You will need a car. Much of VT is very rural. Brandon is one of my favorite "artsy" towns. Both nearby Bristol and Brandon have great 4th of July parades. Don't miss Shelburne Museum for history. If you take the road east out of Bristol, I think it's called the Lincoln Gap, that goes over to Rt 100, there is a popular swimming spot on the river with a small waterfall and granite ledges. Great place to picnic in a shady spot and watch kids jumping off the ledges. You can google Vermont Swimming Holes for other places to investigate. To get off the beaten path, you might get the map for farms that make and sell cheese. DH enjoyed the Billings Farm Museum near Woodstock VT but I missed out on that trip. You can take the car ferry across Lake Champlain from Burlington to visit Ausable Chasm - a pricey walk thru a gorge but interesting. Burlington has a lovely outdoor pedestrian mall, Church Street.

"are willing to hire a car to get around if the prices are ok. "

You MUST rent a car to see anything. Public transportation between areas is limited to larger towns, and even getting around within some of those towns is virtually impossible without a car.

Plenty to see and do in Vermont in the summer. Hiking swimming, biking of course. Microbeweries are popular in Vermont is that's your thing. Fall is gorgeous but perhaps the most crowded and expensive, People book a year in advance for Columbus Day weekend in October which is often peak of foliage.

Budget? Lovely high priced inns all over ths atate. Some chain hotels that are expensive for what they are, though hotels in ski areas like Killington can be agood value.

Larger towns Burlington, Stowe, Montpelier,, Woodstock Bennington have all components including shopping and restaurants. Smaller towns are more quaint. Nearby areas in New Hampshire include Hanover , Keene. There are also beautiful lakes in NH that don't have equivalents in Vermont.

Come up with a time frame (2 days? 2 weeks?) and a budget first.

I agree with nyer, I could spend a month in Vermont any time of year and with any budget. You have to say how long and how much you want to pay. You could hike, boat, fish, swim, bike, drink beer, etc. A car is necessary in Vermont, bus service is only between large cities and you would need a car to travel around all of the towns and through the two or three major "cities" of Burlington, Montepelier, Rutland.

Some charming towns: Woodstock, Jamaica, Manchester, Middlebury, Stowe, Shelburne, Grafton, Norwich....and many more. Be sure to include Burlington. A car is necessary.
In the fall, drive up (or down) Rt.100

I love Vermont so much I moved here 25 years ago. Yes, you will need a car! Don't miss the Stowe bike/walking path or the Burlington bike path, which meanders next to the lake. When the bike ferry is running, you can go to the Lake Champlain Islands- I'd highly recommend that as part of your trip. summer is actually the best season here, there are festivals all over the state, especially on Burlington's waterfront......you might also consider getting a visa to visit Montreal, it's only about 1 1/2 hours from Burlington and a beautiful city as well. Shelburne Museum has lots of art and history, it's large and, depending on how intently you look, can take more than one day. I'd also suggest visiting Shelburne Farms, tons of walking trails and an incredibly beaitful, seasonal inn on the lake.....have a fantastic trip!

ROUTE 100...please remember it; you cannot possibly go wrong if you follow it at some point.

If you get a chance when you head to NY check out Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain - where in 1775 Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, captured the fort from British regulars by disassembling a cannon, hauling it over the mountains and blowing down the front of the fort. The group became the official Vermont Militia in the Revolutionary War.

What Dukey said about Route 100. If you follow it from the Massachusetts border to the Canadian border, you will see a substantial amount of what there is to see in Vermont.

Thanks for all your input!

We would be looking at £1000 GBP max per person, and either a week or two weeks depending on what there is to do and cost of course.

Are there any National Parks that we could visit and camp at if we went in the summer months?

Does that budget need to include your airfare to the US? If so, then your options are limited since airfare is quite high and would be at least half of your budget. 7 days at most, staying in more modest places. If that's just for hotels and meals, you can do very well for probably about 10-14 days.

There are no national parks in VT but there are national forests you can check out for camping. Look at N.Hero and the islands in Lake Champlain just north of Burlington for possible camping options too.
It is a beautiful place to explore.

If you are willing to consider NH, you might check out the Appalachian Mountain Club's huts-- there is a series of huts located on the Appalachian Trail in the White Mountains, and you can stay in them overnight, and even hike from hut to hut if you want. Not as cheap as camping, but a real experience (if you don't mind shared bunk rooms and meals).

http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/whitemountains/huts/

Some private campgrounds have camping trailers you can rent or small cottages but you may be able to do just as well at an inexpensive motel. Save money on meals by getting sandwiches, salads and soups at sandwich shops or grocery stores. Bring a picnic kit with you (containers, utensils).

