Featured image: Shelburne Farms cheddar with fruit and accompaniments | Image credit: @shelburnefarms / Instagram
A Vermont cheese trail getaway can mean comparing sharp cheddars in a little shop, watching curds being worked through a viewing window, or spending an afternoon on the farm that supplies the milk. The trick is knowing which kind of visit you are driving toward.
These eleven stops give you a useful mix of sheep’s milk cheeses, goat cheese, farmhouse cheddar, historic factories and well-stocked stores. Pick a cluster for a weekend, or connect several regions over a longer trip. Leave room in the schedule for lunch and in the cooler for the cheese you had no intention of buying.
Visitor information checked October 2026. Opening days, production schedules and tasting selections can change; confirm directly before a special journey. Time allowances below are planning suggestions unless otherwise noted.
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How the Vermont Cheese Trail works
The Vermont Cheese Council’s official Vermont Cheese Trail map is the best starting point. Its symbols distinguish places open to visitors, places that require a call ahead, and production farms with no public visits or retail sales. A pin on the map does not automatically mean you can walk into a creamery.
Build your own route around the places you want to visit; there is no need to complete a single prescribed loop. The list below includes producers and retail stops, and says which is which. A shop selling a farm’s cheese can be the right destination even when the farm itself is private.
| Stop | Go for | Visit type and suggested time |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont Shepherd, Westminster West | Sheep’s milk and mixed-milk cheeses | Self-serve farm stand; 20–30 minutes |
| Hildene, Manchester | Goat dairy and a historic estate | Admission-based estate visit; 2–3 hours |
| Grafton Village Cheese, Proctorsville | Cheddar and cave-aged cheeses | Retail shop and tastings; 30–45 minutes |
| Crowley Cheese, Mount Holly | A small historic working factory | Shop and possible production viewing; 30–60 minutes |
| Plymouth Artisan Cheese, Plymouth Notch | Cheese-room windows and heritage cheddar | Self-guided factory visit; 30–60 minutes |
| Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock | Jersey cows, farm history and cheddar | Admission-based farm and museum; about 3 hours |
| Sugarbush Farm, Woodstock | Free cheese and maple tastings | Farm shop and self-guided exhibits; about 1 hour |
| von Trapp Farmstead, Waitsfield | Organic cow’s milk cheeses | Farm store; 30–45 minutes |
| Cabot Creamery Store, Waterbury Center | A broad Cabot cheese selection | Retail store; 30–45 minutes |
| Shelburne Farms, Shelburne | Farmstead cheddar and seasonal farm activities | Store or longer farm visit; 30 minutes to half a day |
| Willey’s Store, Greensboro | Buying Jasper Hill cheese locally | General store; 20–40 minutes |
1. Vermont Shepherd: Start with sheep’s milk cheese
Where: 281 Patch Farm Road, Putney; the farm is in Westminster West.
Make Vermont Shepherd your stop when you want to get beyond an all-cheddar shopping bag. Its Verano is made with sheep’s milk, while Invierno combines sheep’s and cow’s milk. Those names describe different cheeses, not a promise that each will be available only in its named season. Ask what is ready and in stock for your visit.
The family farm welcomes customers at a self-serve farm stand. Plan for a quiet cheese purchase rather than a staffed tasting or a scheduled tour of the dairy and aging cave. Bring some cash for rural self-serve stops, read the payment instructions, and stay within the visitor area.
For a picnic, choose a small wedge of whichever aged cheese is available and pair it with an apple and plain crackers. Save stronger accompaniments until after the first taste so you can notice the cheese itself. Check the farm’s visitor information before detouring.
2. Hildene: Make time for the goat dairy
Where: 1005 Hildene Road, Manchester.
Hildene suits a couple or family who wants cheese to be part of a longer outing. The Lincoln family estate includes a goat dairy with Nubian goats, and its Museum Store carries cheese made at Hildene. It is a useful change of pace after several cow’s milk cheddar stops.
Budget for an estate visit and check in at the Welcome Center. Ask which dairy activities are available that day before setting off around the property; being able to visit a dairy does not guarantee that a particular batch of cheese will be underway. Add the historic home, gardens or Pullman railcar if those interest your group, rather than treating admission as the price of a quick sample.
