By Barbara Claire Kasselmann, Globe Correspondent

IF YOU GO Getting there: Take Interstate 91 or 93 north through Massachusetts and Vermont to I-89 north, to exit 8 for Montpelier. Alternate: Follow scenic Vermont Route 100 north through the middle of the state to Route 89 (or US 2) southeast to Montpelier. Staying there: Capitol Plaza Hotel, 100 State St., 802-223-5252, is a fine 1930s-era hotel convenient to everything. Econo Lodge, 101 Northfield St., Route 12 south, 802-223-5258, fit my budget. The Inn at Montpelier, 147 Main St., 802-223-2727, is a four-diamond historic inn with fine dining, too. Tops of these ranges are generally reserved for fall foliage season. There are many bed-and-breakfast inns in town, and a few chain motels. Special events: Montpelier Farmers' Market at the Court House runs Saturdays, 9-1, May through October. The State House lawn is the scene of the Vermont Dairy Celebration in early June, band concerts Wednesday evenings in summer, a Victorian ice cream social in July, and other special events during the year. Lost Nation Theatre presents a summer theater series - call 802-229-0492; for information on Onion River Arts Council events, call 802-229-9408. More information: For general information, call the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce at 802-229-4619. For State House tour information, call 802-828-2228; for Vermont Historical Society information, call 802-828-2291. For hours and exhibits at T. W. Wood Gallery and Arts Center, Vermont College, call 802-828-8743. - BARBARA C. KASSELMANN

MONTPELIER, Vt. - A soft rain was falling the last night I was in Montpelier. In the Unitarian Church on Main Street (''Rev. Marjorie Rebmann, Minister''), couples danced slowly to their own internal music - the guitarists and singer had gone home. No one seemed to notice, or care, that I had slipped quietly through the doorway to watch for a while.

Outside, red neon and white headlights shone in the damp streets. ''Restaurant,'' read the bright red letters above the Main Street Grill where I had just finished dinner at a window table.

My ''Trio of Autumn Squashes'' had been perfect - dark green and golden squashes filled with fresh mushrooms and spinach, barley and cranberries. A zinfandel dark and clear as garnets, fresh -baked breads, creme broule and rich, dark coffee rounded out an elegant feast. The walk back to the car in the cool, damp evening gave me time to muse on the specialness of this little treasure of a city in the Great North Country.

There's something about this northern New England capital - surrounded by lush mountains and bright sunflowers, long white winters and precious glowing summers, isolation, and tough roads, that seems to breed a people creative and individualistic, hardy enough to survive alone, yet friendly and eager to welcome a visitor.

Montpelier is an odd mix of worldly sophistication and red-bearded down-homeiness. Senators and assorted statespersons arrive in a bustle, sporting elegant silk ties and leather portfolios, discussing diplomatic decisions over fine cuisine and gourmet coffees. Sandal-shod locals with children nestled safely in homemade backpacks talk on downtown street corners of school referendums and hauling in wood for the stove.

With a population of little more than 8,000, Montpelier is the smallest of all US capital cities. It's barely bigger than Minerva or Morehead, or some small town in Tennessee or Montana. And yet, it has a cosmopolitan aura that belies its tininess.

There are bookstores overflowing with both new and dog-eared literary treasures, jam-packed little antique shops, elegant clothing and jewelry, gourmet cuisine, and great little back-street coffee houses, music, museums, art galleries, poetry readings, theatre, and colleges. And, of course, there's the farmers' market in the courthouse yard, Saturdays spring through fall. No one misses farmers' market.

Architectural treasures abound in Montpelier. Vermont College and many neighborhoods boast significant and eclectic segments of Victoriana, and many early structures along downtown streets date to the early 19th century.

Beautiful Vermont marble and granite, quarried just down the road, grace many of the city's official state buildings lining State Street. The Supreme Court Building is of granite from nearby Barre (pronounced ''Barry'') quarries, and the modern State Office Building, across from the Capitol, is faced with Vermont marble inside and out.

The centerpiece of Montpelier, and the place I headed when I hit town, is its lovely State House. This, too, is largely ''homegrown'' (home-quarried, that is).

After a day on the road ambling north up the middle of Vermont along its incredibly scenic Route 100, I was coming into town from the west via US 2, which becomes State Street. The last remnants of twilight were fading.

Even though I knew Montpelier was small, I was expecting Bright Lights, Big City. This was, after all, the capital. But this is Vermont, I had forgotten, and Vermonters dance to that quiet music in their own heads. And bright lights are something they don't like, I soon learned.

