Arts & Entertainment

Arts & Culture

The City of Rutland provides the region with a thriving historic downtown, a variety of businesses and services including the Diamond Run Mall, a regional library, numerous clubs, churches, a regional medical center, fine schools including colleges and a technical education center.

Rutland and its surrounding areas of Vermont is a fantastic place to catch a show, hear some live music, or immerse yourself in the arts. With several museums, theatres and festival events going on throughout the year, Vermont is an entertainment and cultural haven in any season.

Centered in the heart of the Green Mountain State, Rutland County provides you with the amenities of the second largest city in the state and the privacy of our peaceful rural towns. When visiting, there are many local attractions to enjoy including the New England Maple Museum, Norman Rockwell Museum, Wilson Castle, Vermont Marble Museum, Chaffee Center for the Visual Arts, Events in the Park, The Vermont Center for Dance, the Rutland Historical Society and more. Enjoy a band concert by the oldest municipal band in the country, the Farmers Market or just enjoy a drive through any one of seven original covered bridges.

Looking for a place to catch a show? Why not try Rutland’s own Paramount Theatre! In the early 1900's, this theatre, which many called The Playhouse Theatre of Rutland, Vermont, was one of the finest theatres in America, both aesthetically and sound-wise. The theatre was built in 1913 by George T. Chaffee and opened on January 16, 1914. A "City Beautiful" movement was going on at the time, and the classical style exterior architecture of this building reflects that, while the interior took on the look of a Victorian opera house. Throughout the years the theatre has gone through many transformations, the most recent being a restoration in the year 2000. Nowadays, the Paramount Theatre has assumed its role as an arts, cultural, and educational leader, and as a significant and valuable community resource.

The Vermont State Fair has been attracting visitors for over 150 years, serving up delicious fair food, agriculture and services from local farms and businesses, shows and attractions for it's duration from late August to early September. The Fair has had top name entertainers that included Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Conway Twitty, Ronnie Milsap, Charlie Pride, Tayna Tucker, Travis Tritt, Charlie Daniels Band, Vince Gill, and Scotty McCreery. Other events take place at the fair throughout the year as well.