loose

  Read on the page we checked

• Dog Chapel at Dog MountainOdd building / architectureSt. Johnsburyabout 32 miles away

  Cost to see it

  Free

  When you can see it

  Only while it is open, and we did not find its hours published

  Nearest road

  I-91 / I-93

  Chapel for dogs covered in pet memorial notes

  Read on the page we checked

These are things you can go and look at, not a recommendation of any of them. Oddities move, get sold and quietly disappear more than anything else we list, so check anything you are driving a long way for. Where this list says we did not find a price or opening times published, that is exactly what we mean. A blank is not “free” and not “always open”. Some sit on private land and can only be seen from the road — please do not go onto anyone’s property. Every entry links the page we read it off.

There is no charge to visit the Vermont State House, according to its visitor site, which lists public hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, plus Saturday hours of 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in the fall (the site's pages give start dates of September 12 and September 19 and end dates of October 24 and October 26). Guided walk-in tours run on the hour from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday, through October 23, 2026; self-guided tours are available throughout the year. Hours and tour dates can change and are posted on the building's own site.

Montpelier flooded in July 2023; the city reports more than 1,700 tons of flood debris removed between July 19 and August 18 that year, over half of it from businesses.

The State House's visitor site says Vermont's annual legislative session runs from January to May, that the building is a working legislative building from January through mid-May/June with some spaces not accessible to the public during that time, and that, as space permits, visitors can observe activities in the chambers and committee rooms without reservations. The site links to the legislative calendar.

Montpelier sits along I-89, which Wikipedia describes as the only interstate highway to directly serve both Vermont's capital city (Montpelier) and its largest city (Burlington); US 2 and VT 12 also intersect in the city.

Vermont State House

Address

115 State St, Montpelier, VT 05633

Hours

See official site for current tour hours

Price

Free

Link

statehouse.vermont.gov

We checked opening hours, operating status, fees and seasonal opening on 2026-10-13. These change without notice — confirm with statehouse.vermont.gov, vcfa.edu and montpelieralive.com the week you travel.

Straight-line distance from Montpelier, not drive time.

• Edward F Knapp State (MPV) — 4 miles
• Patrick Leahy Burlington International (BTV) — 32 miles
• Lebanon Municipal (LEB) — 46 miles