I’m an east coast woman.  I’ve never seen nor had I ever explored the New England states…

UNTIL I DID.

You may be thinking…What’s in New England?

Let me tell you.

VERMONT.

It was our next summer family vacation.  I love to take my kids to new places for new experiences.  All of our vacations ALWAYS include some sort of animal encounter.  This one was no different.  Keep reading!!

Let’s knock the logistics out of the way first incase you’re considering a trip to Vermont as well.

WHERE WE STAYED

I booked us a week-long stay at the Smuggler’s Notch Resort. I never heard of this place prior to but after researching a tad more, I learned it’s a very popular ski resort in the winter months. We had a quaint little townhome like rental with two twin beds and one full size bed upstairs. I loved that there was a mini kitchen as well. We had breakfast at our rental daily and sometimes dinner. It’s so nice to have that convenience when you don’t feel like going out to eat.

We visited in June.  Definitely not winter.  It was all the rage warm but with cooler evenings.  So different than good ole’ Virginia and its’ summer heat + humidity.

Smuggler’s Notch was tucked away from most everything. It was busy but nothing like what we’re accustomed to in Virginia. 

FEED YOUR FACE

When it came to feeding our face (aka: time to eat), we would drive to this quaint little restaurant, 158 Main Restaurant and Bakery not too far from Smuggler’s Notch. Their food was delicious and the staff were all very kind. But if you’re starving and can’t wait to be seated to eat, you may want to drive into Stowe for some more choices. 158 Main was quite busy every time we visited. The first time I was not aware of how busy they can be and well, I had some hangry kids with me. You’ve been warned…plan in advance. You won’t regret stopping in for some grub. Just look at the size of those pancakes!! My son inhaled all of it too!

TREAT YOURSELF

The kids and I went on a little drive for some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. It was so much fun. If you book tickets in advance…which I highly recommend, you can take a Ben & Jerry’s tour at the ONLY Ben & Jerry’s factory that is open to the public AND get a free sample at the end! I’m so glad we had reservations in advance. When we arrived, the place was PACKED!!! Both of my kids enjoyed watching how the ice cream is made and learning how Ben & Jerry’s came to be what they are today.

Fun Fact: Mint ice cream is not actually naturally green in color. It’s white. They use dye to color the ice cream green because let’s be honest, who really thinks of white ice cream when they hear of mint ice cream?! 😉

ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS & FAMILIES

The kids enjoyed several activities.  Let me tell you about the FREEBIES first!

Miniature golf & cornhole

There are many on-site games to play.  We hung out as long as we could with their miniature golf course since all three of us love some mini-golf.   

We also played cornhole!!! SO FUN!!

There were many other activities the kids could do such as basketball, indoor arcade, volleyball, shuffle ball, and horseshoes to name a few.

Notchville Park

DID SOMEBODY SAY POOL?

There were other activities we found on and off of Smuggler’s Notch Resort.  These activities were an additional costs but each of them were so worth every penny.

Vermont’s Zip Line Canopy Tour And Treetop Adventures

The first was Vermont’s Zip Line Canopy Tour and Treetop Adventures. All I heard was laughter from both my son and daughter.  Then there were the screams from little Miss as she zipped down the wire at speeds so fast her hair was blowing in the wind dancing to its’ own tune.  Yes, I’m extra.  But you have the visual. 😉

These. Moments. Are. Priceless.

Llama Trek Guided Tour

Then there was the Llama Trek Guided Tour.  This tour is offered on the Smuggler’s Notch Resort and is a good 3-hour hike/lunch all-in-one.  This was absolutely so much fun.  If you love animals, you will agree with me. Each person or family is assigned a llama.  So here we are…myself, my daughter (Savannah), my son (Dakota) and DJ.  Yep, you read that right. Our llama’s name was DJ. 

Just a heads up, the trails that you will hike are not stroller-accessible.  Some parents in our tour group had their little ones in backpack carriers.  We brought our own snacks and water is a MUST.  Bring that H2O! 

Did Somebody Say Lunch Break?

You’ll get to enjoy all your snacks with some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream that is provided by the Llama Trek Tour during the lunch break with the llamas. We stopped for lunch by a nice stream where all the kids enjoyed skipping rocks and walking across the rock beds of the stream.

Our first llama encounter.  Talk about nonstop laughing, giggles and memories created.  DJ was quite smart.  We learned that llamas in general are VERY smart.  BUT you’d never guess that going off of their bottom bucked out teeth and their abrupt yet firm stare at you. 

