4. Burgers and Foosball | 9:30 p.m.

Vermont night life conjures an image of tie-dye-clad locals grooving in a bar with gravy fries on the menu. But after-hours in Manchester is a more genteel and toned-down affair — Burlington or Bennington this is not. Many of its best restaurants double as bars, the busiest of which is the Perfect Wife. The Wife, as some call it, offers fine dining downstairs and a raucous tavern upstairs. Filled with foosball tables and flat screens, the Other Woman (as the tavern is called) can get loud and fratty at times. But the friendly locals, live music most Friday nights and tasty burgers make it a refreshing reprieve from Manchester’s stuffier establishments.

SATURDAY

5. Stairway to Heaven | 9 a.m.

Up a narrow flight of steps may be New England’s fluffiest stack of sourdough flapjacks ($8.25) and French toast ($7.75), all smothered in hot maple syrup. Up For Breakfast, a cramped but cozy L-shaped room, has long been a fixture of Manchester’s breakfast scene for its offbeat specials like venison blueberry sausage. The ambience — grandmotherly knickknacks and rooster-themed art decorating its walls — is also warm and inviting. For something with more of a French accent, try Ponce Bistro, which began serving breakfast, including house-made crepes ($6.95), last winter.

6. Lincoln Logs | 10 a.m.

Remember Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character in the film “Lincoln”? Well, the Great Emancipator’s son happened to have good architectural taste. His Georgian Revival digs, Hildene, stand as a monument to the industrialists who erected Vermont’s grandest homes in the late 19th century. But it is the grounds and gardens that truly make his mansion worth visiting. Strap on a pair of skis or snowshoes ($15) to explore the estate’s eight miles of backcountry, which is soon to expand, thanks to a floating boardwalk recently built across the property’s vast wetlands. History buffs will appreciate the tiny red schoolhouse built in 1832 that is still in use: students write with quill pens and huddle around an old wood stove.

7. Foggy Bottom | 1 p.m.

Independently operated ski resorts, like rope tows, are becoming an endangered species. Yet Bromley Mountain Ski Resort, 15 minutes east of Manchester, is still going strong after recently celebrating 75 years in operation. The mountain retains the hardscrabble appeal that larger corporate resorts lack. While purists may be put off by renovations of its base lodge — the wood beams and moose heads were replaced with mustard yellow walls — at least the fieldstone fireplace was left in place, and the lodge just installed a new day care center and ski school upstairs. From its south-facing slope, on foggy days the Green Mountains float like islands above a sea of clouds. One of those nearby peaks is 3,875-foot Stratton Mountain, which recently expanded its Sun Bowl, terrain parks and glade offerings.

8. Vermont Lamb | 6 p.m.

Southern Vermont eats well. But you often have to venture outside town to find the freshest ingredients. A few miles outside Manchester is Chantecleer, a rooster-themed restaurant in a former dairy barn that is equal parts romantic and rustic. Its meaty rack of lamb ($48) — at least three locals plugged the dish in casual conversation — comes coated with toasted pistachios and a sweet apricot-Dijon glaze. Ask for a table by the roaring fire in the stone fireplace. A favorite among locavores is SoLo Farm & Table, which opened in 2011 in a charming former inn. SoLo, which stands for South Londonderry, a town 15 minutes from Manchester, offers Spanish-style tastings of octopus ($18) and Vermont lamb cuts ($35) and just installed a wood-fired grill.