South West Vermont

Just down the road from the Orvis Flagship store is the American Museum of Fly Fishing, one of the most informative places about the history of fly fishing, especially since the nearby Battenkill River has been one of the premier fly fishing locations for centuries.

Though people without enthusiasm for fishing will find the museum dull, I can think of no better place for even the most casual fisherman or fisherwoman. The exhibits are attractive, informative, and artfully arranged. The photographs or women in fancy dresses and fly rods alone make it worth the trip.

If the exhibits aren’t enough, the building itself was recently renovated and is nothing short of gorgeous–and I don’t use that word lightly. An extensive gift shop fills up the rest of the ground floor while an extensive library fills the upstairs.

The library itself merits its own paragraph. Every woodworker or lover of fine craftsmanship should check out the dark wood, built-in bookshelves that are lined with a large collection of books on fly fishing.

And if the kids get restless at the short exhibit and gift shop, the Orvis trout pond is just down the road. The AMFF is located in route 7A in Manchester, Vermont, just a short walk from the intersection of 7a and routes 11 and 30–also known as malfunction junction.