Both of my kids were able to take turns walking DJ on the tour.  They LOVED this!!!!  I loved capturing all the pictures of their smiles with DJ.  DJ would make pit stops to grab at the greenery on the trees just above his head.

Oh my gosh – let me just tell you it was the most memorable, hilarious llama adventure any of us ever experienced. Before you leave, they give you a small ziploc bag of your llama’s fur. That was not expected…but hey, thank you!

The Llama Trek Tour…

Completely. Worth. It.

BOOTLEGGERS’ BASIN

My kids had never seen nor heard of a water basin prior to our Vermont trip.  This was quite a hit and so simple! Not but maybe 10 minutes from Smugglers Notch Resort was the Bootleggers’ Basin.  Smuggler’s Notch Resort will issue you a SmuggsPass or Daycation ticket.  There is a free shuttle from Smuggler’s Notch Resort to the Bootleggers’ Basin at specific hours you can inquire during your stay.  When we arrived, in front of us was a shelter-covered large tent area with picnic benches, to the far right was cornhole (yes, more cornhole fun), and even further down to the left was a dock and a small white building.  There it was…the actual water basin. 

That water was FREEZING too!! I would say just as cold as the waterfalls…ok, maybe a touch warmer because both my children and myself went in this water.  In the forefront of the shoreline there were all these tadpoles swimming everywhere.  My daughter thought this was the coolest thing ever.  They all gravitated to her feet.  Have you seen Aquaman? You know the seen in the aquarium where all the fish in the tank swim to the glass behind Aquaman…yes. That was my daughter with these tadpoles.

This was one of my kids’ favorite activities that cost us absolutely nothing but memories of FUN!!  Whenever we weren’t off the beaten path exploring or doing one of our paid activities, we were here at the water basin.  It was such a hit!

Trampoline

Right behind the pools on Smuggler’s Notch Resort were these small set-up trampoline like adventures for kids.  The kids would get harnessed in and then jump for several minutes however high they could get themselves.  This was a hit for my kids after swimming for several hours. 

They. Slept. So. Good. Every. Night.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH ADVENTURES

On the days where I didn’t have an activity planned on Smuggler’s Notch or with a third-party vendor, I took us off the beaten path seeking new adventures.  We took to the Vermont winding roads to find trails to hike and waterfalls to chase.  This was so fun. 

We landed ourselves along the Notch Pass. I heard from the locals that this area is closed in the winter due to heavy snow and weatherly conditions. Please check before you leave to drive through this road for everyone’s safety. For us, we stayed at the Smuggler’s Notch Resort in the summer and we were able to drive through Notch’s Pass to explore the area. 

A Real Cave

Chasing Waterfalls

Moss Glen Falls, Stowe, VT

We continued our drive around the narrow roads to see what else we could find and that’s when we landed ourselves at the most beautiful waterfall, Moss Glen Falls located in Putnam State Forest. It’s the highest waterfall in all of Vermont at 85′ of cascading falls! The hike to the falls is about 2 miles roundtrip unless you venture off to the left where it’s a bit more rocky but the views from that angle are absolutely gorgeous!

The coldest water EVER.  But absolutely breathtaking!! My kids dipped their toes in with the initial plan to swim in the water. 

CHANGE OF PLANS. 

Their toes were icicles and they both decided let’s just sit on the rocks and watch the waterfall!  That’s when my daughter found herself a lucky quarter, as she said. 

The views were so…

Magical. Breathtaking.

Pictures do no justice to this beauty.  We were staring at heaven.  Graceful waters flowing from the falls onto the ground beneath it capturing the frigid water into a pool of calmness.

That mesmerizing feeling. Looking at the sun reflecting on the falls and lighting the pool of water beneath it.

Brewster River Gorge Falls, Cambridge, VT

Then we explored another waterfall, Brewster River Gorge Falls. If you have little ones, strongly recommend your hands aren’t full so that you’re able to hold their little hands.  The trek to the waterfall has lots of uprooted tree roots on the ground to include some muddy/wet like areas that could be hard for a little one to maneuver on their own.

Vermont surprised me.  It was truly more than I could have imagined.  This trip left an imprint in my memory bank of one of the most simplest; yet, exciting and fun trips for a New England adventure with kids.  It was a new and different experience for all of us.  One that we will remember forever. I highly recommend the Smuggler’s Notch Resort if you’re looking for somewhere new and exciting; yet, not overly crowded and tucked away from the busy city life.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

– Helen Keller

Where are you headed next?

XO, Christine

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