All along State Street are lovely little street lights that look like gas lanterns, giving a mellow glow to Montpelier at night. It's terribly Victorian, and oh, so terribly quaint, but I thought it was a power outage. The next day, I was informed Montpelier's street lights demonstrate a compromise achieved between pure traditionalists and those who wish to move Montpelier into the electric age.

Arriving at twilight, however, allowed me the privilege of seeing Vermont's capitol building at its loveliest.

Small, understated, elegant, and made of beautiful white Vermont granite, the capitol sits upon a hill, the only US state house set against a backdrop of trees, I was told. A long and broad avenue of stairs flanked by grassy lawns leads to the building.

Night lights trained on the capitol illuminate a 57-foot-high dome glistening with 23.75-carat gold leaf. A 14-foot statue of Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture, majestically stands guard over the kingdom from her perch high atop the dome.

The 1859 State House is Vermont's third. The first, built of wood in 1808, became overcrowded and sadly deteriorated, and was torn down in 1836. The second structure was destroyed by fire in 1857, but its Doric portico and pillars were preserved and incorporated into the present Renaissance Revival-style structure.

On a warm late summer evening, the State House lawn seems to be the place to gather if you play some odd and lyrical musical instrument, or have friends who do. Occasionally legislators cross the grass to or from their offices. The soft sounds of a drum, a guitar, or a flute blend with evening breezes.

I love the music and the peaceful ambience, but I am hungry and yet have no room to stay in. Neither turns out to be a problem.

There are many bed-and-breakfasts and historic inns in Montpelier, and a few chain motels. Capitol Plaza Hotel, at 100 State St., one block from the State House, would be a cool place to stay if you plan ahead and want to be able to walk everywhere from your front door. In a renovated 1930s hotel, Capitol Plaza is where many dignitaries stay, and is quite affordable.

Seeking a little solitude and a cheap price, I sniffed out the Econo Lodge, less than a half-mile south on Route 12, 101 Northfield St. I got a nice, private room in a little motel on a hill overlooking the city. I wouldn't exactly recommend the restaurant or the morning coffee, but the motel was convenient and comfy.

When the dawn came up like quiet thunder out of eastern mountains of New Hampshire, I was amazed at how close Montpelier was. Down the hill, across the bridge, and I couldn't decide which to do first: hit a coffee house, stroll the streets, sightsee, or start taking photographs. This little metropolis was happening!

About Thyme Cafe at 40 State Street turned out to be a good choice for starters. A freshly-baked cranberry scone with jam, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and excellent fresh coffee with cream energized me.

I enjoyed the coffee-house ambience, with hand-made paper flowers on the tables, the work of local artists on the walls, and a front-row seat for watching the passing State Street parade.

Lunch and dinner items at About Thyme - vegetarian chili and soups, salads, sandwiches on home-made breads, pastas, pesto, double Belgian fudge brownies, and lemon shortbread squares - looked and smelled irresistible. I'll be back one day.

For all its tiny ''cuteness'' and charm, Montpelier is, nevertheless, worldly. Majestic white marble buildings, license plates from all over the country, Canadian coins in my change, and the heated discussions on every corner about today's newspaper editorial remind me: The import of this town's business reaches far beyond Vermont's borders.

Touring the State House should be high on your list. It's open 8-4 year-round, Monday through Friday, plus Saturdays, 11-2:30, July 1 to mid-October. Free guided tours are offered Monday through Saturday, July 1 to mid-October. Check for hours.

Befitting our smallest state capital city, Vermont's capitol building is one of the nation's smallest. It is not lacking in grandeur, however. The ''Friends of the State House'' organization is painstakingly restoring the building, room by room, in a typically Vermont fashion - by volunteer efforts rather than taxes.

The entry hall is noteworthy. White marble tiles from Danby, Vt., form a dramatic diamond pattern with black marble tiles from Isle La Motte on Lake Champlain. Look closely for fossils embedded in the magnificent black marble.

Green Mountain Boy Ethan Allen's statue is on the front porch, and a bust of Abraham Lincoln graces the front hall. Portraits of past presidents and governors line the halls, and a second-floor Hall of Flags glass case contains 65 fragile flags, many with hand paintings on silk, which were carried by Vermont regiments in the Civil War.

The governor's office has been restored to its original look with red, white, and blue carpet, red velvet setees and its original 1859 chandelier with gas jets. The governor's chair, carved from timbers of the USS Constitution, has been the Vermont governor's chair since 1858.

A 10- by 20-foot painting, ''The Battle of Cedar Creek,'' commemorating a moment of glory for the Old Vermont Brigade in the Civil War, dominates the Cedar Creek Reception Room.

