Three businesses share the building at 3762 Shelburne Road. Soccer Post sells soccer gear. The Slide In Pub, a soccer bar, sits next door. Between them is Hyper Relic, a sports memorabilia shop that Bob and Jessica Trautwine ran out of their home for about five years before moving into Suite 3 in July. On Friday, October 23, from 4 to 8 p.m., the shop is hosting a show of original baseball paintings by Lance Richbourg, the Burlington artist and former St. Michael's art professor. It's the same night as Game 1 of the World Series.
The timing matters. The week of October 18 to 25 is when Shelburne's biggest seasonal attractions close, one after another. What fills the calendar between now and the end of November comes from smaller places. Several of them opened or moved along Shelburne Road this year, and Shelburne Farms switches to a quieter off-season program. Here's what's on, in order.
The Closing Week, Day by Day
The seasonal closings are spread across about six weeks, and the first two fall on October 18 and 19:
- Sunday, October 18. Last day of the season at Shelburne Orchards.
- Monday, October 19. Last day of the Inn at Shelburne Farms' May 8 to October 19 season.
- Sunday, October 25. Last day of Shelburne Museum's 2026 general season, which opened May 9 with daily hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday, November 1. The Shelburne Farms Farm Store and Welcome Center switches to winter hours, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., through March 31.
- Friday, November 27. Shelburne Museum reopens for Winter Lights.
The museum's last day is also the town's Halloween celebration, so Sunday, October 25, will be busy at both ends of Shelburne Road. After that, nothing on the big seasonal calendar happens until Thanksgiving weekend. The rest of this post covers what's open in that stretch.
One Building, Three Kinds of Sports Fan
The 3762 Shelburne Road building is a good place to start, because it changed so much this year. Shelburne News reported that the Slide In Pub started serving on March 29. It shows matches and serves food, and it opened in time to be the place for World Cup games this summer. The World Cup is over, but the Slide In Pub's website still posts fixtures through this weekend and weekly specials.
Hyper Relic came next door in July. In a Shelburne News profile dated September 24, 2026, the Trautwines said the storefront gives them room to meet with clients and start hosting events. Friday's Richbourg show is one of their first. In the same article, Bob Trautwine called Richbourg "the most well-known baseball artist across the country." He also remembered a time when the painter "would walk up and down Church Street and be stopped by 20 people." Guests can meet Richbourg and the owners, and historians will talk about his work.
Friday is the easy night to visit. The rest of the time, Hyper Relic is open by appointment only.
An Indoor Option at 2800 Shelburne Road
Families with young children lose a lot of outdoor options when the Orchards close and the Children's Farmyard at Shelburne Farms shuts down. Natural Nest Play Café, at 2800 Shelburne Road, is meant for those months. Shelburne News reported that Rachel and Andy Cartwright planned to open it on Monday, October 19, for children up to age 8.
According to that report, half the building holds a Montessori-style play area and a café. The other half has a retail section, coworking space and private party rooms. It isn't a day care, and caregivers stay on site with their children. Natural Nest is a Delaware-based franchise, and Cartwright told the paper she is its first franchisee outside Delaware. She said the slowest part of opening was upgrading the building's water and sewer systems and getting town permits. She also described the response from other families: "Oh my gosh, where has this been?"
The café's Shelburne page lists typical hours that change through the week:
- Monday and Wednesday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Tuesday: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., then 4 to 7 p.m.
- Thursday: noon to 7 p.m.
- Friday: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday: 9 to 11 a.m.
The page encourages reservations and doesn't list a price for open play. During its first week, check it before you go.
The South End, Where Two Tasting Rooms Face Each Other
At the south end of Shelburne Road, two tasting rooms sit almost directly across from each other, and both keep regular hours after the museum closes. Fiddlehead Brewing at 6305 Shelburne Road is open noon to 9 p.m. every day. It pours pints and fills growlers, has indoor and outdoor seating, and has no kitchen. The brewery sends hungry visitors to Folino's next door.
