The snow is falling in Stowe, Vermont and the skiing and snow boarding conditions are fantastic! We can see the groomers out on Mt. Mansfield in the dark morning hours readying the slopes for first tracks. 
Not into downhill skiing? No problem.
Check out these Top Winter Activities that have the highest recommendations from our staff and our Stowe Meadows Lodge guests.
This is our list of favorites and we continually add new adventures. From power skiing to power shopping, you'll find something on our list that intrigues you.
Top Stowe Vermont Winter Activities
Dog Sledding: What's more fun than touring the gorgeous Vermont landscape via dog sled! Check out Peacepups Dog sledding in Elmore, VT. A fantastic group of lovable pups will take you on a breathtaking 1 hour sledding tour. Have your camera ready! In winter, you'll want to dress warmly and consider putting hand and foot warmers in your bag, just in case. It gets chilly out there! You'll probably want to watch Disney's Eight Below, when you get back to the Lodge. We'll have a copy ready for you.
Factory Tours: There are so many fantastic tours in the area.....check out these and "google" for more terrific ideas.
Ben & Jerry's Factory A must stop on any visit to Stowe (year around!). Waterbury, VT is the home of Ben and Jerry's Ice-cream and factory tours are offered daily with ice-cream samples at the end of the tour! If you visit on a weekday, you'll get to see the factory in full ice-cream making mode.
Cabot Cheese We love cheese and Vermont creameries like Cabot are state treasures! With over 20 samples to try, stopping by the Cabot Cheese Annex store is a great way to sample some favorites and discover a few new flavors. Many of the flavors you'll see aren't available in your local grocery store. This is also a great stop for Gluten-Free travelers. Feel free to buy several blocks of your favorites and store them in our refrigerator til you're ready to head home.
Laughing Moon Chocolates Right in Stowe Village, don't miss the 2:00pm daily demonstration and sampling session. We love the truffles and there are many gluten-free options to try.
Vermont Teddy Bear Factory For the kid in all of us, who wouldn't love to make their own bear! For every occasion, this is a fun tour for the whole family.
- Hiking: Stowe is a fantastic destination for those who love hiking (even during the winter!). There are so many terrific trails. Here is a link to the Top 50 trails in VT and the #2 trail (Moss Glen Falls) is just 4 miles from our Lodge! http://www.tripleblaze.com/best/?c=49 Moss Glenn Falls is a very easy hike that the entire family will enjoy....and be certain to take your camera. Even with snow on the ground, some of these trails are terrific.
- Hiking the Catamount Trail (cross country skiing, snowshoeing): (Winter) - 300 miles in length, the Catamount trail spans VT and is terrific for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The trail can be accessed directly from our Lodge...just a short snow-shoe from our front door. No need to drive to a trail-head, just step out the back door and you are connected to one of the most scenic trails in all of Vermont!
- Hot Air Balloon Rides: Stowe is known as a home of VT hot air ballooning and hosts the annual Stoweflake Hot Air Balloon Festival. For information about pricing and availability, contact: Above Reality Hot Air Balloon Rides and/or BurlingtonVT Hot Air Balloon Rides. Weather permitting, ballooning is available year 'round.
- Ice Skating: Stowe's Jackson Arena (downtown in the Stowe Village) offers ice skating from November through March. The arena is covered, with open sides to let the cool air blow in. Fun for the whole family, skate rental is available on-site.
- Shopping: There are many terrific shopping spots, but here are my favorite two stops: Well-Heeled Shoes and The Stowe Craft Gallery.
- Skiing - Downhill: So many choices! There are several terrific mountains within 60 minutes of Stowe Meadows. Here are a few to consider:
- Mt. Mansfield: Just 25 minutes from Stowe Meadows, Mt. Mansfield, Stowe's award-winning ski and snowboard center is an amazing ski area. Mt. Mansfield has the most vertical feet of any ski area on the east coast! Check these links for Lift Tickets, Lessons and on-site ski equipment rentals.
- Bolton Valley: Just 35 minutes from Stowe Meadows , you'll find Bolton Valley ski resort. This terrific resort offers night skiing and many economical lift ticket packages!