As mentioned above there are no National Parks but lots of State Parks which offer camping. They are fantastic.
http://www.vtstateparks.com/

Worthy VT museum/historic house type attractions I've been to include the Shelburne Museum (Shelburne), St. Johnsbury Athenaeum and Fairbanks Museum (St. J), Sheldon Museum (Middlebury), State Capitol and Vermont History Museum (Montpelier), American Precision Museum (Windsor), Ethan Allen Homestead and U of Vermont Art Museum (Burlington), Woodstock Historical Society and Billings Farm and Marsh/Billings/Rockefeller National Historic Park (Woodstock), Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory Tour (Waterbury), and Montshire Museum of Science (Norwich, best for kids). Attractions in Cornish NH (St. Gaudens Historic Site) and Hanover NH (Dartmouth Art Museum) are just across the Connecticut River from Vermont.

It is entirely possible to see a good bit of Vermont without a car (I know because I've done so, though it takes some planning), though having a car allows more flexibility. And if you plan to cruise from small town to small town, explore the Northeast Kingdom beyond St. Johnsbury, hit up hiking trails, or visit Woodstock and Plymouth and Waterbury, a car's a must.

Burlington is easily reached by Megabus or Greyhound bus from Boston. From here, there are local buses that go to (M-Sa) Shelburne and Middlebury and (M-F) Montpelier. You can also reach Windsor (and cab from here to Cornish NH), Bellows Falls, Brattleboro, and White River Junction (and cab from here to Woodstock VT or Hanover NH) via Amtrak from nearby Essex VT.

St. Johnsbury can be reached by commuter bus (M-F) from Montpelier. Bennington is served by buses from Williamstown MA and Albany NY, further linked by another local bus to Arlington/Manchester VT.

Thanks everybody you've been a great help ;o)

I'll add my input if you aren't booked.
As a Burlington Native, I think you'll get the best results of flavor for VT art in BTV. Being that you're flying into BTV, rent a car at the airport if you want to leave town, otherwise cabs are reasonable compared to most areas. art in Burlington is great, which includes galleries, theater and music. The Flynn Theater has many shows, including some great National acts, and the Burlington Waterfront is just precious! We have many festivals , including Jazzfest which is quite busy and lively. Shelburne museum is a great option for art as well as Electra Havermayer Webb, was a collector of early American art, and you visit her "second home" Shelburne Farms which also has lots of outdoor activities and is a great dinner location, with the best gardens and views of the lake in town! As for places to stay, most Burlington Hotels are worth the price. Hotel Vermont may be open by the time of your visit and it is a great location to be able to walk to Church Street.

Hi jpidgeonuvm,

We're not booked yet.

Call me daft, but is BTV Burlington??

What sort of outdoor activities are at Shelburne Farms? The art sounds right up our street too- we're big modern art comic and sculpture fans. What sort of theatre shows are on generally? If we came to this sort of area, are there other hiking and outdoor opportunities?

We're probably thinking summer (August time)to visit. I'm up for the camping, but it looks like after our last trip my partner wants a bed each night (it doesn't have to be luxury, just clean and comfortable). We could probably stretch to £1500, but that would be our maximum with flights and car hire.

Any further suggestions very welcome! ;o)

Kittys69,

BTV stands for Burlington, Vermont. Northern and Central Vermont have a lot of small museums that are worth visiting. I haven't visited for a few years so I do not remember many details.

If you are outdoors lovers, Vermont and New Hampshire are great states to visit. In general, New Hampshire's mountains are more rugged and alpine, whereas Vermont's are more rounded - both offer great hiking, but New Hampshire probably has the best hiking trails in the Northeast. Vermont has a more bucolic, agricultuaral feel, and New Hampshre has more wilderness areas but also more urban areas (southern part of the state). Neither state is known for museums and art, although there is some. Shelborne Museum in Vermont, and the Currier Museum in New Hampshire probably have the largest concentration of art. Shelborne Farm is a historic working farm just outside Burlington. Other places you might enjoy are the Billings Farm Museum and Rockefeller estate in Woodstock Vt, and the Shaker Village in Canterbury NH. As for airports, either Burlington Vermont or Manchester New Hampshire would be a good choice. Also consider Boston (fabulous city for history and art), which is less than an hour from New Hampshire, and about two hours to Vermont.

Shelbirne Farms has hiking, walking paths. One summer we bought a pass for that reason. Beautiful setting.

Here is a thread from a few years ago where I listed some of my favorite smaller sites in VT and nearby New Hampshire
http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/suggested-sites-to-visit-in-vermont-and-new-hampshire.cfm

Shelburne Farms has a very nice inn on Lake Champlain. I would not suggest staying there because of the price but eating breakfast at the restaurant might be an option
http://www.shelburnefarms.org/staydine/inn-restaurant

Vt has cheese and wine routes and some the highest number of breweries per capita of any state.