By Deepal Sehgal
Stratton, Vermont, a snowy piece of heaven, is just four and a half hours from downtown New York City. No matter what you are looking to do — ski, snowshoe, dog sled, etc. — you can find it all here.
Let me tell you about us. We are a family of four: mom (me), dad, an 11-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. We wouldn’t really qualify as a skiing family, it’s something of a newly acquired interest. So our trip to Stratton was pretty much a last-minute plan.
We were lucky to be able to book the last room available — a standard room with two queen beds at Black Bear Lodge, a popular budget-friendly hotel. If you are looking for fancy, this is not it. The location is great and the rooms are a decent size. But the thing that makes this lodge special is that it is less than a five minute drive on the lodge’s shuttle to the slopes! I’m really not kidding. This is the next best thing to a ski-in, ski-out! An early but very forgettable dinner at Table 43.1, the on-site restaurant, allowed us to turn in early.
Day One
At a ski resort you want to hit the slopes early before it gets crowded. Since breakfast was included, we went back to the restaurant. We had already booked spots for both the kids in the Ski School when we made our room reservations, so we were ready to go. This was a good move! You don’t want to try and figure out ski school at the resort — chances are that you won’t get a spot. By the way: all-day ski lift passes and lunch are included if you plan on attending ski school. The kids were gone from 8:30am to 3pm.
While the kids were at ski school, my husband and I went on our own adventure. Stratton’s Nordic Center At Sun Bowl has a lot to offer. From skiing to snowshoeing to snow tubing to cross country skiing, there’s a lot to choose from. We decided to go snowshoeing. Now, snowshoeing is only available from mid-December to March, so if you want to try it, do it now! You can either bring your own snowshoes or rent them from the Nordic Center. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We learned that there were 12 kilometers of groomed trails that we could choose from, which varied in intensity. We opted for the easiest to begin with. It was stunning! The beauty of the snow-covered trails was simply breathtaking! The silence was perfect — only to be punctuated by the sound of a stream running through the woods.
We soon decided we needed to increase the intensity level and opted for harder trails. Some parts made you give all you could, but it was totally worth it. I now love snowshoeing! The Sun Bowl even offers guided tours for snowshoeing, if you prefer doing it that way. Either way, I highly recommend it.
Day Two
More skiing, which we followed up with lunch at the The Market in Base Lodge at Stratton Village. I have to say that the meals are not cheap. If you are on a budget, I would recommend packing your own food and eating at the Base Lodge. The Base Lodge was a madhouse, packed to capacity! It was a bit of a wait but we finally found a spot to sit and eat.
Post-lunch, my daughter and I hit up the Manchester Designer Outlets for some retail therapy while the boys hit the slopes again. The night ended with some good quality comfort Thai food at Thai Basil in Manchester. In case you get there early, check out the cute antique shop across the street from it!
Day Three
It turned out to be so windy! We went skiing at the Nordic Center this time, but realized that it was not going to be easy at all. Snow was whipping around us and the icy rain the night before did not help one bit.
A tip: the ski runs at the Nordic Center were definitely less crowded, so look into that if possible.
Skiing was short-lived that day. Once the winds died down, we decided to go snow tubing at the Coca Cola Tube Park (open Friday through Sunday). We had an absolute blast and worked up quite an appetite. We hit up Mulligans in Stratton Village which we had heard about from other lodge guests, for a good hearty American dinner. And if you are a beer drinker, this is where you want to go — they have a hundred or so craft beers and about 20 of them are on tap!
Day Four
After a quick breakfast, we headed to Manchester once again. I had heard about a quaint little bookstore called the Northshire Bookstore. With a whole floor dedicated to kids books, my kids were in heaven! Grab a snack and coffee from the Spiral Press Cafe located on-site and you may just find yourself still at the bookstore a couple of hours later! Don’t forget to check out the cool installation just outside the front door.
Our last stop before we began the drive back home was the JJ Hapgood General Store and Eatery in Peru, VT. What a find! My mouth is still watering at the thought of the food there. It’s a small place though — well, not really, but there’s always a wait from what I understand. You could opt for takeaway but I would not recommend it. We ordered a brunchy lunch and were very happy with the food. The store is stocked with local goods, which means that anything you get was “Made in Vermont” — from the honey to the cheeses to everything else! The meals are large, so either bring your appetite or be ready to take home a doggie bag!
So?
All in all, I would say that this was a great trip. A little something for everyone! And to think there was so much more we didn’t even try — snowmobile tours, checking out the music scene, dog sled rides, ice skating, and more. Well, I suppose we do need to leave something for next time!
