It’s a short walk from campus to downtown Middlebury. On an autumn day, as the crimson leaves fall, you can hear the Paul Revere bell tolling above the town’s Congregational Church and the water of Otter Creek flowing over Middlebury Falls in the center of town.
Middlebury is about halfway between Rutland and Burlington, Vermont, nestled between the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks. It’s a historic town, familiar to the likes of Robert Frost and John Deere; old local marble flows like a seam through the buildings and infrastructure, but there’s a young and lively vibe as well. Small businesses, restaurants, and bakeries fill the town’s storefronts. Sidewalks buzz with families, professors, and students popping into shops, sitting on patios with a coffee or beer, grabbing groceries.
Students walk down the street, interact with the community, nod to familiar faces and unfamiliar faces alike. “It’s just such a welcoming, warm, friendly place,” says Hana Matsudaira ’22.
The Middlebury community opens its doors to students and gives them a place to step into the world around them, outside campus.