The current hours and admission information lists daily opening from Memorial Day through October 31, with Thursday–Monday opening during the colder part of the year. Holiday closures apply. Check ticket prices for your party instead of relying on an old travel guide’s admission figure.
3. Grafton Village Cheese: Choose the shop or the viewing room
Retail destination: 2568 Vermont Route 103, Proctorsville.
Grafton Village Cheese’s Okemo Valley shop is the straightforward choice for browsing and tasting. Its current visitor page lists free tastings and daily hours of 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Try an aged cheddar first, then ask about a cave-aged cheese such as Bear Hill to compare a different style. Buying contrasting wedges is more interesting than bringing home three similar levels of cheddar sharpness.
There is a separate cheesemaking viewing room at 533 Townshend Road in Grafton. The company recommends Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., as the best window for seeing production. This is viewing through a window, rather than a walk through the production floor.
Save the location that matches your purpose. The shop and creamery are in different towns, and older guides may still send you to the former Brattleboro store. Use Grafton’s current visit page for the correct destination and confirm production if watching the process is the reason for your trip.
4. Crowley Cheese: Visit a small working factory
Where: 14 Crowley Lane, Mount Holly.
Crowley is a good stop for people who want to understand how a small cheese operation works. The factory dates to 1882, and the company still makes its cheese by hand. Its recipe includes rinsing the curds, which helps explain why Crowley can taste and feel different from the cheddars you have been sampling elsewhere.
Ask to compare two degrees of sharpness, or a plain cheese with a flavored version, if samples are available. It gives you a more useful reference point than choosing solely by the strongest-sounding label. This is also an easy place to buy a wedge for lunch without turning the stop into a large attraction visit.
Cheesemaking usually takes place Tuesday–Friday, but the schedule varies. Call 802-259-2340 if seeing it matters. The factory’s visitor page lists weekday and Saturday shop hours; confirm any Sunday opening directly. Be patient when the same small team is balancing production and visitors.
5. Plymouth Artisan Cheese: Look through the cheese-room windows
Where: 106 Messer Hill Road, Plymouth Notch.
Plymouth makes sense for travelers who want a compact cheese stop with something to see. Its self-guided visit includes viewing windows into the cheese rooms, a retail store and an upstairs display of antique cheesemaking equipment. Start with the original Plymouth cheddar to get a reference for the range, then choose another cheese according to what is available.
The factory is on the Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, but the two operate on different calendars. Plymouth currently lists its store as open daily, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., year-round, while the historic site closes for tours and visits from November through May. Do not assume a winter visit includes access to the surrounding historic buildings. Confirm through the factory’s visit information, and ask about steps if the upstairs display affects your plans.
Prefer a guided getaway? Vermontology’s five-day Vermont package on Viator includes a Plymouth Cheese Factory visit and Shelburne Farms within a wider sightseeing itinerary. It includes four nights’ lodging and four breakfasts; lunch and dinner are extra. Check departure dates, room arrangements and mobility requirements. The listing states that the package is non-refundable.
6. Billings Farm & Museum: See the dairy behind the cheese
Where: 69 Old River Road, Woodstock.
Choose Billings when your group would enjoy meeting farm animals and exploring exhibits as much as buying cheese. It is a working Jersey dairy farm and museum, with cheese made from its cows’ milk. The range includes mild Butter Cheddar, Woodstock Reserve and Smoked Cheddar. Butter Cheddar is a sensible starting choice for someone who prefers gentler flavors.
This is a paid farm and museum visit, rather than a guaranteed factory-floor cheese tour. Billings recommends about three hours for the barns, exhibits and historic Farm Manager’s House. Check the daily program for tastings or demonstrations instead of assuming a particular activity happens continuously.
The current admission calendar lists daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. opening through October 31, 2026, then weekends and selected days in winter. Its summer/fall 2026 adult admission is $23; check the rate and date before booking. Parking is free. Cheese is sold in the gift shop, with additional seasonal food options on site.
7. Sugarbush Farm: Compare cheese with maple syrup
Where: 591 Sugarbush Farm Road, Woodstock.
