Things to Do at University of Vermont Campus

The University of Vermont campus sprawls across a hilltop in Burlington with views that stop you mid-stride. Lake Champlain glitters to the west, the Adirondacks rise behind it, and the Green Mountains fold away to the east. Founded in 1791, UVM is one of the oldest universities in the country. The campus wears that history without being precious about it. Red brick buildings with white trim cluster around the central green. Their copper roofs oxidize to that particular Vermont patina. Students cut across the grass with coffee cups from nearby Speeder & Earl's. The smell of woodsmoke drifts down from the maple stands in autumn. The heart of campus is the University Green, a wide rectangle of grass anchored by the Ira Allen Chapel with its slim white steeple and the imposing limestone bulk of the Bailey/Howe Library. You'll hear the chapel bells marking the hours. Students debate loudly outside Old Mill, the original 1825 building restored after a fire and still in daily use. In spring, the unmistakable hiss of someone's portable speaker plays through an open dorm window. The campus feels lived-in rather than manicured. It's a working university where the Morgan horses still graze at the agricultural facility on the south end. The medical center hums next door on Colchester Avenue. What tends to surprise visitors is how walkable it all is. You can stroll from the Fleming Museum at the north end down through the historic core to the redstone dormitories in maybe fifteen minutes. Lake Champlain stays visible through the gaps between buildings the whole way. It's the kind of campus where you'll stumble across a sculpture garden you didn't know existed. You might find yourself in a 19th-century reading room with leaded windows and the particular smell of old books and floor wax.

UVM sits on a hill just east of downtown Burlington. It's about a 15-minute walk uphill from the Church Street Marketplace or 5 minutes by car. The Green Mountain Transit bus system runs frequent routes between downtown and campus. Rides tend to be very budget-friendly. If you're driving, the Visitor Center on South Prospect Street is your best bet for parking. They'll issue a day permit and point you toward the right lot. Burlington International Airport is about ten minutes by taxi or rideshare. That makes UVM unusually accessible for a New England campus. Cyclists can use the Burlington bike path along the waterfront and climb up via the dedicated lane on Main Street. The hill is no joke if you're not used to it.