Greensboro, the southernmost town in Orleans County, lies just inside the boundaries of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Long before that royal moniker was attached to the state's three northeastern counties, a glacier lumbered through here and carved out Caspian Lake, a jewel in a bucolic setting that made Greensboro a magic kingdom.

Ninety minutes — and a world — away from Burlington, the town remains a tranquil haven. Dew dapples ferns, pine perfumes the air, and loons' mournful calls pierce the dark, starry nights. The intoxicating combination has drawn visitors for decades.

They stream into town for the summer, tripling the population, many of them fifth- or sixth-generation visitors. The late U.S. chief justice William Rehnquist had a house here, as did travel writer John Gunther. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Wallace Stegner summered in Greensboro for more than 50 years and immortalized the town in his novel Crossing to Safety. Greensboro is lucky, he wrote in the foreword to a 1990 volume of town history, that its first summer visitors "were quiet and responsive, academics and preachers mainly, rather than entrepreneurs and exploiters." (Professors from Harvard, Princeton and other universities were so common, the town history recounted, that one of the challenges in a 1920s scavenger hunt was to collect the most signatures of academic deans. One teen produced 17.)

Despite the seasonal influx, the town remains unspoiled. There's no Starbucks; you can pick up coffee for $1.25 at Smith's Grocery. Nor is there a shopping mall. The commercial hub is Willey's Store, the rambling general store where the fifth generation of the Willey family sells groceries, hardware, clothes, shoes, sewing notions, swim toys and fishing poles. And you'll suffer no traffic jams, though only novices try to park at Willey's at four o'clock on a summer afternoon. That's just before happy hour, Town Clerk Kim Greaves said, "and everyone's getting their wine and things."

Long a magnet for writers, scholars and artists, Greensboro is home to the award-winning Jasper Hill Farm cheese; the world-renowned Hill Farmstead Brewery; Circus Smirkus; Highland Center for the Arts; and painters, glassblowers and ceramists, who tuck their studios into barns and old houses.

The best way to see the town has still got to be moving in for the summer. But those of us rooted elsewhere aren't out of luck. Greensboro has so much culture and outdoor recreation within its 39 square miles that popping in for a day trip packs rich rewards.

With that in mind — and with a nod to the New York Times' "36 Hours" travel series — we've resurrected our "three-to-six-hour" itineraries, a time frame more befitting most Vermont locales. Scenic, serene Greensboro kicks off our 2024 summer series. Whether you spend a few hours at morning, noon or night, you'll leave relaxed and restored. But be warned: It's a little like breaking a cookie in two and eating half. You'll be back for more.

9 a.m. to noon

Jump-start your day with a breakfast sandwich or burrito at Smith's Grocery — or a grinder, pizza or poutine, if that's more your speed. Jennifer and Landon Thompson will dish up anything on their menu — and anything else, if they have the ingredients — whenever the store is open (6 a.m. to 9 p.m., 365 days a year). On one May morning, a boy who was 6 or 7 preordered a hot dog pizza to eat after school, Jennifer said. "So at 3:30, he's picking up his hot dog pizza."

An inside table seats four. Assorted picnic tables and Adirondack chairs accommodate al fresco diners. Burn off whatever calories you consume with a hike, walk or bike ride on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. The 93-mile recreation corridor is the longest in New England, spanning northern Vermont to connect St. Johnsbury and Swanton. Catch it at Smith's. If you want to borrow a bike, the Thompsons have 20 to lend — kids' bikes, too — for no charge. They don't even sign them out. If you want to take it a little easy — it is vacation, after all — Greensboro Garage rents e-bikes in addition to the traditional kind.

Get a workout, then pedal back to Smith's for a creemee at the grocery's "shack out back."

For a different perspective, head to one of the town's highest points to walk the trails at Barr Hill, immortalized as Folsom Hill in Crossing to Safety. Now owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy, Barr Hill Natural Area offers sweeping mountain views from Killington to Canada. Choose the 0.3- or 0.8-mile loop. Both are easy and suitable for kids. Fern glades, woods, thick sphagnum moss and fairy houses line the trail. (Follow posted sustainable building guidelines if you choose to add to the housing stock.)

Three picnic areas with stone fire rings offer idyllic lunch settings.

Noon to 6 p.m.

If you hiked back hungry, pick up a sandwich and a bag of chips at Willey's Store and head to the beach. Or take it up a notch and opt for a baguette and Jasper Hill cheese, four-time winner of the American Cheese Society's best-in-show award. As the cheesemaker's official retail store, Willey's offers the lowest prices, the largest selection available anywhere and varietal descriptions: "Bayley Hazen Blue ... Toasted-nut sweetness and anise spice character ... with a mild peppery finish."