Sugarbush is especially useful for a first Vermont food trip: free cheese and maple syrup samples, a shop for picnic supplies, and a self-guided look at maple production. Compare an aged cheddar with a smoked cheese, then taste the maple syrup separately before trying a pairing. It is easier to decide what you like when you have not mixed every flavor together at once.
There is an important distinction here: cheese arrives from cooperative creameries and is aged, smoked and packaged at Sugarbush. You can learn about hand wrapping and waxing; this is not a place to expect milk turning into curds in a vat.
Allow about an hour. The farm generally opens daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., with holiday exceptions. Actual maple boiling is seasonal, usually in March and April, although the sugarhouse exhibits are available year-round. Read the farm’s practical visitor advice: the approach is a hilly gravel road, and winter or early spring conditions deserve a call ahead. Large vehicles should request suitable directions.
8. von Trapp Farmstead: Shop for a varied cheese board
Where: 251 Common Road, Waitsfield.
At this organic farmstead creamery, the cheese is made with milk from the farm’s cows. The store offers the farm’s cheeses and yogurt alongside locally made accompaniments, prepared foods, beer and wine. It works well as a provisions stop when you want enough for a proper picnic instead of another solitary wedge.
Ask which cheeses are at their best for eating that evening and which will suit the rest of your trip. If available, compare a soft cheese such as Mt. Alice with Mad River Blue or a firmer cheese, rather than choosing by appearance alone. Tell staff if you need a mild option or something to melt later.
This is von Trapp Farmstead in Waitsfield, separate from the von Trapp lodge and resort in Stowe. Put the street address into your navigation. The farm store page currently lists Thursday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. A normal shopping visit should not be treated as a booked farm tour.
9. Cabot Creamery Store: An easy Waterbury cheese stop
Where: 2657 Waterbury–Stowe Road, Waterbury Center.
Cabot is a practical choice if your itinerary already brings you through the Waterbury and Stowe area. You can browse a broad selection of Cabot cheeses and specialty products without planning a long farm visit. Look for a cheese you cannot easily buy at home, or compare a familiar sharp cheddar with a different style such as Alpine cheddar when stocked.
Make this a retail stop in your schedule. It is not a booking for a Cabot factory tour, and it is not in the village of Cabot. The company’s current store listing gives Tuesday–Sunday hours of 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m., with Monday closed. Tasting arrangements can change, so ask before promising children a long sampling session.
Optional driving companion: Expedia’s Route 100 app-guided audio tour includes Cabot in its listed itinerary. It is a wider scenic drive in your own car, with offline audio after downloading. It does not include a live guide, cheese tastings, food, car rental or attraction admission. Check its route and starting instructions against the stops you actually plan to drive.
10. Shelburne Farms: Follow cheddar back to the farm
Where: Farm Store & Welcome Center, 1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne.
Shelburne Farms is an especially good choice if you want to connect a cheese’s flavor with the place that produces it. Its cheddar is made on the property from the raw milk of its Brown Swiss cows. Compare a younger cheddar with a two- or three-year cheese if available; buying two ages gives you an easy tasting to repeat at home.
A quick store visit and a farm afternoon require different amounts of time. Seasonal day visits, generally mid-May to mid-October, include trails, the Children’s Farmyard and opportunities to watch cheesemaking, subject to the production schedule. General day access is by donation. The Farm Barn is a three-quarter-mile walk from the Welcome Center, with a seasonal shuttle option.
Check the day-visit details for current access, store hours and cheesemaking days. The separate Sun to Cheese Tour requires registration when offered. Its published 2026 season ends October 18; check for new dates before planning around it. Shelburne Museum is a separate attraction.
11. Willey’s Store: Buy Jasper Hill cheese in Greensboro
Where: 7 Breezy Avenue, Greensboro.
Willey’s is the useful destination to save when Jasper Hill is on your cheese wish list. The maker’s own visitor FAQ says its farm is not open to the public and directs travelers to Willey’s General Store. Do not drive to the production address expecting a cave tour.
