The downturn in vacations this year has certainly not been one of the silver linings to a global pandemic. With the stay-at-home orders across the country, we’ve been lucky to be able to quarantine with family in Pawleys Island, which has been more-or-less a vacation in itself.
Now that we’re back in New England for a bit, we decided to take a vacation — hotel rooms, restaurant dining, outdoor activities — the whole package! Vermont is around 3 hours from Boston, and with the fall foliage well underway, it seemed liked the perfect fit for a weekend getaway!
Stowe, Vermont
The town is at the base of Mount Mansfield in the Green Mountains of Vermont. In the fall, this makes for rolling hills with colorful leaves while in the winter, it’s an après ski destination.
Things to Do
We happened to pick the hottest weekend Vermont’s seen in a while (hello 80° sunshine), but still managed to fit in plenty of fall activities.
Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Debatable if this is an activity or a place to dine, but I’ll let it slide in as both. Start in the “old country store” complete with any possible locally made treasure, famous cider donuts, and pressed apple cider. For lunch, we stopped at the Apple Core Luncheonette serving up hard cider flights and sandwiches. (see “Restaurants” below for more details on lunch!)
Shopping
Stowe has an adorable downtown with quite a few unique stores. A few favorites included Tangerine and Olive, Stowe Mercantile, and The Boutique. Waterbury, the neighboring town has a great selection of antique stores for a unique souvenir.
Photo op
Probably four in every five photos of “Vermont in the Fall” includes a church surrounded by foliage. Put Salon Salon in Google Maps to find it — the hair salon located next to the scenic overlook — the perfect place for your photo op.
Stowe Mountain Resort Gondola ride
Weather permitting, you can drive-up the Toll Road to the top of Mount Mansfield, or take the Gondola ride to the top. Because of COVID-19, they were limiting the number of people at the top, which caused them to sell out of tickets very early, so we weren’t able to do it this time. Check the hours, as they vary during the seasons.
Golf
I had to lean on my husband a bit for this review, but The Mountain Course at Spruce Peak, proved to live up to it’s claim as the “#1 course in Vermont by Golf Advisor.” And, apparently, the views!
Spa
What to do while husband golfs? Spa. I spend an afternoon at the Topnotch Resort & Spa.
Breweries
Many breweries were closed to on-site consumption due to COVID-19, but Stowe has a great selection of breweries. We picked up beer to take home from Alchemist, and were able to order to-go from Idletyme Brewing Company. Stowe Cider and the Von Trapp Brewing Bierhall had too long of a wait time, but they are on our list for next time!
Restaurants
We didn’t do our homework before to make reservations. With the capacity dining restrictions and desire to eat outdoors, this limited us more than I would have liked. Moral of the story, if you’re headed on a trip somewhere right now and want to dine there, chances are they are taking reservations.
Pro tip: Call ahead. Many of the local area restaurants had not updated their websites to reflect they are accepting reservations.
Apple Core Luncheonette
This is at Cold Hollow Cider and we ordered sandwiches, cider flights, and donuts. The sandwiches were amazing! Highly recommend the “Vermont to the Core” grilled panini with Cabot Cheddar, apple slices and bacon.
Piecasso
Something about cool fall weather makes me want a wood-fired pizza and Piecasso was just the place! The wings were also delish.
Idletyme Brewing Company
This was one of the places we weren’t able to dine on site due to lack of reservations, but we ordered take-out to enjoy on our balcony and it was probably my favorite meal of the trip. I’ll be dreaming about the “Smoked Gouda Soup.” The outdoor space and indoor décor made it looked like an inviting place to hangout — hopefully next time!
The Lounge at Trapp Family Lodge
The Sound of Music lover in me meant we had to venture over to the Von Trapp Family property. We tried for the Von Trapp Brewing Bierhall, but settled for the outdoor patio at the Lodge given availability. The outdoor area felt like we were in the Swiss alps, and we were able to drink the Von Trapp beer while enjoying a cheese board.
Solstice at Spruce Peak Resort
On property at our resort, this was the only dining option open due to COVID-19. We had breakfast included, and ate dinner here the first night. The cocktails were great, and the crispy Brussel sprouts (which seemed to be on a lot of menus in the area) were amazing!
Places to Stay
Spruce Peak Resort
We stayed at Spruce Peak Resort and would definitely stay there again. A lot my pros and cons below are directly impacted by the restrictions in place due to COVID-19.
Pros:
- Access to the Mountain Course – due to COVID-19, only guests of the hotel are allowed to play on this course, as of the date of publication
- Balcony views – we booked a room with a private balcony and this was great for in-room dining as well as after-dinner cocktails
- Modern and clean hotel rooms with charm – the rooms had charming touches that made us feel like we weren’t staying at just any generic hotel; the hotel rooms are up-to-date and our suite had a fireplace as well as small kitchenette area
- Heated swimming pool – the resort did a great job of communicating how to reserve pool time (COVID-19); with the social distancing guidelines, it was basically like having a private pool
Cons:
- Dining options – the resort only had one restaurant open, Solstice, which created limited options. Our room rate included breakfast, and we also ate dinner there the first night. (see Restaurants above for more details)
- Staffing – I have to imagine this is 100% a by-product of COVID-19, but the hotel was very understaffed. From a long wait to check-in, to only one bartender for the whole resort, we spend a lot of time waiting on food and drinks.
- Far from town – The resort is a bit of a hike to town, approximately 15 minutes. Cell service is limited in the area plus with COVID-19, Ubers were not something we explored. This might vary under normal circumstances.
Trapp Family Lodge
This was second on our list of places to stay. We visited while dining in The Lounge, (see Restaurants above for more details). The outside is straight out of a storybook, and the Sound of Music and Heidi fan in me felt like I was in the Swiss alps. We didn’t see any guest rooms, but I would imagine they are fairly quaint and full of Trapp Family charm!
Topnotch Resort
I had a chance to visit this resort for the Spa, and it had a more traditional hotel vibe. While I didn’t have a chance to enter any rooms, the property seemed more secluded and quiet, which might be a nice option for some couples.
Field Guide Lodge
We didn’t personally have a chance to visit, but it’s located almost walking distance to downtown Stowe.
