The county’s biggest town
Spanning more than 68 square miles of rolling hills, sugar-maple forest, ponds and working farms, Fairfield is geographically the largest town in Franklin County — and one of the most quietly productive corners of Vermont.
Maple & organic dairy
If Franklin County is Vermont’s maple heartland, Fairfield is its crown jewel, producing more pure maple syrup than almost anywhere in North America. From February through April, vacuum lines and buckets feed hundreds of sugar shacks, and Maple Open House Weekends in April open many to visitors.
The town is also home to pioneering organic dairies — Stony Pond Farm crafts small-batch raw-milk cheeses such as Swallow Tail Tomme from its grass-fed Jersey herd, and honor-system farm stands line the dirt back roads.
A president’s birthplace
Along a quiet country road stands the President Chester A. Arthur State Historic Site. Arthur — the 21st president, who took office after James A. Garfield’s assassination in 1881 — was born here in 1829, the son of a Baptist preacher.
A faithful reconstruction of the 1830s parsonage and an exhibit hall on his life sit beside picnic tables overlooking the rolling farm hills.
Fairfield Swamp & Pond
For nature lovers, the 1,561-acre Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area offers a woods-road walk along a ridge above black-spruce bog and cattail marsh, prime habitat for nesting bald eagles and ospreys. Nearby, 446-acre Fairfield Pond is a quiet spot for kayaking, canoeing and warm-water fishing.
Back-road farm stands
Driving Fairfield’s unpaved lanes is half the pleasure.
Stony Pond Farm — certified-organic, pasture-raised cheeses.
Honor-system stands — raw milk, sweet corn, berries and maple, paid by cash box or Venmo.
Good to know
Which president was born in Fairfield?+
Chester A. Arthur, the 21st U.S. president, born here in 1829; a state historic site with a reconstructed parsonage marks the spot.
When is maple season?+
Roughly late February through April, with Maple Open House Weekends opening family sugarhouses to visitors each April.
What outdoor spots are there?+
The Fairfield Swamp Wildlife Management Area for ridge walks and birding, and Fairfield Pond for paddling and fishing.