Near the Vermont ski resorts
of Killington and Pico Peak
lays the commercial and manufacturing city of Rutland
VT. Rutland Vermont is the state’s second largest
city, behind only Burlington
Vermont. From a base in Rutland travel throughout
southern Vermont is quick and convenient.
Rutland Vermont was settled in the 1770s on the banks of Otter Creek. In the early 1800s, marble deposits were found in the town. After the completion of the Rutland railroad in 1851, the town became one of the leading marble producers in the world. The Rutland railroad and marble magnates ensured that the town became the major city of southern Vermont. It was incorporated as the state’s third city in 1892.
Marble from Rutland VT built the research center of
the New York Public Library and other major buildings
in New York
and Boston.
The heady days of the Rutland railroad and marble industry
are in the past now, but visitors can get a glimpse of
the old days at the Vermont Marble Exhibit, the best of
all Rutland attractions. Exhibits and slide shows narrate
the history of the marble industry, there is an impressive
sculpture gallery that includes a marble version of Leonardo’s
Last Supper, visitors can see an artist-in-residence transform
the raw stone into works of art, and a store offers factory
seconds and marble counters and sculpture from Vermont
and around the world. The museum is located 4 miles north
of central Rutland. It is open daily from 9am to 5:30
in the summer and from Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm from
November to May. There is a small entrance fee.
Another of the best Rutland attractions is the Norman
Rockwell Museum, a gallery and store of prints by
the famous New England illustrator. Located near the intersection
of route 4 and route 100 in Rutland VT, the museum is
open daily from 9:30am to 5:30pm. There is a small entrance
fee.
Other Rutland VT attractions include the Rutland Free Library, the Paramount Theater and Merchant's Row, a street of restored 19th-centurty buildings. Many ordinary residences and businesses could also be considered Rutland attractions: over 100 buildings are on the national register of historic places. Pine Hill Park, a 275-acre park in the city limits, has long trails for hiking and mountain biking.
There many Rutland hotels and rooms are often less expensive than in nearby Killington. From Rutland travel to the largest Vermont ski resort is easy. Killington is a little over 10 miles east on route 4. There are regular buses from Rutland Vermont to Killington.
Rutland is located at the intersection of Route 4 and
Route 100. Because Rutland travel times to New
York and Massachusetts
are short, the city has become the major urban center
of southern Vermont. There are many shopping, dining,
and entertainment places in Rutland. Visitors to southern
Vermont who need an item not found in a small rural town
or who are looking for a good restaurant would do well
to head to Rutland Vermont. Rutland is easily accessible
by car, and there are regular Amtrak trains from New York’s
Penn Station to the Rutland railroad station.
