WOODSTOCK

Woodstock's downtown earned a "Great Places in America" designation from the American Planning Association in 2011, and the four principal streets — Central, Elm, North Park, and South Park — look like they were built to be walked.

Pentangle Arts Center operates out of the historic Town Hall Theatre, presenting concerts, films, theater, and dance performances since 1974. The programming runs year-round and draws from both the local population and visitors passing through the village. Woodstock is small — about 900 residents in the village proper — but the cultural calendar punches above that number.

The Green, an elliptical village park at the junction of Routes 4 and 106, anchors a downtown of Federal and Greek Revival houses, independent shops, and the Middle Covered Bridge over the Ottauquechee River. The town includes four hamlets beyond the village — Taftsville, South Woodstock, West Woodstock, and Prosper — but the village is where things happen after dark.

Tip: Central Street doubles as Route 4, so traffic moves through. Park in the village and walk — everything from Pentangle to restaurants sits within a few blocks of The Green.

Neighborhoods: The Green • Elm Street • Taftsville • South Woodstock