Vermont alpine adventures at Stowe Mountain Lodge

We spent a tremendous amount of time during our three weeks in Vermont this summer soaking up nature – swimming in rivers and lakes, biking along dirt roads, and climbing mountains. So it seemed a fitting end to indulge in a little manufactured fun – placed, as everything in Vermont seems to be, in a beautiful setting. What better place to do so than at the Stowe Mountain Lodge? This gorgeous resort boasts a number of different ways to wile away a summer afternoon, all of them enjoyable for the entire family.

For instance, we careened down the Alpine Slide, not once, not twice, but three times.

I may have caught up with Tommy on the last run, much to his chagrin since he trash talked about his speed all the way up. But I’m not saying.

We also climbed as fast as we could to the top of a rock wall.

Despite my head start, Tommy beat me handily at this and then proceeded to climb nimbly up about five more times while I nursed my thighs. Oh to have nine-year-old thighs!

Teddy tried his hardest to do flips on the bungee trampoline and although he didn’t quite succeed, certainly achieved an impressive height against that summer sky.

It didn’t hurt the relaxation quotient that all of this was followed by the enjoyment of such delicacies as a fabulous artisinal cheese plate complete with dried fruits, honeycomb, and pistachios and accompanied by the locally brewed Hourglass Ale, which is made just for the restaurant at the resort.

We drank the beer on balcony of our room, which Teddy, upon arrival and without prompting had dubbed “The Beer Porch.” It was important to live up to his name, see. While we ate and drank, we enjoyed this view:

Today we are heading home to Delaware where I will unpack and do laundry before we repack (for airline travel as opposed to automobile travel this time) and head to Wisconsin for six days. There are so many stories to tell already about our summer wandering and I’m not yet done! But I wanted to share this one first, since I know I’ll be dreaming of it for months to come.

Many thanks to the Stowe Mountain Resort and Destination Hotels and Resorts for hosting my family this weekend, giving us passes to the attractions I describe here, and sending that truly dream-worthy cheese to our room. As always, you can count on me to disclose when I receive something for free and also to share my honest opinions.