I was impressed with the beauty and grace of the House and Senate chambers. With original ornate gas chandeliers, beautifully polished desks, magnificent draperies and upholstered furniture, fine statuary, and paintings, the two chambers provide a feeling of classical elegance. Through tall and ripply old leaded glass windows, I could watch the passing Montpelier scene and the quiet peace of surrounding trees and hills.

Just east of the State House is the Vermont Historical Society Museum, filled with artifacts and treasures that tell the history of Vermont from early American Indian times. The library alone, to the left as you enter the building, is worth a visit.

The library is lined with old desks, rockers, draperies, and primitive oil portraits of early Vermonters. Historical photos, paintings, gowns, weapons, diaries, and Abenaki Indian clothing and artifacts tell many chapters of the state's history. There are also changing exhibits and a little gift shop.

Continue east along State Street, but allow time for detours. The north branch of the Winooski River (that's Onion River in Abenaki, hence many ''Onion River'' businesses) winds through town.

Little old iron trestle bridges cross the river throughout the city, and old frame houses, laundry often hanging on back porches, are reflected in the water. Flowers, too, bedeck the porches, and kids climb and play on the old bridges. Little restaurants and shops are also congregated on the back streets.

If State Street is history and politics, Main Street is commerce. At the Vermont Trading Company, at State and Main streets, I lost my heart to several items of exotic and/or sexy clothing.

A dark green cotton embroidered top of unusual hues now tops my black turtleneck. A lovely, fragile necklace of small lime, sapphire, and amber-colored beads sparkles in evening lights.

All up and down Main Street, I couldn't keep my wallet in my bag. Tables full of poetry anthologies and old book treasures on the sidewalk outside Rivendell Books Old & New, 100 Main St., hooked me for a dollar here, a dollar there. Once inside the fine old bookstore, this bookworm was a goner.

If you want to spend more money and/or time browsing for books, stroll across the street to 77 Main and while away an hour or two at Bear Pond Books. Check the schedule here, too, for the continuing series of author readings and book signings: cookbooks, poetry, mysteries, and novels.

Artisans' Hand, 89 Main St., is a cooperative gallery featuring high quality arts and crafts fashioned by Vermonters. I bought stationery and woodcut prints, but was sorely tempted by leather purses, silk scarves, pottery, wind toys, and unusual jewelry. A nearby corner coffee house has delicious coffees, sandwiches, and pastries.

Back on the west side of the street, I was drawn into the funky old Main Street News, an old-fashioned newsstand. While the assorted fine tobaccos didn't tempt me, I was intrigued by an array of newspapers and magazines, along with cards of old buttons and zippers. There are great little antique shops along here, too, and clothing and gift shops like Redberry Boutique.

Turn down Langdon Street to check out Fruit of the Vine, an elegant little wine and cheese cellar at 7 Langdon. Spread about the rooms of a gracious old building, Fruit of the Vine is marvelous for browsing - fine wines and glasses, gift baskets and chocolates, pates and cheeses.

Horn of the Moon Cafe, just across from Fruit of the Vine, is a funky little atmospheric place where I enjoyed a spinach mushroom enchilada and black bean chili. The cafe is redolent of West African stews, jambalayas, egg rolls, stir fries, pastas and curries. It's open every day but Monday for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with brunch on Sundays.

Main Street Grill and Bar, 118 Main, where I had that tasty Trio of Autumn Squashes, is operated by the New England Culinary Institute, so it offers gourmet dining at reasonable prices. Dinners are around $10, with sandwiches and pizzas cheaper. Wines and beers are available, too.

Students do the work here, carefully supervised by chef instructors and business professionals. The dinner menu includes lamb kebabs, pan-seared scallops, rainbow trout, shrimp, and steak dishes. Pizzas and sandwiches are also available; the restaurant serves seven days a week.

My dinner was so good that I returned for poached eggs with spinach on English muffins, along with fresh juice and coffee, the next morning. Everything was done perfectly, and the student service was pleasant.

After breakfast, I journeyed to the top of the hill to enjoy the campus of Vermont College, its architectural treasures, sweeping vistas of surrounding mountains, and its T. W. Wood Art Gallery. The Wood Gallery features 19th and early 20th- century artists in spacious, airy galleries. Go any day but Monday.

While Montpelier is small by big metro standards, it is big in heart, class, and style. Its name, derived from Latin, means ''Mountain of Young Girls,'' but it was named after a town in France. With the large French-Canadian population of the region, French names were quite the fashion in Central Vermont after the American Revolution.

From childhood days, I remember Montpelier as an easy answer on geography and history tests. Now, I remember it as a charming treasure of the north country, one to which I hope to return again and again.

Barbara Claire Kasselmann is a freelance writer from Dorchester.

Published 05/02/99 in the Boston Suday Globe's Travel Section.