Knight Point on North Hero Island opened as a state park in 1978, but its history goes back much further. John Knight, the Point's first resident, began ferry service between the islands in 1785. His family operated a ferry until the first bridge opened in 1892. The historic Knight Point house is a parks staff residence. The wooden frame wing is a reconstruction of the Knight Tavern, an inn built in 1790 for travelers crossing between the islands. The brick section of the building, added to the tavern in 1845, has an unusual two-story porch.
Knight Point State Park is home to the Island Center for Arts and Recreation, a community-based non-profit group that works to promote and encourage the splendid natural setting that is Knight Point as a venue for cultural and recreational programming. Events hosted by the center have included performances by Hermann's Royal Lipizzan Stallions and the Vermont Shakespeare Company. For information about this season's ICAR events contact the Lake Champlain Islands Chamber of Commerce at (802) 372-8400. The Lake Champlain Islands Chamber of Commerce hosts a number of shows and performances in the park each year.
