Chill spots to bring your parents in Burlington this fall

With UVM Weekend, formerly known as Parents & Family Weekend, coming up for students on Oct. 7-9, it's as good a time as any to give your parents an exciting weekend get-away in Vermont's biggest city.

UVM Weekend will have no shortage of on-campus activities, including student markets, sports matches, and concerts. In addition to on-campus happenings, options abound in Burlington for chill places to take your parents in the fall.

Parks

For a leisurely stroll with your parents, look no further than Burlington's parks.

One of the easiest options for minimal effort is Waterfront Park, which offers beautiful views of Lake Champlain within steps of downtown Burlington. Just follow Main Street all the way down from UVM, and you'll reach a big parking lot near the water — you've entered Waterfront Park! Enjoy the walking paths along the water and grassy picnic spots.

From Waterfront Park, you have two options along the lake: north and south.

South of Waterfront Park, you can easily bike or drive 10 minutes to Oakledge Park — the crown jewel of Burlington's South End. At Oakledge, you can find barbecue spots, beaches, playgrounds, forest trails, and the world's first public wheelchair-accessible treehouse.

North of Waterfront Park, you can bike or drive 10 minutes to North Beach Park — Burlington's largest beach. While it will likely be too chilly to go swimming, walking along the beach is a wonderful time any day of the year. The surrounding park area also offers a playground, forest trail, picnic spots, and a camp ground.

Farms

In addition to parks, Burlington's farms offer bountiful opportunities for relaxing autumn walks with your parents.

The Intervale Community Farm has walking trails that cross through farm acres, beautiful woodlands, the Winooski River, and the largest community garden in Burlington.

While outside of Burlington, Shelburne Farms is well worth the 20 minute drive from downtown. A working farm on over 1,400 acres, Shelburne Farms offers 10 miles of walking trails, a formal garden overlooking Lake Champlain, an overnight inn, and educational events.

Shops

Are your parents tired of nature yet? Take them shopping!

The Church Street Marketplace is an iconic downtown destination that offers restaurants, clothing stores, book stores, and more. You're also likely to find street artists, musicians, and performers.

A half a mile from downtown, you can find the South End — a hub of art galleries, vintage shops, breweries, restaurants, and music venues. Every Saturday through Oct. 29, the South End fills up for the Burlington Farmer's Market, where you can find some of the best local food and art in the state.

Museums and Galleries

Are your parents tired of shopping yet? Take them to a museum!

The ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain is a science museum with no shortage of aquatic escapades. Visitors can expend to see local turtles, eels, frogs, giant sturgeon, and fish galore.

If your parents are the sophisticated type, you can check out the current exhibitions at the Burlington City Arts gallery. The gallery offers guided tours and activities that can be scheduled in advance.

If you don't mind a 10 mile drive out of Burlington, you can check out the Shelburne Museum. Located on a 45-acre campus with 39 buildings, 22 gardens, and over 100,000 collection items, Shelburne Museum is the largest art and history museum in Northern New England.

Contact April Fisher at amfisher@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AMFisherMedia

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Relaxing places to bring your parents to in Burlington this fall