Admission to the Caspian Lake Public Beach, across the street, is free. Nearby Greensboro Garage rents kayaks and paddleboards. Caspian Lake is clean and clear, so be sure to wade or swim, then relax in a beach chair, though you'll have to bring your own.

Read, take a snooze, then head back into the village for some shopping. Wander through the Miller's Thumb, a gallery that sells the work of 80 Vermont artists — along with new and vintage clothing — in a former gristmill. Find the mill chute that's still in the building and look down it to see Greensboro Brook roiling below.

Diagonally across the street is Borealis Studios, where glassblower Devin Burgess and his wife, ceramic artist Jerilyn Virden, work. Text, call or email to make an appointment to visit their small gallery or pop in if the "open" sign is hanging by the mailbox.

Highland Center for the Arts features a different Vermont artist in its gallery every six weeks. Admission is free. Outside, giant sculptures rise from the lawn in the open-air gallery, where visitors can stroll a quarter-mile art trail and play mini golf on an artist-created course.

Continue a third of a mile down Hardwick Street to Wilson Farm, where Lindsay and Brenden Beer are churning ice cream made with their organic medicinal herbs. Rosemary-maple-sea salt is their flagship. That and other flavors are available by the scoop or the pint at the on-site farmstand.

On nearby Country Club Road is Turning Stone Farm, where Jennifer Ranz has converted an 1880 barn into her home, studio and an art gallery that's open "by chance or by appointment." If the barn doors are open — they are most of the time — the gallery is open. The barn itself, crowned by whimsical weather vanes on its two cupolas, is beautiful. "I call it an agricultural cathedral," Ranz said.

The entire gallery is stocked with her work: porcelain jewelry; decorative, functional, one-of-a-kind pottery; and watercolor paintings that depict the area.

All that art got you thinking of crafts? Find the drinkable kind on tap at Hill Farmstead Brewery. Since 2010, Shaun Hill has been brewing the world's best beer on the farm where he grew up and naming it after his ancestors. RateBeer has annually ranked Hill Farmstead the No. 1 brewer in the world eight times.

Sip, linger and admire the mountain views, then stop at the retail store to take home Edward, Abner, Anna, Florence, Dorothy or Charlie.

6 p.m. to midnight

While Smith's Grocery serves sandwiches and hot food until it closes every night, the only bar and only restaurant in town are at Highland Lodge, which serves dinner Thursday through Sunday. Reservations are recommended. Diners at the classic old inn can eat inside or out. Little beats dinner on the front porch, with views of the lake as the sun goes down. Trout cakes, pea pesto risotto and pan-roasted duck grace the menu. A brownie sundae called Ishkabibble is the signature dessert.

The beer garden offers a more limited, laid-back menu, no reservation needed. The inn's Margarita Mondays bring live music and food vendors — Caja Madera, MexiRico Auténtico and Wilson Farm ice cream among them — to the lawn.

Without a nightclub, Greensboro's after-dark entertainment generally includes Thursday trivia night at Highland Lodge; movie nights at Smith's Grocery; and periodic comedy, music and theatrical performances at Highland Center for the Arts. Circus Smirkus opens and closes its tour in Greensboro, with two shows on June 29 and four from August 15 to 17.

"It's not nightlife central," a 39-year-old local carpenter said. His recommendation: Sit by a fire with friends.

If You Go

• Smith's Grocery, 767 Main St., 533-2631, Facebook
• Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, railtrails.vermont.gov
• Greensboro Garage, 103 Breezy Ave., 533-7007, greensborogarage.com
• Barr Hill Natural Area, 1521 Barr Hill Rd., 229-4425, nature.org
• Willey's Store, 7 Breezy Ave., 533-2621, Facebook
• Caspian Lake Public Beach, 125 Beach Rd., greensborovt.gov
• Highland Lodge, 1608 Craftsbury Rd., 322-4456, highlandlodge.com
• The Miller's Thumb, 14 Breezy Ave., 533-2045, millersthumbgallery.com
• Borealis Studios, 42 Wilson St., 793-3177, borealisstudios.com
• Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St., 533-2000, highlandartsvt.org
• Wilson Farm, 2747 Hardwick St., 533-2233, wilsonherbfarm.com
• Turning Stone Farm, 491 Country Club Rd., 533-9281, turningstonefarm.com
• Hill Farmstead Brewery, 403 Hill Rd., 533-7450, hillfarmstead.com
• Circus Smirkus, 1 Circus Rd., 533-7443, smirkus.org