Туристический бум в штате Вермонт: пять деревень Хартфорда привлекают сотни тысяч гостей

One town, five villages: Inside Hartford’s unlikely tourism boom HARTFORD, Vt. (WCAX) - Hartford, a town of about 10,600 people, sits at the crossing of the White and Connecticut Rivers, with the Ottauquechee River also flowing through. Its industrial past has evolved into a tourism hotspot. And as Cat Viglienzoni found out in this week’s “Vermont’s Own,” the Windsor County town’s five villages — Quechee, White River Junction, Wilder, Hartford and West Hartford — each have their own flavor. In summertime, the cars rarely stop coming along Route 4 in Quechee. For many of the 200,000 visitors who stop at the Quechee Gorge each year, this view is their first introduction to the Green Mountain State. “This view is awesome. Never would have guessed it in Vermont,” said Diane Janders, a visitor from New Jersey. “We went to the Grand Canyon twice. They say this is a mini Grand Canyon. It’s a very spectacular view for the East Coast,” added Frank LaBletta, also from New Jersey. “It’s just amazing. You have to see it with your own eyes — just any picture wouldn’t describe how beautiful it is,” said Sofia Friedman from Maryland. The gorge is a huge tourist draw. The chamber says it has already had visitors from 100 different countries come to see it just this year, and they think they’ll be up to 200 countries by the time the year is up. But they say it’s not just tourists from out of town who like to come and marvel at the natural beauty — it’s the locals too. “Having this right in your backyard makes it so easy to explain to other people why you live here,” said Havah Armstrong Walther with the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce. Armstrong Walther loves Hartford so much she has lived in four of its five villages, and works in the fifth — at the welcome center just steps from Quechee Gorge. Just down the road, people flock to see the birds at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, or VINS. And the Quechee Balloon Festival attracts more than 10,000 people each June. She says people are often surprised to learn it’s part of Hartford. “If someone says something happened in Hartford, it could mean any of the five villages,” Armstrong Walther said. White River Junction, she says, also often gets mistaken for its own town. The historic rail hub is now a creative center, with artisans, the Center for Cartoon Studies, theater, and amenities that you can walk to. “There are not a ton of villages in Vermont where you can still do that. White River Junction is one of them,” Armstrong Walther said. Heading north is Wilder, also often mistaken for its own town. But Armstrong Walther says it’s more than a bedroom community for nearby New Hampshire employers. Kilowatt Park, by the hydroelectric dam, is the perfect spot for families to picnic, get out in inner tubes and kayaks, or take a dip in the Connecticut River during the summer months. “It’s a very family-oriented, out together in the evening type of environment,” Armstrong Walther said. She has a soft spot for the architecture in Hartford Village, which she calls “cute as a button.” Right on Route 14, you’ll find historic homes and one of the Upper Valley’s two dog parks. A volunteer at Watson Memorial Dog Park says he takes his pup there and takes it upon himself to spruce it up for others too. West Hartford is their most rural village. There you’ll find hiking on the Appalachian Trail and homesteading. “It’s the kind of place where you can go and see a cooler at the edge of anybody’s driveway that says ‘eggs, $4.00,’” Armstrong Walther said. A new farmers market at the library brings people together. And on hot days, you can find groups of kids splashing in the White River. Armstrong Walther says people there value the natural beauty that crosses through town. “Being able to take your kids and go fish in the river or take your inner tubes and casually coast down the river and spend beautiful, beautiful days out in the sunshine,” Armstrong Walther said. Back in Quechee, many locals and local visitors are probably wondering when the construction on the Quechee Gorge Bridge will wrap up. The major bridge rehabilitation project has been going on for a few years, down to one lane with a traffic light. On busy days, the cars back up on Route 4, and businesses are eager for it to be done. VTrans says the traffic signals will be removed by the end of the week and two-way traffic will be flowing again. They expect the project to wrap up by mid-August. The chamber says businesses are planning to throw a party to celebrate, though a date has not been set yet. On next Wednesday’s installment of “Vermont’s Own,” Darren Perron hits the road to visit a town near you. If you have an idea for your town, don’t be shy. Send us a note about the places, people, and events that embody the place you call home. Copyright 2026 WCAX. All rights reserved.