MONTPELIER

Montpelier is the smallest state capital in the country, but its walkable downtown along State Street and Main Street packs a concentrated live music and performing arts presence into just a few blocks. The Winooski River runs through the center of a city that feels more like a close-knit village than a government seat.

You can catch stage productions at Lost Nation Theater and independent film screenings at the Savoy Theater, both located in the compact downtown core. The New England Culinary Institute campus keeps the local dining scene stocked with trained chefs, and many of the restaurants and cafes along Main Street double as gathering spots on show nights. With no chain restaurants or big-box stores in the downtown, the audience here skews toward locals and statehouse workers who know the calendar by heart.

Montpelier's scene is walkable and unhurried. You can park once and reach both venues on foot, passing independent bookstores and co-ops along the way. The gold-domed State House and the wooded slopes of Hubbard Park frame a skyline of brick buildings and church steeples that feels distinctly un-corporate.

Tip: State Street and Main Street form a compact L-shape through downtown. Start at one end and walk the other — you'll pass both venues and most of the city's restaurants in about ten minutes.

Neighborhoods: Downtown • The Meadow • College Street • Towne Hill • Hubbard Park