If you or your kids do not mind road-tripping to reach New England’s top mountain destination, consider planning Stowe, Vermont, family vacation! In this post, I will share everything you need to know before packing bags.

Vermont Family Vacation Guide

Little About Stowe, Vermont

Stowe is a town in Northern Vermont (Northeastern State of the USA). It is overlooked by Mount Mansfield. Whether it is skiing, mountain biking, horse riding, or exploring hiking trails, Stowe makes a perfect destination for both adults and kids!

It is worth mentioning that the outdoors is a great “place” to be during the pandemic. Although the safety rules still apply here, it is much easier to maintain the 6 feet-distance-rules out in nature.

This stunning mountain town is roughly 5+ hours driving distance away from New York City. If you have kids and depending on where are you driving from, it may get a little challenging for them to sit still in one place. Make sure you stop for snack times and a little stretch here and there.

Vermont Family Vacation Resort

If you are looking for a family-friendly resort in Stowe, I highly recommend staying at the Lodge at Spruce Peaks located by Mount Mansfield. It is a beautiful resort offering a variety of room options to choose from for your safe family getaway in Stowe.

Our main goal was to choose a clean and safe place. The Spruce Peaks Lodge did not disappoint us! During our 7 days of stay here, we were very satisfied with the overall hospitality, attentiveness, and cleanliness of the place. A lovely place if you are looking for family resorts in Vermont.

The resort offers various seasonal activities for the whole family including access to the pool, highly rated spa, yoga sessions, gondola rides, outdoor movie nights, the family activity forest, and many more. Depending on when you are visiting, check here for more seasonal and scheduled activities.

Where To Eat During Your Vermont Family Vacation

Breakfast

Our package at the Spruce Peaks Lodge included breakfast (Make sure to inquire upon booking your room) and it was beyond delicious. Who does not love the countryside breakfast overlooking the mountains?! Bring it on, please. For this reason, we did not even bother looking for other places for breakfast. In addition, they had a wonderful kid’s menu. Our son loved their pancakes and oatmeal combo. He was having a blast trying both dishes at the same time.

Lunch and dinner

Unlike breakfast, lunch and dinner options were not as exciting. The menu was not as rich in options and portion sizes were too small for hungry adventurers. It is worth noting that due to COVID-19, only one restaurant was still open to accommodate guests. After trying different dishes at the resort, we decided to look for additional options nearby. Consider ordering a take-out from Piecasso for budget-friendly options, or visit the Trapp Family Lodge for an exceptional dining experience. (Discussed Below)

Outside The Resort Activities

Trapp Family Lodge

If you are in Stowe or passing by nearby, it is worth checking out the Trapp Family Lodge. This Austria-inspired place has an incredibly relaxing aura to it and offers a variety of things to do for the whole family!

You can check out the resort’s hiking and biking trails and tour the beautiful gardens here. In addition, you may attend their “History of The Property” tour. Also, consider scheduling sleigh and carriage rides around the property to earn some happy faces from kids.

If you have only a few hours to spare like us, treat yourself to an outdoor lunch or dinner with a mountain view! This property is beyond beautiful with its outdoor porch, fruit trees, and natural landscape.

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory

Did you hear ice cream? Yes, and not only the scoop but the whole factory! If you are nearby Stowe, go have a scoop or two. So yummy!

Besides delicious treats, Ben & Jerry’s is offering factory tours. However, due to COVID-19, these tours were closed to the public during our visit. Check their website here to follow the company updates.

Regardless of limited activities, we had a great time stopping by this place. We refreshed ourselves with a scoop of ice cream in their outdoor seating. We also attempted Matthew to try some ice cream for the first time but he was not a fan. Unlike him, mommy and daddy had a blast. Don’t trust a one-year-old with taste buds and visit this place when you are around.

Strolling Into Downtown & City Recreational Path

Although we want to escape city life when we go to the mountains, we still like exploring the local towns.

Here you can find small unique shops, galleries, restaurants, and some lodging establishments. If you are traveling with kids, check out the Stowe recreational path. It is hard to miss. Take your bikes (or rent them!), and strollers, and add a little more nature to your Vermont family vacation.

Bingham Falls

Traveling to the mountains without exploring the mountain trails would not feel the same. While we love hiking and reaching the tops of the hills, we are adjusting to exploring toddler-friendly trails instead. Therefore, we decided to walk the Bingham Falls trail.

The best thing about this trail is that it is only a 10-15 minute drive from our resort. Hiking this trail is considered easy; however, if you carry a baby, be ready to break some sweat.

I recommend wearing proper shoes and taking mosquito spray with you. Depending on the weather, the trail can be very slippery.

Besides these necessities, the trail went by quickly, and we ended up by the waterfall that created the small swimming pool spot. There was a tiny space for everyone to spread. If you want to dive in and swim, we recommend going there early in the day.

Billings Farm and Museum

Before I jump to describing this place, I want to point out that it is not located in Stowe but in Woodstock, Vermont.

If driving over one hour doesn’t bother you to reach the destination, we highly recommend visiting this working farm and a museum! This is a place for the whole family to explore. You can see the farm animals, pastures, and barns. Due to COVID-19, some barns were closed to the public during our visit, but we could still show Matthew some of his favorite farm animals. Cows, sheep, baby goats, and horses. He was excited and wanted to get close to every gate to interact with the animals.

The farm also offers indoor exhibitions with the history of the farm. There is also a one-mile-long walking trail open to the public.

Knowing that the farm had a beautiful landscape, we took along our picnic basket for lunch. It did rain a lot at one point during lunchtime and we had very little time to finish our food, but we definitely had a great day and will be coming back to this place next time we are nearby Stowe or Woodstock.