When you think of Smugglers Notch and Stowe, Vermont, your first thoughts are probably about skiing, snowboarding, and winter. You’d be surprised – central Vermont is actually an amazing summer vacation!
We’ve already covered a couple of places that my family used to go when I was growing up such as Martha’s Vineyard, MA, and later Newport, RI, but we had a timeshare at Smuggs for the bulk of my teen years after my parents split and my dad sold the Vineyard condo. With the timeshare, we’d end up in Vermont two to three times a year. We usually had one ski week and one summer week, and one week at a random time of year (that we often traded for other vacations). Our summer week was usually the last week of August, so it was kind of a last hurrah at the end of the summer. Plus, on the way north from Massachusetts, you drive through Waterbury. You can’t drive through central Vermont on vacation and NOT stop in Waterbury, Vermont and visit the Ben & Jerry’s factory. As I mentioned in the Martha’s Vineyard blog, Mad Martha’s has something called a “Pig’s Delight.” The Ben & Jerry’s equivalent is a Vermonster. And yes, you get to keep the bucket.
Smuggs has something for everyone. For the families, they have kids clubs and camps. The summer camps are usually weekdays and range from arts and crafts to outdoor activities such as ropes courses, boating, and swimming. For the adults, there’s hiking, mountain biking, breweries nearby and more. But our family often would just sit and relax and look at the scenery. Every year, my mother and I would bring a gigantic stack of books. There was usually an unspoken competition as to who could read more that week. We always did a few days where my mother and I would sit on the balcony and just read, because the views are just gorgeous, and sometimes a summer vacation is less about running around seeing everything and more about just chilling out. At the end of the day, we’d drive through the Notch and find a good hiking spot and a dinner spot.
2024 was really exciting because we got to bring the niblings since we went up to the full eclipse. Although unfortunately, it was too early in the season for the notch to be open so they didn’t get to fully experience driving through the winding mountain roads.
So what do I recommend you do? Well, first and foremost, you want to hike Mount Mansfield. Even if you don’t want to or can’t hike the whole way, there’s a way you can drive up the mountain and it’s short walk to the overlook. It’s gorgeous. Nearby is the Stowe Resort which has a gondola to their Cliff House Restaurant with beautiful scenic dining. One thing I will say, if you were staying at Smuggs, the food does leave something to be desired. It is great kid’s food, but that’s about it. It’s mostly ski lodge food – burgers and beers, but it’s not the best you’re gonna ever eat. So I recommend it’s best if you plan to eat in downtown Stowe or head down into Jeffersonville rather than sticking to the resort.
Other things you can do is because it’s so close to everything you can take a day trip up to Montreal, or you can go wander towards Lake Champlain. Also nearby is the Von Trapp family lodge, which was where the Von Trapps went after leaving Austria. Vermont is also known for its covered bridges, and there are plenty you can wander towards. And if you’re looking for a day spa, One of the best spas I’ve ever experienced is at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort. The spa itself is currently under construction, but it’s expected to be back up and running soon.
Places to stay:
* Smugglers Notch Resort
* Stowe Resort
* Stoweflake Mountain Resort
Places to eat:
* Von Trapp Family Lodge Restaurant
* Prohibition Pig (Waterbury)
* Skinny Pancake
Happy travels!
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