Little City on the Falls. Centrally located in Western Vermont between Burlington and Middlebury, Vergennes is Vermont's oldest and arguably quaintest city. Its picturesque downtown area is home to stunning examples of nineteenth architecture, including the recently restored Vergennes Opera House (1897), and a city green surrounded by some of the best shopping and dining in Addison County. Black Sheep Bistro and Christophe's on the Green are not to be missed! Every summer, Vergennes hosts its annual "Vergennes Day" with face painting, arts and crafts, home-baked goods, and plenty of food. The 37-foot Otter Creek Falls at the bottom of Main Street powered early industry in Vergennes, providing the basis for major growth in the area. The Falls basin, just a few miles inland from Lake Champlain, forms the only inland port in Vermont. Vergennes is home to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, which presents the unique history of life on the lake and the Rokeby Museum, a former stop on the pre-Civil War slave-escape route known as the Underground Railroad. Vergennes's Basin Harbor Club is beautifully situated on Lake Champlain; it is a much-coveted site for summer weddings.
