Vermont packs a lot into a small state, where snow gives way to summers of lakes, forests, and unlimited room to explore. In the north, Greater Burlington puts a lakefront city and the state's highest peak within the same afternoon. Southeast of there, the White River Valley trades crowds for covered bridges, waterfalls, and a floating bridge you can drive across. And in the Okemo Valley, Scenic Route 100 threads together a run of postcard towns, from a president's boyhood village to a country store stocked with classic sweets made from recipes that haven't changed in a century.

Three regions, three very different long weekends. We partnered with Vermont Tourism to share a few of their favorites. Here's where to go in each.

Greater Burlington sits between Lake Champlain and Vermont's tallest peaks, so you can spend a morning on the water and an afternoon above the tree line. A compact, walkable city with live music, artist studios, and a food scene punching well above its size, ringed by lakefront and mountain towns worth the short drive. Here are the stops worth building three days around.

Central Vermont's White River Valley follows the 56-mile White River through a string of historic villages the Abenaki knew as Wôbatekw, or "clear stream." It's an adventurer's playground of covered bridges, waterfalls, and fire-tower hikes, anchored by Randolph, the state's geographic center. Here are the stops worth building a couple of days around.

Follow Scenic Route 100 through the Okemo Valley and you string together a run of postcard towns, each with its own draw: ski trails and a fire-tower hike in Ludlow, a president's boyhood village in Plymouth Notch, big-name art in a converted Reading barn, and penny candy in Weston made from a recipe that hasn't changed in a century. Here are the stops worth building three days around.