Everything worth doing.Within 20 minutes.

Floating docks out back mean you can tie up and walk straight into dinner — the only real dock-and-dine on Lake Memphremagog. It's one-third of the Gray's Landing complex at 47 Landing Street, sharing the building with Le Belvedere and Tavern on the Hill. The menu runs from burgers to prime rib, with a salad bar that's rare for this stretch of the Northeast Kingdom. Closed Tuesdays.

The highest-rated restaurant in Newport by a wide margin, and not by local standards alone — kaffir lime leaves and galangal sourced for real som tam and massaman curry in a Main Street dining room with ceilings tall enough to make it feel like an occasion. Every dish can be made vegan or gluten-free on request. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday, which catches people planning a midweek dinner off guard.

Farm-to-glass brewery on top of Coburn Hill in Newport Center, about 15 minutes from the lake — Brian and Jenn Cook brew with maple sap and spruce tips off their own land, and the spent mash feeds their Black Angus herd. Wood-fired pizza and live music run the indoor-outdoor Brewcabin most weekends. Open Friday and Saturday only, so this is a planned trip, not a drive-by.

Shaun Hill built this on his family's farm in Greensboro Bend in 2010; RateBeer named it the best brewery in the world for something like seven years running through the late 2010s, and current rankings still put its beers among the world's top ten. Most releases only exist on-site and sell out mid-day. Go Wednesday or Thursday — weekends and foliage season mean a real line. About 35 minutes south of Newport.

Thirteen miles of volunteer-built singletrack between Newport and Derby, off the Beebe Spur Rail Trail — flowy machine-built sections, rooty old-school stretches, a pump track, and a rock drop locals call the launchpad. Runs mountain bikes in summer and nordic skis in winter on the same trail bed. Free to ride; a voluntary membership at mstf.net keeps it maintained.

Newport's municipal beach and campground on 35 lake-facing acres — sandy swimming, a boat ramp, and a free nine-hole disc golf course that runs from white pines through birches along the shoreline. The 75-site campground takes RVs up to 40 feet with full hookups, unusual for a city park. A bike path connects straight into downtown Newport.

The international harbor of the Northeast Kingdom — seasonal and transient slips, a public launch, fuel, pump-out, and a U.S. Customs checkpoint for boats coming south from Quebec. Home to the nearly hundred-year-old Memphremagog Yacht Club. Open late May through Columbus Day and staffed daily, weather permitting; off-season, call the winter line instead of showing up.

Full-service marina on Farrants Point that Amy and Bob Kerr have run since 2002 — pontoon, deck boat, and jet ski rentals alongside boat sales, marine repair, and seasonal storage. This is the fix when a rental's motor won't turn over on a Saturday morning, not just the rental counter for a day on the water.

A 65-foot passenger boat run by the nonprofit Memphremagog Community Maritime out of the Gateway Center, crossing into Canadian water on 13 scheduled cruises a week without requiring a passport for passengers who stay aboard. Scenic runs, theme nights, and a Sunday brunch cruise. Book ahead in summer; the boat only holds 49.

Sporting goods shop at Waterfront Plaza that rents kayaks, paddleboards, and e-bikes by the hour or the week, and sells the fishing tackle and hunting gear a week-long stay always seems to be missing. Kayaks run about $30 a day with a life vest included. The practical answer when a rental doesn't come with its own boat.

Twenty minutes west of Newport and built around the most natural snowfall in the East come winter — but the Pump House Indoor Waterpark and a championship golf course, now in its 20th season, make it a real summer stop too. The resort marks its 70th anniversary in 2026. A FlowRider and an aerial tram round out a rainy-afternoon plan that isn't just fishing and cards.

Built in 1901 straddling the U.S.–Canada line on purpose, with a black line across the reading-room floor marking exactly where one country ends and the other begins — genuinely rare, not a marketing line. It still functions as a working library and opera house, though tightened border security has ended the informal cross-border family visits the building used to allow. Closed Sundays and Mondays.