Shelburne Vineyard at 6308 Shelburne Road posts tasting room, shop and grounds hours of noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Its events page lists Half Dead for Halloween night, October 31. Neither business has posted November or December events yet, so check their pages for anything added.
Shelburne Farms in Its Off-Season Form
Shelburne Farms doesn't close for the winter. From November through April, it offers the Farm Store, scheduled programs, and the campus walking trails when conditions allow. The Children's Farmyard is closed, but you can still walk past the donkey, goat and sheep pastures. Trails close at sunset. Dogs, bikes and drones aren't allowed, though trained service dogs are. The Farms asks trail visitors for a donation in place of an admission fee.
The off-season calendar runs mostly to evening and weekend programs. Here are the next few weeks on the Shelburne Farms calendar:
| Date | Program | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Abenaki Campfire with Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk-Abenaki Nation | $5 |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Reading & Artist Reception: Pastoral Stories of Shepherding | Free |
| Wed., Nov. 4 | The State of Farming screening and panel, with the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition | Free |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Fall Forest Bathing | $35 |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Orienteering across the farm with map and compass | $5, cash day of event |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Autumn & Owls Campfire overlooking the Farm Barn | $5 |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Felted Acorns from Fluffy Sheep | $5 |
November 7 is the busiest day on that list, with three programs scheduled on the same Saturday.
The Farm Barn itself has been under repair all year. In a March 23 update, Shelburne Farms said the courtyard walls, built more than 140 years ago from locally quarried redstone with limestone caps from Isle La Motte, were coming down so they could be rebuilt. The work would "take most of the year." Water had seeped through the caps into the walls' core, and years of freezing and thawing had weakened the mortar. The masonry crew of White Falcon Solutions is pouring new concrete footings, resetting the original redstones, and returning each marked capstone to its original spot. The project schedule had the Farmyard retaining wall set for October and November, so masons may still be at work while you walk past. WPTZ reported in August that the work began in February.
Town Hall and Pierson Library
The October 25 Halloween celebration runs from noon to 5 p.m. at the Town Center Office Complex, 5420 Shelburne Road. The town's posted schedule:
- Noon: costume contest
- 2 p.m.: parade
- 2:15 p.m.: trick-or-treat games and a haunted stage
- 2:30 p.m.: Halloween craft at Pierson Library
Pierson Library runs the craft from 2 to 4 p.m. that afternoon. Three days later, on Wednesday, October 28, it hosts Haunted Town Hall from 5 to 7 p.m. Its November calendar has three evening yoga sessions: Let Your Yoga Dance on November 4, Vinyasa Yoga Flow on November 6, and Yoga for Healthy Aging on November 18, all starting at 6 p.m.
The farmers market moves too. The outdoor Shelburne Farmers Market on the Parade Grounds runs Saturdays from May through October. Next it moves indoors as the Shelburne Winter Farmers Market, held Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Historic Town Hall at Pierson Library, 5376 Shelburne Road. The 2026–27 start date hasn't been posted on that listing yet.
When the Museum Turns Back On
Shelburne Museum reopens for Winter Lights from Friday, November 27, 2026, through Sunday, January 3, 2027. It generally runs Thursday through Sunday, 4:30 to 8 p.m., and the Weathervane Café is open on walk-through evenings.
The museum is also building. WCAX reported in July that the Perry Center for Native American Art is the museum's first new building since 2013. The museum's own page gives a summer 2027 opening. The Circus Building is closed for roof and structural preservation work and is scheduled to reopen in 2028.
Between the October 25 parade and the November 27 lighting are four free or $5 evenings at Shelburne Farms, three yoga nights at Pierson Library, a new play café at 2800 Shelburne Road, and the October 23 baseball art show at 3762 Shelburne Road.
At Flex Realty, we follow how towns like Shelburne change through the year, from new storefronts on Route 7 to the weeks when the big attractions are closed. If you'd like to talk through what's happening in your part of Shelburne, our team is happy to help. Contact Us.
