In 1954, English professor Arthur Peach proposed an idea in Vermont Life Magazine: To get to know the real Vermont, try to visit every single town, city and village in the state. Seventy-one years later, the 251 Club of Vermont is still going strong.
The group doesn't have hard-and-fast rules — it operates on an honor system. Members check off towns as they go, often in a 251 Club travel journal. When you're done, you can get an official certificate and a car decal.
Some club members simply drive through a town in order to check it off. Others go deeper — they walk around, visit a post office or library (if there is one), or spend money at a local business.
“We would hope that you would stop in the town, not just fly through it,” said George Hooker of Rutland City, president of the 251 Club's board of directors. “People used to think you had to take a picture, that you had to photograph the town clerk’s office or something. That’s not true, but you should at least pause and do something there, and then you get to check it off your list.”
Listeners shared different ways they commemorate each town they visit. Sam in Jericho "completed my goal of riding my bike on dirt roads through every Vermont municipality in 2023." Kevin and Emma, both cemetery enthusiasts, have been on their 251 Club journey for a year. "Nearly every town has included a cemetery stop," they write.
“Oftentimes, people will develop their own goals, whether it’s visiting covered bridges, cemeteries or libraries,” said Killian White of Bethel, the club's new executive director. She has fond childhood memories of geocaching as her parents took her around to different towns. "I remember the wonder, as a kid, of going to a town and looking at these little pockets, these little hidden caches of treasures that people had set in various towns for others to find," she said.
The 251 Club will hold their annual meeting in Montpelier this September. They invite members and interested individuals to share their Vermont travel experiences and connect with others.
Broadcast live on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
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