Vermont Guides
Where Vermont's most famous patriot spent his final years — a restored 1787 farmhouse on the Winooski River, about 9 miles from Shelburne.
Before Vermont was a state, before it was even a recognized entity, Ethan Allen was making things happen with a combination of bluster, genuine courage, and a militia called the Green Mountain Boys. He captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British in May 1775 — one of the first American offensive actions of the Revolution — was later captured himself and held as a prisoner of war on British ships, survived, and spent his final years writing philosophy and farming on the Winooski River floodplain north of Burlington.
The farmhouse he built there in 1787 still stands. It's the only surviving structure directly connected to Allen, and it sits at the edge of the Intervale — Burlington's historic agricultural floodplain, now home to working farms, trails, and one of the best views of the Green Mountains available from the Champlain Valley floor. Heart of the Village Inn in Shelburne is approximately 9 miles south via US-7.
The homestead at 1 Burlington Rd, Burlington, VT 05408 includes the restored 1787 cape-style farmhouse, a visitor center with exhibits on Allen's life and the era of Vermont's founding, and access to the Intervale trail network. Guided tours of the farmhouse run seasonally — a costumed interpreter walks through the rooms and brings the period to life with context about Allen's family, his philosophical writings, and the circumstances of his death in February 1789, just two years after completing the house.
The admission fee for farmhouse tours is modest; the trails are free. Confirm current hours and pricing before visiting, as seasonal schedules vary — the homestead typically operates May through October for full programming, with reduced availability outside that window.
Allen was not a man of modest self-regard — his writing makes that clear — but the house is surprisingly spare. A working Vermont farmhouse of the late 18th century had little room for ostentation. What it does have is good bones: a well-sited structure on a rise above the river, with farmland stretching in every direction and the Winooski River visible from the back. The Intervale land his family farmed is still actively farmed today, which gives the site an unusual continuity.
The Intervale — the fertile floodplain of the Winooski River adjacent to the homestead — is one of Burlington's most valued open spaces. The Intervale Center coordinates working farms on the land; on a weekday visit you'll see active cultivation alongside the hiking trails. The trails run through farmland, wetlands, and forest along the river — flat, easy, and genuinely peaceful for being ten minutes from downtown Burlington.
The Intervale trails are free and open year-round. In late spring and early summer, the wildflower display in the wetland sections is excellent. In fall, the Winooski River corridor turns with the maples and the views east toward the Green Mountains are among the better ones in the Champlain Valley.
Burlington's North Beach — a Lake Champlain swimming beach with a campground — is approximately five minutes by car from the homestead via North Avenue. If you're combining a homestead visit with a Burlington waterfront afternoon, the geography works cleanly: homestead in the morning, North Beach for a swim, downtown Burlington or Winooski for the evening.
Most visitors know Allen primarily from the Ticonderoga story — the pre-dawn raid, the sleeping British garrison, the demand for surrender "in the name of the great Jehovah and the Continental Congress." What the homestead fills in is the rest of the man: his imprisonment and exchange, his return to Vermont and lobbying for statehood, his philosophical treatise Reason the Only Oracle of Man (the first deist text published in America), and the farming life that occupied his final years.
Vermont did not achieve statehood until 1791 — two years after Allen died. He never saw it happen. The farmhouse and the Intervale are where he spent those last years, writing and farming and watching the mountains. It's a quieter, more human story than Fort Ticonderoga, and the homestead tells it well.
Ethan Allen (1738–1789) led the Green Mountain Boys and captured Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775. He was central to Vermont's push for statehood and is considered Vermont's founding hero. The homestead at 1 Burlington Rd is the only surviving structure directly associated with him.
Guided tours of the restored 1787 farmhouse (seasonal, modest admission), visitor center exhibits, and free trails through the Intervale floodplain along the Winooski River. Trails are open year-round.
Yes — the Intervale trails are free and open year-round. Farmhouse tours have a modest admission fee and run seasonally (typically May–October). Confirm current hours before visiting.
Approximately 9 miles north via US-7 and North Avenue into Burlington. Easy to pair with a Burlington waterfront afternoon or a Winooski dinner.
Heart of the Village Inn is Vermont's only adults-only (21+) B&B in Shelburne Village — approximately 9 miles from the Ethan Allen Homestead. Made-from-scratch breakfast, free on-site parking, and a quiet village setting with 250 years of Vermont history outside the door.
Book Now ↗The homestead is 10 minutes from Burlington's waterfront — pair them for a full day of Vermont history and lake views.
Seven trails within 45 minutes — including the Shelburne Farms loop just 1.7 miles from the inn.
Five minutes from the homestead, Vermont's most surprising dining destination awaits — Misery Loves Co, Positive Pie, and the Onion City's circular downtown.