Outlet Shopping. . .
because who can resist checking out the bargains?

There is a good reason why Manchester is a New England shopping Mecca. Beside its offerings of food and fine crafts, including woodworking, pottery, glass blowing, jewelry, woolens, and homespun yarns, Manchester also has a plethora of high-end factory outlet stores, including:

Ann Taylor, BCBG Maxazria, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Crabtree & Evelyn, Coach, Giorgio Armani, J. Crew, Jockey, Jones New York, Kate Spade, Kenneth Cole, LiIIy Pulitzer, Maidenform, Michael Kors, Orvis, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Theory, Tse, Tumi, Yves Delorme, and more.

Occasionally, an outlet store will quietly close its doors. While we try our best to keep this list current, we apologize for any closures we have missed.

We also have a reputation for outdoor gear, as hosts to Eastern Mountain Sports, Manchester Sport Shop, the Mountain Goat, and, of course, we are the birthplace of Orvis.

We are proud to be home to the area's premier outlet for books, the Northshire Bookstore. You may be there for a while so consider lunch in the bookstore café, where locals and visitors enjoy casual fare along with great teas and coffee. The bookstore features a huge selection of art books, children's books, books on New England, travel, biographies, multi-media CD/DVDs, general interest books, and a separate department for cards, calendars, and address books. (Open Tues-Sat, 10 am to 9 pm and Sun-Mon, 10 am to 7 pm.)

When you feel you have fully earned the phrase "shop 'til you drop," come back and soak those poor, tired feet, along with the rest of you, before choosing a place for dinner.

Where To Go - Excursions By Car...
Manchester - Dorset - Pawlet - Lake St. Catherine - Danby - Manchester

From Manchester, take Route 30 to Dorset. Notice the quarry in Dorset on Route 30, which is now a favorite swimming hole. The stone for the New York Public Library came from this quarry. A pretty drive off Route 30 is the loop of the Lower and Upper Hollow Roads. This road is the first road on your right after you pass the Barrows House as you approach the center of Dorset. Continue on Route 30 through the Mettowee Valley (the river is famous for its fly fishing) to Pawlet. This stretch is picture-perfect rural Vermont scenery, a valley of dairy and sheep farms, farmhouses, silos, and tillable land.

Continue on Route 30 to Wells, Lake St. Catherine St. Park, and to Poultney where there are a number of antique shops. Take Route 140 to Middletown Springs. Take the cut-off to go by the back roads to Danby Four Comers. Go two miles north on Route 7 to the Peel Gallery; then return to Manchester.

Manchester - Dorset - Salem - Cambridge - Arlington

From Manchester, take Route 30 to Dorset. Turn left on Route 315; go 2.6 miles to Merck Forest. Merck Forest is a 2800-acre preserve and one of the best places to take a walk or a hike. The visitor center has trail maps for your use. Continue on Route 315 to Route 153 to Salem, New york. Treat yourself to a wonderful lunch and a cappuccino at Steininger's, where the Steininger family makes chocolates in the finest European tradition.

Drive south on Route 22 toward Cambridge and stop at the New Skete Monastery in Cambridge to taste cheesecake that is made by the nuns, or smoked hams, bacon and cheese made by the monks, or see the gold domed Russian-style church. To get there turn onto Route 313, then right on Ash Grove Road.

Continue on Route 313 east to Arlington; then north on Historic Route 7A to Manchester. In Arlington visit the Norman Rockwell Exhibition Gallery. Back in Manchester, take a drive up Equinox Skyline Drive (a five mile, twisty road takes you to the highest peak at 3,816 feet in the Taconic Range). On a clear day, you can see as far as Quebec, Massachusetts, New York and New Hampshire. There are nature trails at the top. The views are magnificent.

Manchester - Arlington - Kelly Stand Road - Stratton

Bring a picnic lunch on this drive. Drive south on Route 7A and turn left on East Arlington Road in Arlington. Turn right at Old Mill Road, which brings you to the Candle Mill Village in East Arlington. Continue on Old Mill Road. After you cross the bridge that goes over Route 7,take an immediate right onto the Kelly Stand. This is a hard-packed dirt road. Do not attempt this drive if the weather is muddy or in late fall or early spring since there is often snow here earlier and later than in other areas. This drive is spectacular. A good portion of this drive will be along the Roaring Branch River. The Appalachian and long Trails go through this wilderness, so you may want to plan on a hike on one of the trails. When you get to the white town hall in Stratton, tum left and follow the signs to Stratton Resort Village. You can browse the shops and take the gondola to the top of the mountain. After you come down the mountain, turn left on Route 30 north to Manchester.