With the Fourth of July finally behind us, Vermont settles into the deep, easy stretch of summer — and this weekend the calendar is stacked from the Islands to the Kingdom. Three multi-day music festivals anchor things, but the quieter pleasures are all here too: Saturday-morning farmers markets, a valley marathon, and free concerts under the trees. Here's where to point the car.

Friday, July 10

The big story this weekend is festivals, and three of them open Friday and run straight through Sunday.

Down in Brandon, the Basin Bluegrass Festival turns 30. The Basin Road field fills up Thursday through Sunday with a deep bench of pickers — Nothin' Fancy, Blistered Fingers, the Seth Sawyer Band, Corner Junction and a dozen more — with Friday and Saturday carrying the full lineups. Bring a lawn chair, plan to stay a while, and expect the kind of jam-in-the-campground evenings that keep folks coming back three decades running. Details and tickets at the Basin Bluegrass Festival.

Over in Manchester, the Dead of Summer Music Festival takes over Hunter Park at the Riley Rink, July 9–12, with a jam-heavy lineup led by God Street Wine, Leftover Salmon and Pink Talking Fish Are Dead Ensemble, plus on-site camping, food and craft beer. Gates open at 9 a.m. Friday through Sunday. The Manchester visitor guide has the rundown.

Up north, Jay Peak's Stateside Amphitheater hosts the Jeezum Crow Festival on July 10–11 — an easygoing mountain-music weekend in one of the Kingdom's prettiest corners. See Jay Peak. And at Stratton, Transcend Fest (July 10–12) trades amps for yoga mats with a weekend of movement, wellness and workshops on the mountain; the schedule is at Stratton.

Saturday, July 11

The marquee event is free. Montpelier's Do Good Fest returns to the National Life grounds with gates at 1:30 p.m. and music from 2 p.m. — headlined this year by Neon Trees, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Smash Mouth and Augustana, with food trucks, kids' activities and a nonprofit village. It's a benefit for youth mental health, admission is free, and it's about as good a value as a summer Saturday gets. Details at Do Good Fest.

If you'd rather browse than mosh, Saturday is farmers-market day across the state. The Morrisville Farmers Market runs 9 a.m.–1 p.m. (Morrisville Farmers Market); Middlebury's Midd Summer Market sets up at Triangle Park from 9 a.m. to noon (Addison County Chamber); and out in the Islands, the Champlain Islands Farmers' Market at St. Joseph's Church in Grand Isle (10 a.m.–2 p.m.) pairs its usual vendors with a Kids' Day celebration — live music, a scavenger hunt and free ice cream from the VT Farm Bureau (Champlain Islands Farmers' Market). St. Albans keeps its weekly market going in Taylor Park with live music and family activities (Downtown St. Albans).

In Brattleboro, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center throws open its new summer exhibits with a 5 p.m. opening reception — a chance to meet the artists and curators. See BMAC.

Sunday, July 12

Runners take Sunday. The 15th annual Mad Marathon — billed, not unreasonably, as "the world's most beautiful marathon" — rolls out of Waitsfield with a full marathon, half, relays and 5K/10K options winding through the Mad River Valley. Spectating is half the fun; the Mad Marathon site has the route and start times.

Up in St. Johnsbury, the free Levitt AMP St. Johnsbury concert series opens its season at Dog Mountain at 5 p.m. — bring the dog, bring a blanket, and settle in on one of the best hillsides in the Kingdom. Presented by Catamount Arts. In Stowe, the Stowe Farmers' Market runs its Sunday session with produce, prepared food and crafts (Go Stowe). And back in Brattleboro, the Museum offers a 1 p.m. guided walking tour of its exhibition Magos de la Tierra with artist David Rios Ferreira (BMAC). Basin Bluegrass, Dead of Summer and Transcend Fest all play out their final day, too — Sunday is your last call.

Rain or shine, this is peak Vermont summer: pack a chair, bring cash for the market, and don't be the one who forgot the bug spray.