Stowe is located near Smuggler's Notch. The notch is rare point along the spine of the Green Mountains that is low enough for people to pass through without climbing up and over the mountains. Appropriately named, Smuggler's Notch has been used by a variety of smugglers. The trade embargo on British and Canadian goods in the 1800's was avoided by bringing goods through the narrow passageway through the mountains. Later the notch was used by abolitionists to help slaves escape on the underground railroad. In the twentieth century, it was used by bootleggers to get a
The village of Stowe itself is an interesting blend of locals that have lived there for generations, wealthy folks from the cities that are visiting their summer or winter homes, and a wide range of small business owners that have managed to carve out a niche in this vacation destination.
We stayed for two nights at the Green Mountain Inn, located at the center of downtown. The Green Mountain Inn was opened in 1833 and is full of history. Although the building is historic, it has been renovated very nicely and offers high-end accommodations, complete with an outdoor swimming pool and health club with jacuzzi and sauna. As members of the Green Mountain Club, we were able to take advantage of a 50% discount on weeknights, putting this high priced resort right in our price range!
While in the Stowe area we visited a number of iconic businesses. Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory is located in nearby Waterbury. This is a can't miss destination for any ice cream fans traveling to the area. The factory offers guided tours of their operation regularly, complete with free tasting. The scoop shop on site also sells a variety of flavors that aren't available in stores, including Mary's favorite, "coffee coffee, buzz, buzz, buzz."
Right down the road from Ben and Jerry's is Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Home to some of the best cider and doughnuts I've ever had, Cold Hollow is near the top of the list of reasons I love Vermont. Practically across the street from Cold Hollow are both the Cabot Annex Store, and a Lake Champlain Chocolates store. The Cabot store offers free samples of a wide range of cheeses, salsas, mustards, and other products. Cabot is a cooperative owned by Vermont dairy farmers. They specialize in white cheddars, some of which have been aged for up to two years. Lake Champlain is similar to Godiva chocolates. Although they don't offer any samples, they sells really, really good chocolate!
While in Stowe we drove the Jeep up to the notch to get a preview of the terrain we'll be hiking next summer when we resume our section hike. Near the top of the notch Vermont 108 becomes a one lane road. It is a tricky one to navigate, with sharp hairpin turns and the threat of oncoming traffic at each blind corner. The view, however, was spectacular. Sharp, rocky cliffs rose at a dizzying angle on both sides of the road. It was not hard to imagine how difficult the trail down these cliffs must be, something we will have in the back of our minds as we prepare for next year's hike.
Having enjoyed all of the comforts the town of Stowe had to offer, we decided it was probably time to begin the long drive home. Vermont is a beautiful state full of fantastic scenery and some great independent businesses worth checking out. We were sad to drive out of the Green Mountains, but excited to get back to our family, friends and cats. We'll both look forward to next summer when we return to continue our through-hike!
