5 Best Sights in St. Johnsbury, Northern Vermont

The late Stephen Huneck, an artist and the creator of Dog Mountain, was famous for his colorful folk art sculptures and paintings of dogs. Much more than an art gallery–gift shop, this deeply moving spot even has a chapel, where animal lovers can reflect on their beloved pets. With hiking trails and a swimming pond, this is, first and foremost, a place to spend time with your dog.

This odd and deeply thrilling museum displays the eccentric collection of Franklin Fairbanks, who surely had one of the most inquisitive minds in American history. He built this magnificent barrel-vaulted gallery in 1889 to house the specimens of plants, animals, birds, and reptiles, and the collections of folk art and dolls—and a seemingly unending variety of beautifully mounted curios—he picked up around the world. The museum showcases over 175,000 items, but it's surprisingly easy to feast your eyes on everything here without getting a museum headache. The popular 45-seat planetarium is Vermont's only public planetarium, and there's also the Eye on the Sky Weather Gallery, home to live NPR weather broadcasts.

With its polished Victorian woodwork, dramatic paneling, and ornate circular staircases, this building is both the town library—one of the nicest you're likely to ever come across—and one of the oldest art galleries in the country, housing more than 100 original works, mainly from the Hudson River school. Albert Bierstadt's enormous Domes of Yosemite dominates the beautiful painting gallery.

Tiny Peacham, 10 miles southwest of St. Johnsbury, is on almost every tour group's list of "must-sees." With views extending to the White Mountains of New Hampshire and a white-steeple church, Peacham is perhaps the most photographed town in New England. The movie adaptation of Ethan Frome, starring Liam Neeson, was filmed here. The soups and stews are especially tasty at Peacham Café, which serves breakfast and lunch. Next door, the Peacham Corner Guild sells local handicrafts.