RESOURCES
Matrix of Resources
Google Map
Byway Corridor Map
Chamber of Commerce

Manchester always has been an important commercial center for the region, lying at the crossroads of north-south and east-west travel routes. The Stone Valley Scenic Byway begins in downtown Manchester at the intersection of Routes 7A, 11, and 30. This intersection also marks the point where two of Manchester's historic areas converge: the Main Street and Bonnet Street Historic Districts. The Town also has designated historic districts further east (Manchester Depot), south (Manchester Village), and north (North Main Street). A wide variety of residential, commercial, and institutional buildings are represented in these districts. Some of the best known individual historic properties in Manchester are the Equinox Hotel, Robert Todd Lincoln's Hildene, and the Bennington County Court House.

Photo: The Mill Pond on the Town Green, at the southern end of the Stone Valley Scenic Byway.

Riley Rink at Hunter Park doubles as a venue for concerts and shows by internationally known performers. Other events and exhibits take place at the American Museum of Fly Fishing, Hildene, and the theater at Burr and Burton Academy.

The entire Town sits between the Taconic Mountains, dominated by Mount Equinox, and the long high plateau of the Green Mountains. The east and west branches of the Batten Kill converge near the center of Town and flow southward through the Valley of Vermont. The Batten Kill has been recognized by Vermont as an Outstanding Water Resource. Other notable water resources in Manchester include: Bourn Brook, Bromley Brook, Downer Glen, Lye Brook and Lye Brook Falls, Bullhead and Equinox Ponds, and a very productive aquifer.

Mount Equinox dominates the landscape and its slopes and summit ridge contain some very important natural features. The Table Rock Natural Area, Equinox Spring, Cook Hollow, Lookout Rock, and the Skinner Hollow Cave are all fascinating natural resources valued by the community. The Dryer Quarry is an abandoned marble quarry in Town and there are extensive sand and gravel deposits that date to the time when streams deposited sediments to a vast inland sea that extended throughout the area.

Manchester has quite a mix of natural and man-made recreational facilities. There are numerous access points to the Green Mountain National Forest, including hiking trails to Lye Brook Falls and Prospect Rock. The Long Trail/Appalachian Trail also traverse the east side of the Town. The Equinox Preservation Trust maintains an extensive network of trails around and above Equinox Pond, including one trail that reaches the summit of the mountain after a steep 3,000-foot climb. Other trails traverse the Pew Forest, Isham Forest, and the grounds of the Southern Vermont Art Center. Hildene operates a ski touring center over several miles of trails on that property.

The Dana Thompson Recreation Center, located directly on Route 30, contains playing fields for many sports, a grandstand, large swimming pool, skate park, playground and picnic facilities, and a walking/running trail. The Recreation Center also is connected via trail to Riley Rink at Hunter Park, with its ice skating arena and playing fields.

The Town also contains some fascinating historical roads such as the old route over Beartown Notch that was once the main approach to the area from the west. An old rail corridor leads to sites where marble mills once stood, now marked only by streamside marble retaining walls. The Town's cemeteries also reveal a fascinating history of early settlement. The Manchester Historical Society maintains a building and exhibit just outside of the downtown area.

Cultural resources abound in Manchester. The Town's bustling downtown is a cultural attraction in and of itself, and the Town Green that borders a millpond and waterfall is at the center of it all. The Southern Vermont Art Center contains permanent and visiting exhibits, a theater/pavilion, and a botany trail.