Stowe

My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Stowe in December, about a week before Christmas. It was beautiful and snowed the entire time we were there. We considered going snowboarding, but ended up not having time. Next time though. We are totally hitting the slopes.

Also, we stayed at a place called Ye Olde England Inne. It was awesome. Great food, owners and pub.

I went here on an mid-week October afternoon. It was dense with old people. I can’t believe how many people were there, mid-week, wandering around aimlessly looking at “fun” maps. And taking pictures of that stupid fake covered bridge. Do you people even know where you are? “You’re in Vermont. The real actual place,” is what I want to say to them. And here you are at this little touristy place. So many people, so many cars at that intersection of Mountain Road and Route 100. The one thing we did was eat breakfast at The Dutch Pancake House, which I totally reccommend. Other than that, this looks like a haven for old, boring, WASPy people who hate nature. Sorry, Stowe. But as a Vermont village, you just don’t do it for me.

I’ve visited Stowe twice, both times in summer. The weather is cool during the day in August (in the mid 70’s) and chilly at night (40’s). But visiting a ski town in summer is a totally different experience! I’d recommend staying at the Trapp Family Lodge (if you can afford it). It’s owned by the Von Trapp Family (The Sound of Music) and is a very lovely, top-notch place to stay. The food is outstanding, the rooms are each individually decorated in an Austrian theme, the service is wonderful. The town of Stowe really caters to summer visitors with loads of activities for all ages.

Fed Cup semifinals, USA vs. Russia. Quite gorgeous.

If you’re an experienced skier or boarder and don’t know the area find a local who will take you into the back country. Just don’t get in over your head, it’s dangerous out there. I’ve seen some bad accidents in my 6+ years there, and heard about even worse.