The hills are alive with the sounds of summer. It was the greenery of the Green Mountains that convinced the Trapp family to pick Vermont as their American home after fleeing Nazi-occupied Austria. Thousands of others have made the same discovery since.
The Trapps surfaced in Stowe, a compact community in northern Vermont that is closer to Montreal (140 miles north) than Albany (170 miles south). Local signs are not only bilingual but bi-mathematical, posting distances in kilometers too.
Stowe is six hours from New York but light years from the sweltering cities to its south. It proceeds at a New England pace, mindful that it has more church steeples than stoplights.
The closest thing to a thrill ride in Stowe is the Alpine slide on Mt. Mansfield, the tallest mountain in Vermont. From its 4,393-foot summit, the view stretches some 70 miles in all directions, including New Hampshire, New York, and Quebec as well as Vermont. A slow-moving gondola ride up the mountain is the best way to get there.
The gondola ride, like the labyrinth at Stoweflake Mountain Resort, is a good place to contemplate the beauty of nature. Another option is the Stowe Recreation Path, a five-and-a-half mile trail that passes pastures, cornfields, woods, and ponds as it follows the course of a mountain stream. Land for the path was donated by individuals rather than purchased by the local government. Only in Vermont.
Stowe is stoic. Ask a shopkeeper a question and the response might be, "I don't see why not."
The state is definitely different. The capital of Montpelier, not far from Stowe, is the only one in the United States without a McDonald's. Interstate 89 has signs warning of moose and bear crossings. And former governor Howard Dean, a physician, chairs the Democratic National Committee after failing to win the party's nomination for President.
Ben & Jerry also move to the beat of a different drummer. The ice cream company they founded, since sold to others, has succeeded where Dean failed -- winning the hearts and taste-buds of millions miles from Vermont.
Like the Trapp family, Ben & Jerry's has a well-deserved national reputation - and a factory tour complete with free samples.
Visitors like the taste of Stowe in all seasons. The area earned its reputation as a ski capital long before tourists realized it was even better in summer. The Vermont Ski Museum, in Old Town Hall, traces the sport's history from the formation of the 10th Mountain Division to Olympic skiers with Vermont roots.
The art of hot-air ballooning, often as challenging as skiing, has become almost as popular. The 20th annual Stoweflake Hot Air Balloon Festival will feature dawn-and-dusk liftoffs during a four-day stretch that starts July 6. More than two-dozen top balloon pilots will participate.
Also on the summer schedule are a kaleidoscope festival (July 7-9), a sailboat regatta (July 8), and something called the Mutt Strut (July 22). Several dog agility trials will be held at Topnotch Resort and a food festival called A Taste of Stowe is slated for Aug. 26-27. When the leaves start turning - bringing even more visitors to the village - the Boyden Valley Winery will host the 9th annual "Celebration of the Vine" harvest festival (Sept. 16-17).
At Trapp Family Lodge, a 2800-acre complex with sweeping mountain vistas, the myriad of recreational options ranges from hayrides to hiking, tennis, golf, singalongs, and concerts in the resort's open meadow. A combination of fireworks and Mozart music will fill the meadow on July 23 and July 30.
The Trapp resort has 100 guest houses, 96 rooms, and 14 villas, making it one of the bigger properties in Stowe.
Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa is a close second, with 120 guest rooms and suites plus 58 townhouses. The family-owned property, which opened in 1963, marked its 40th anniversary three years ago by adding a 45,000-square foot spa unlike anything else in the Green Mountain State.
It has 30 treatment rooms, 14 salon stations, eight personal shower facilities, three consultation rooms, three saunas, three steam rooms, and a coed solarium that includes the Bingham Hydrotherapy Waterfalls and Hungarian Mineral Soaking Pool. There's even a kids' spa menu designed for children aged 7 or older.
The adjacent meditative spa garden includes the labyrinth, a seven-circuit garden trail perfect for personal reflection and meditation. The garden features regional flowers and herbs used in treatments at the Stoweflake spa.
In addition to the spa, Stoweflake has a Sports & Wellness Center with fitness facilities and classes, racquetball and squash courts, and private training upon request.
Additional warm-weather recreational options includes badminton, bicycling, croquet, golf, hiking, horseshoes, jogging, swimming, tennis, and the arcade, videos, and pool and ping-pong tables of the game room.
The four-star resort even has its own hot-air balloon, Spirit of Stoweflake, and in-residence pilots: Chuck and Stu Baraw, Stoweflake's president and managing partner, respectively.
With so many outdoor diversions, it's a little surprising that anyone comes inside for the afternoon tea-and-cookies served in the main living room.
The largest meeting center in the state, Stoweflake often hosts meetings and conventions. Earlier this month, the resort hosted the fourth annual conference and marketplace of the North American Travel Journalists Association [NATJA], a four-day, three-night event that included speakers, seminars, sightseeing, and socializing.
Both Stoweflake and Trapp Family Lodge are located just over a half-hour from Burlington International Airport, built on the banks of Lake Champlain - the sliver of water sliced by several ferries that carry cars to New York State.
Another non-driving option is Amtrak's Vermonter, which stops 11 miles from Stowe at Waterbury.
For further information, contact the Stowe Area Association, 51 Main St., P.O. Box 1320, Stowe, VT 05672 (Tel. 800-247-8693).
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