The weather may not agree but it's officially Fall and all Vermonters know what that means — foliage! The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, and the Green Mountains are starting to change. It's the perfect time to go for a scenic drive, take a hike, or enjoy one of the great festivals going on in Southern Vermont this season. Fall is the perfect time to visit the Green Mountain State, although we think it's great regardless of the season. 

Here in Southern Vermont the landscape already has the Autumnal gold glow. We suggest taking a drive up Skyline Drive to the very top of Mount Equinox to enjoy a panoramic view of five different mountain ranges as they turn from green to fiery reds, warm golds, and deep purples. 

Stratton is another great place to enjoy the foliage, as it is Vermont's highest peak. Don't miss Stratton's annual Columbus Day Weekend Celebration from October 7 - 9. Spend the day at Stratton Mountain Resort enjoying the chili cook-off, brewfest, pumpkin painting, hay rides, live music, and so much more!

We would also recommend getting out in the crisp Autumn air and taking one of the myriad of day hikes in the Manchester, Vermont area. Some of our favorite family-friendly day hikes include Antone Mountain in Rupert, Haystack Mountain in Pawlet, Little Rock Pond on the Long Trail, and Prospect Rock in Manchester.

Regardless of how you get out there to see the leaves change, you'll want to keep in mind that we typically only get about 2 weeks of prime foliage in October. This can vary by elevation and location so we recommend checking the Vermont Foliage Report for recent updates on where the best places to see the foliage are. 

The Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association held its annual conference in Manchester the first week of September. The conference is held in Vermont every three years and draws in dozens of regional and town planners from across northern New England. Those that attended the conference focused on developing a Downtown Manchester Master Plan that Manchester's Planning Commission will then be able to use and draw from in the future. 

The conference kicked off with a planning charrette that the public was encouraged to attend. A charrette is an intensive planning session where citizens and designers collaborate on a vision for development. The charrette provided a forum for ideas and offered immediate feedback to designers and allowed local residents the opportunity to give feedback on what they would like to see built, changed, and preserved in downtown Manchester. 

Manchester is looking to bring in more mixed-use space and housing to downtown and reverse the recent trend they've seen of young people leaving the region. As more and more retail shops close down, Manchester needs the public's help to look to the future and figure out how to make downtown Manchester a vibrant downtown. 

This comes on the heels of other planning initiatives in Manchester such as the 2020 Community Visit that resulted in the planning of a riverwalk development as well as working to make Manchester a bike-friendly city. 

In the weeks and months following the conference, designers and planners will draft the official plan that will be presented to the Manchester Town Selectman Board sometime this Fall. 

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