No visit to Grafton is complete without a visit to the Grafton Village Cheese Co. Grafton Village Cheese handcrafts aged Vermont cheddar in many varieties to satisfy all palates. Its headquarters is located just 1/2 mile from the Inn on Townshend Road. Cheese is made several days a week, and there is a viewing area that allows visitors to observe the process. A helpful video explaining the art of making cheese is featured in the welcome lobby. Right behind the inn you will find it Specialty Cheese & Wine Shop, featuring more than 80 types of cheeses, wines, Vermont products, gourmet foods, gifts and daily tastings. The front desk of the inn, and at the Wine & Cheese Shop has the updated cheesemaking schedule.

The Scoop ice cream stand: There’s nothing like a refreshing ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Head down on Route 121 (go right at the center of town – about 2 miles). Part of Idyll Acres Farm, they serve ice cream Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 2 – 8 p.m. On Sunday, they do hotdogs starting at 5 p.m. Summertime only.

Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center. Part of the Grafton Inn, Grafton Ponds offers year-round outdoor fun for all ages. Visit our Grafton Ponds page for more on this wonderful recreation center.

Museums & Exhibits

Grafton is a living and working rural Vermont town, but it also has a history and sense of cultural pride that it likes to display. Down Townshend Road is one of the most wonderful natural history museums, in the Grafton Nature Museum. It’s great for all ages and especially delightful for children.

Across the road, behind the Windham Foundation offices on Townshend Road, a sheep exhibit explains the importance of the sheep industry to Grafton. Oh, don’t forget to visit the red barn on Townshend Road to pet the sheep.

Across from the Grafton Village Store on Main Street is the Grafton History Museum. It can give you a glimpse of Grafton life when the Civil War was big news. It has a wide variety of Grafton memorabilia as well as ever-changing displays.

The Grafton Forge Blacksmith Shop allows visitors to step back in time to when the blacksmith was one of the most important craftsmen in the community. A large collection of antique wrought iron work and tools are on display. Tours welcome. Special programs offered. The shop also has items for purchase including fireplace tools, lighting and more. Custom orders are welcome. Open daily. Located on School Street. Learn more.

Around the corner from the Blacksmith Shop on Pleasant Street is the Vermont Museum of Mining and Minerals (802-875-3562) to experience a beautiful collection of Vermont and other worldy minerals.

Shopping, Art & Galleries

Grafton boasts a variety of shopping options for browsers or serious art collectors. My Mind’s Design (802-643-1000) is a wood working studio, where you can custom order furniture, cabinetry, architectural turning and functional art plus accessories for the home. Main Street. Since 1975, Gallery North Star on Townshend Road (843-2465) has presented the finest works of New England’s professional artists in via oils, watercolors, sculpture and prints. The Jud Hartmann Gallery (843-2018) on Main Street boasts a limited edition of bronze sculptures entitled “The Woodland Tribes of the Northeast,” along with oils, watercolors and pastels. Located next door to The Old Tavern is Hunter Gallery of Fine Art (843-1440), featuring a gallery of East Coast artists in pastels, watercolors, Oriental brush paintings and more. New to Grafton is Grafton Village Quilts (802-380-1322) offering antique, vintage and new quilts as well as a variety of quilting supplies.

See our Local Chambers of Commerce page for links to nearby towns, like Brattleboro, Weston, etc. for wonderful nearby art communities.