- Jay Peak Resort: A terrific 45 minute ride from Stowe Meadows will take you to one of the northern-most ski areas in Vermont, and one of the most modern and newly renovated. Jay Peak offers fantastic skiing, great lift ticket rates and a brand new indoor water park called La Chute offering the longest indoor activity river in the US!
- Smuggler's Notch Ski Resort: About 60 minutes from Stowe Meadows , Smuggler's Notch Ski Resort is "Americas Family Resort". "Smugg's" is on the opposite side of Mt. Mansfield from the Stowe ski trails. In the winter, skiers have to drive around the mountain through Jeffersonville to reach the resort as the Notch road that cuts through the mountain pass is closed from mid-October through Mid-April.
- Skiing Lift Tickets (Discounts): Check out Lifttopia for discounted ski and snowboard lift tickets.
- Sleigh Rides: A big hit with any age. These draft horses are active year around from sleigh rides in the winter to hay rides in the summer: http://www.gentlegiantsrides.com/. The Trapp Family Lodge also offers daily sleigh rides (http://www.trappfamily.com/activities/carriage-rides) that have been highly rated by our guests.
- SnowMobile Tours: Journey through the Mt. Mansfield State Park on snowmobiles....for beginners and advanced riders. This tour is highly rated by our guests. Weekend tours leave every hour from 8am - 6pm.
- Snow Shoeing and Sledding: Umiak adventures sponsors snow shoeing and sledding trips. Sledding isn't just for the kids! Erich and I have been sledding with the Umiak team and it is really very fun! http://www.umiak.com/
- Spa Day: There are several well-known, full-service spas in the area but our 2 favorites are Topnotch (http://www.topnotchresort.com/spa.php) and the Stowe Mountain Lodge (http://www.stowemountainlodge.com/new-england-spa-resort.php).
- Stowe Mountain Family Activities: Stowe Mountain offers many fun activities in the winter season. In addition to downhill skiing, you may want to investigate cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, sledding and snow tubing.
- Stowe Recreation Path: A great destination for any runners, bikers or roller-blade enthusiasts in the spring/summer and fall seasons.....and a terrific cross-country ski path in the winter. The rec path is a 5.3 mile (8.5 km) long paved path through the heart of Stowe that offers scenic vistas including the mountains, river and local art projects.
- Trapp Family Lodge: No trip to Stowe is complete without a visit to the Trapp Family Lodge for a piece of "Sound of Music" history. There is also a brewery on site that you may want to check if locally brewed beer is of interest. New cross-country and snowshoeing trails are also available and are some of the best in the state!
- ZipLining: A year-around zip line course is available just over the Mansfield Mountain in Smuggler's Notch. Check ArborTrek (www.arbortrek.com) for details.
Other Ideas:
- Keith Family Farm on Elmore Mountain Road: You can't stay at Stowe Meadows without walking just 1/4 mile North of the house to see the Keith Family Farm. The Keith Farm is one of a disappearing culture of family-owned dairy farms in the area. Teddy Keith and his family own thousands of grazing acres and you may even hear his cows as they make their way in toward the barn in the late afternoon for milking. I believe that the Keith's have the most scenic and expansive view of Mansfield and the Green Mountains in the area. A fantastic short walk or snow shoe away.
- Montreal Trip: For guests planning to be in the Stowe area for more than a few days, we highly recommend bringing your passports along and driving to Montreal, QC, Canada for the day. A short 3 hour car ride lands you in the gorgeous city of Montreal...full of shopping, dining and fun exploring opportunities. Erich is from Montreal originally and speaks French fluently, he'll be happy to put together an excursion for you and help you know exactly where to spend your day.
Caroline DeVore
Owner: Stowe Meadows Lodge
Blogs: StoweVTBlog.com
The information contained in this blog is believed to be reliable and while every effort is made to assure that the information is as accurate as possible, the author of this blog, and its comments disclaim any implied warranty or representation about it's accuracy, completeness or appropriateness for any particular purpose.
Caroline DeVore ©2010-2013 Stowe Meadows ©2010-2013
