Most visitors know Burlington by its lake, its hill, and the brick pedestrian run of Church Street. But drift a mile south of the Marketplace and you hit a different city entirely — low brick factory buildings, murals down the side streets, the smell of coffee roasting and hops, and studio doors propped open onto Pine Street. This is the South End Arts District, and it's where a lot of what gets made in Burlington actually gets made. Here's a local's tour of the neighborhood: what it is, what to see, and how it fits with a stop at Float On up on Church Street.

What is Burlington's South End Arts District?

The South End is Burlington's old industrial quarter, running south from downtown along Pine Street and the rail line toward the city limits. Where there were once bottling plants, mills, and warehouses, there's now the densest concentration of working artists in Vermont — painters, printmakers, furniture builders, glass and metal workers, potters — sharing space with breweries, a cidery or two, coffee roasters, and small-batch food makers. The buildings are still plainly industrial, which is the charm: this is a place that makes things, not a manufactured "arts quarter."

It's a genuine neighborhood, not a museum. People work here in daylight and the district keeps the unpolished, hands-on feel of the trades it grew out of. That mix — art next to industry next to a taproom — is what gives the South End its particular character, distinct from the polished storefronts of downtown Burlington.

Why is it called an arts district?

Because the artists organized around it. The South End Arts and Business Association (SEABA) has spent decades knitting the studios, galleries, and small businesses along Pine Street into a recognized cultural district, and the city has leaned into that identity too. The result is an area where creative work isn't tucked away in a single gallery but spread across dozens of buildings — open-studio spaces, co-ops, design shops, and makers who sell straight out of the room where they work.

For a visitor, that means the best way to experience the South End isn't to find one landmark — it's to walk Pine Street and its side streets and look through the open doors. Much of the neighborhood is designed to be wandered.

What is the Soda Plant?

If you only have time for one stop, make it the Soda Plant at 266 Pine Street. It's a former soda-bottling factory that's been converted into a rambling hive of small tenants: artist studios, little galleries, a maker or two, and independent food and drink businesses, all sharing a set of connected industrial buildings. You can duck inside, wander the halls, and find working studios alongside places to grab a bite or a coffee.

The Soda Plant works as a kind of anchor for the whole district — a single roof that captures the South End's mix in miniature. It's the easiest place to get your bearings if the sprawl of Pine Street feels like a lot on a first visit.

What else is along Pine Street?

Pine Street is the spine, and it rewards a slow walk. Beyond the studios and galleries you'll find the everyday side of the district's maker economy:

• Breweries and a cidery. The South End is part of Burlington's craft-drink map, with taprooms and production spaces tucked into the old industrial buildings.
• Coffee roasters and small food makers. Roasteries, bakeries, and specialty food producers operate out of the corridor — several sell direct from the building where they roast or bake.
• Furniture, metal, glass, and craft workshops. The trades never left; the South End is full of people building physical things by hand.
• Murals and public art. Keep an eye on the side walls and alleys — the district is a rolling outdoor gallery, and the work changes over time.

None of it is on a fixed circuit, which is the point. Park once, walk Pine Street end to end, and turn down whatever side street looks interesting.

What is the South End Art Hop?

The neighborhood's signature event is the South End Art Hop, organized by SEABA each September. For one weekend the whole district turns into an open gallery: studios that are normally closed throw their doors open, temporary shows fill the industrial spaces, and Pine Street fills with people wandering between them. It's free to attend, self-guided, and widely considered one of the largest art events in Vermont.

It's the single best day to understand the South End, because everything that's usually behind a studio door is out in the open at once. If you're planning a Burlington trip and can time it for the Art Hop weekend, do — it's the neighborhood at full volume.

How do I get to the South End from downtown?

The South End sits just south of the downtown core, so it's an easy add-on to a Church Street visit:

• On foot. It's roughly a mile from the Marketplace down to the heart of Pine Street — a flat, pleasant fifteen-to-twenty-minute walk in good weather.
• By bike. Burlington is bike-friendly, and the South End connects easily to the waterfront Island Line path a few blocks west.
• By bus. Green Mountain Transit (GMT) runs routes through the area from the Downtown Transit Center on St. Paul Street.
• By car. Street parking along Pine Street and its side streets is generally far easier to find than right at the Marketplace — one reason locals treat the South End as a low-stress place to leave the car.

For more on getting around the downtown end of things, our guide to parking for Church Street Marketplace covers the garages and street spots near the shop.

Where does Float On fit into the neighborhood?

A quick clarification, because the South End is its own place: Float On is downtown, at 136½ Church Street — up on the Marketplace, about a mile north of the Pine Street arts core. We're not in the South End, but we're an easy walk, ride, or short drive from it, which makes the two a natural pairing for an afternoon: browse the studios and makers down south, then swing through downtown.

If a South End wander is on your list, you can build an order on the live menu ahead of time and pick it up under your name on Church Street, or just walk in. Everything on our shelf is Vermont-grown and lab-tested, in keeping with the same small-maker spirit that runs through Pine Street — and the menu price is the final, all-in price, with Vermont's cannabis taxes already included. If you're coming from that side of town, see our South End area page for orientation.

A few Vermont basics before you wander

The South End is made for strolling, but the cannabis rules don't change with the scenery. It's adult-use for 21+, so bring a government-issued photo ID if you're stopping by Float On. Public consumption isn't permitted anywhere in Vermont — not on Pine Street, at the Art Hop, on the bike path, or in a parked car — so whatever you pick up stays sealed and is for private use at home. It also can't legally cross state lines. Enjoy the art out loud; enjoy the rest quietly, later.