Few places make art as much a part of daily life as Brattleboro, a former industrial hub that has reinvented itself in past years as a mecca for painters and artisans. During its monthly Gallery Walk, shops and restaurants showcase local work, which is then left on the walls to inspire patrons in following weeks. (Don’t be surprised if after dinner you find yourself asking for a painting with your doggie bag.)

The artistic sensibility of the town extends to its politics, earning it a reputation as one of the most progressive towns in Vermont. This is the kind of place where shops advertise “Breastfed Babies Welcome” on their windows, and sell organic hemp clothing inside. Instead of a supermarket, it has a food co-op, where you can choose from 300 kinds of cheese and sign a petition against genetically modified foods on your way out the door.

Brattleboro’s mercantile past has even given its brick downtown a quasi-urban feel that harmonizes with its cosmopolitan leanings.