A Perfect Day Trip to Weston, VT: The Vermont Country Store and a Storybook Village Near Ludlow
Just 20 minutes from Ludlow, the village of Weston, VT is home to the original Vermont Country Store, a historic theater, and a picture-perfect green. Here's your day-trip guide.
A Perfect Day Trip to Weston, VT: The Vermont Country Store and a Storybook Village Near Ludlow
Some Vermont villages look like they were built for a postcard. Weston is one of them. Just 15 miles - about 20 minutes - south of Ludlow on scenic Route 100, this tiny mountain village wraps a gazebo, a rushing river, a legendary general store, and a historic theater around one impossibly pretty green. It is the kind of place where an afternoon turns into a whole day, and it is one of the easiest and most rewarding outings from The Governor's Inn. Here is how to spend a perfect day in Weston.
Start at the original Vermont Country Store
No trip to Weston is complete without the store that put it on the map. The Vermont Country Store at 657 Main Street is the original flagship - the very shop the Orton family opened in 1946, and the source of the famous catalog. Step through the door and you are in a wonderland of things you forgot existed: penny candy by the scoop, cast-iron cookware, flannel nightgowns, old-fashioned toys, Vermont cheddar and maple, and endless "hard-to-find" goods you did not know you needed until you saw them. It is equal parts shopping trip and nostalgia museum, and it is open seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Give yourself at least an hour - you will want it.
When hunger hits, you do not have to go far. Right next door in an 1827 home, The Bryant House Restaurant serves hearty, traditional New England fare - think chicken pot pie, hot sandwiches, and Vermont comfort food - in a warm, historic setting. It is the perfect sit-down lunch to break up the day.
Wander the green
Directly across Route 100 sits the Weston village green, one of the loveliest commons in the state. Its picturesque gazebo (a proper old bandstand) and the West River running alongside make this one of the most photographed spots in southern Vermont - and in foliage season, with the maples flaming red and gold behind the bandstand, it is downright cinematic. Bring a coffee, sit on a bench, and let the pace of the village slow you down.
While you are on the green, look for the Farrar-Mansur House Museum, a 1797 building that began life as a tavern and is now a living-history museum run by the Weston Historical Society. It keeps seasonal weekend hours through the foliage season, so it is worth a peek if the doors are open.
Culture in an unlikely place
For a village this small, Weston punches remarkably above its weight in the arts. The Weston Theater Company - Vermont's oldest professional theater, formerly the Weston Playhouse - stages high-caliber productions right on the green and is celebrating its 90th anniversary season in 2026. Check their calendar before you come; catching a matinee or evening show is a wonderful way to cap a day trip. (Book tickets ahead, especially on foliage weekends.)
A few miles north of the village, the Weston Priory offers something entirely different: a Benedictine monastery, founded in 1953, whose brothers are known worldwide for their original music. The grounds are open to visitors and radiate a quiet, contemplative calm - a lovely, unexpected stop for a few peaceful minutes.
Round out the day
Back on the green, the Weston Village Store is a classic country store stocked with fudge, Vermont cheeses, and local souvenirs - a good spot for one last treat before the drive home. And if you loop back toward Ludlow through Chester, keep an eye out for SIX Loose Ladies, the beloved nonprofit yarn and fiber shop (recently relocated to Main Street in Chester), a happy detour for any knitter.
The best part? The drive itself
Weston sits on Route 100, widely considered one of New England's most beautiful roads. The 20-minute run down from Ludlow is a foliage showcase in its own right, winding past farms, forests, and mountain views - so the journey is very much part of the day.
Make Ludlow your home base
The magic of a Weston day trip is that you are back "home" in Ludlow in time for dinner. Base yourself at The Governor's Inn and the best of the Okemo Valley - villages, shops, theater, foliage drives, and fine dining - is all within easy reach, no long drives required.
Ready to explore Weston and the whole Okemo Valley this fall? Book your stay today at thegovernorsinn.com and make The Governor's Inn your home base for a classic Vermont getaway.