This is a general store, not Jasper Hill’s tasting room. Browse the cheese case and ask what is available. Harbison, a soft, bark-wrapped cheese, and Bayley Hazen Blue offer very different experiences; stock varies, so treat those as cheeses to look for rather than a guaranteed selection. Choose a smaller amount of an unfamiliar style and keep the label so you can find it again.
Call 802-533-2621 to confirm opening and the cheese selection before making a special Northeast Kingdom detour. This stop fits best when Greensboro is already part of your getaway. It is less sensible to add a long return drive simply to tick off the eleventh name.
Choose a route that leaves time to enjoy it
For a first weekend: base yourself around Woodstock and choose Billings, Sugarbush and Plymouth. Give Billings a substantial part of one day; combine the two shorter cheese visits on another. Add Crowley only if its opening or production schedule fits. This gives you farms, tastings and factory viewing without crossing the state repeatedly.
For a southern Vermont getaway: choose Vermont Shepherd and Hildene, with Grafton’s viewing room or Proctorsville shop according to your onward route. Hildene deserves more time than a quick purchase stop. Plot the actual addresses before deciding the order: Manchester, Grafton village and Proctorsville are separate destinations.
For Burlington, Waterbury and the Mad River Valley: combine Shelburne Farms with Cabot and von Trapp Farmstead across two days. Thursday–Sunday is the simplest overlap with the farmstead’s current opening. Put Shelburne’s longer farm visit on its own half-day, and use another day for Waitsfield and Waterbury.
For the full list: allow several days, ideally five or more if you want the longer farm visits and relaxed meals. Greensboro works as a Northeast Kingdom extension. These are flexible regional plans, not timed driving itineraries; check live navigation, road conditions and opening days before booking overnight stops.
What to know before filling the cooler
When is the best time to go?
Late spring through early fall offers the widest overlap with outdoor farm activities. Fall is appealing for scenery, but it also calls for more breathing room at popular stops. Winter can work for shopping, provided you check reduced opening days and road conditions. A farm shop that opens year-round may have seasonal tours, animals or shuttle service.
Do you need reservations?
Ordinary shop visits generally follow posted opening hours. A guided tasting, farm tour or group visit may need advance booking. Call small factories to confirm production rather than reserving your entire day around an assumption. For every stop, decide whether your goal is shopping, sampling, watching cheesemaking or meeting animals; ask about that specific activity.
How much should you budget?
Separate admission, cheese purchases and meals. Sugarbush offers free admission and samples; Billings and Hildene are longer admission-based visits; Shelburne’s general seasonal day visit is by donation, with separately priced tours. Cheese prices depend on weight and style. Set a purchase budget before tasting, compare the price per pound, and ask for a manageable wedge rather than automatically buying a whole wheel. Samples should complement lunch, not replace it.
How do you bring the cheese home?
Bring an insulated cooler, frozen packs and a thermometer before your first purchase. Follow each product’s storage label. Keep cheeses that require refrigeration at 40°F or below, following USDA cold-storage guidance. Keep packages dry in sealed containers above meltwater, and move them into a refrigerator overnight. A wax coating is not a reason to ignore storage instructions for the cheese inside.
Pack bread or crackers, fruit, water, napkins and a small board; include a knife only where your travel arrangements allow it. Our road trip snack ideas can help round out the cooler without making every meal another cheese tasting.
What about allergies, children, dogs and accessibility?
Ask the maker about milk type, ingredients, rennet and shared preparation equipment rather than guessing from a cheese’s name. Check labels on crackers and accompaniments too. For broader planning, see our guide to traveling with food allergies.
Families should choose one longer farm experience and leave the shorter shopping stops flexible. Pet rules vary: Sugarbush permits leashed dogs outdoors, while Billings and Shelburne Farms exclude pets, with service-animal exceptions. Hildene describes its campus as pet free. Confirm the current policy before arriving with a dog. Ask about step-free entrances, gravel paths, accessible transport and restrooms wherever they matter to your group; a small shop and a large farm campus pose different access questions.
The most rewarding cheese trail is the one you have time to taste. Choose a few contrasting cheeses, keep notes on the labels, and leave enough space between stops to turn your purchases into a picnic.