Looking for fun things to do near Stowe Vermont? This area offers beautiful scenery and adventure for your vacation.

Why not enjoy some Ben & Jerry’s on the way to meet the Von Trapp Family from the Sound Of Music? Find tasting tours and must-see activities in this guide to Stowe, Vermont. 

1) Visit The Von Trapp Family Lodge

As soon as I learned that the Von Trapp’s live in Vermont, I knew we just had to go there. We are huge Sound Of Music fans.

As much as we love the movie, I guess I never knew much about the history of the family. It turns out that they eventually settled in the mountains of Vermont and opened a lodge.

The mountains of Stowe, Vermont reminded the Von Trapps of their Austrian homeland. They chose this location to make maple syrup and run the family lodge.

The Von Trapp Family Lodge is a great place to visit or stay on your trip. It is also a ski lodge with a full list of daily summer and winter activities.

The grounds have mountain views in every direction and are just beautiful. Here are a few ideas of things to do at the lodge.

I) Von Trapp Family History Tour

Love the Sound Of Music? It is every fan’s dream to be able to visit the lodge and take the Von Trapp Family History Tour.

The guided tour gives the history of the family, including lesser-known facts like how they really felt about the movie. It ends with one of the Von Trapp grandchildren telling stories and answering questions.

Sissy was thrilled to hear the family stories and meet the granddaughter. She signed a book for her. It was such a memorable experience. 

II) Eat At The Von Trapp Brewery

When visiting the Von Trapps, why not also try some of their Austrian food? They run a brewery and restaurant around the corner from the lodge.

The food was great and so was the homemade beer. They offer both year-round brews and seasonal selections. We got a family sampler platter for dinner that the 3 of us enjoyed.

Brewery tours are also available. Check the resort schedule for tour dates and times.

III) Take A Sugar Maple Tour

Another popular tour at the Trapp Family Lodge is the Sugar Maple Tour. The Von Trapp’s began producing syrup back when settled in Vermont.

Learn the process to create maple syrup on this tour. They also still sell their syrup, so you can take some home to enjoy.

There are many tours and activities daily at the lodge. Check the lodge calendar to find the current offerings.

Adventure Tip: Reservations are required for all tours. There are a limited number of spots so book as soon as you know your travel plans.

2) Taste Your Way Through Vermont

One of the unique things about Vermont is the vast number of small mom-and-pop craft food and beverages. There are so many amazing things to try.

This is such a big deal here, that there are food and drink tasting trails for just about everything you can imagine.

For the adults, there are tasting trails for craft beer, wine, and distilled spirits. There are also many tour operators that run day tours along the tasting trail.

For the family, there is a Vermont Cheese Trail, Vermont Dairy Trail, and a Maple Creemee Trail. A Maple Creemee is soft-serve ice cream made with Vermont maple syrup. Yum!

There are so many fun tasting opportunities. Here are some ideas to check out near Stowe, VT.

I) Goodrich’s Maple Farm

In Vermont, it is all about maple syrup. There are many places where you can take a tour to learn more about the maple sugaring process.

We stopped into a small place on the way to Stowe called Goodrich’s Maple Farm. They gave us a brief tour of how maple syrup used to be made and how it is made today.

We really loved all the stories our guide shared from maple sugaring as a child to now. She also had many photos and tools on display to show us how syrup was made long ago.

It was a great little tour and we learned so much about the process. At the end, they had little syrup samples of all the different grades of maple syrup to try.

It was crazy to see the difference in color between the different grades. The darker grades have such a rich flavor.

Sissy thought it was fun to take syrup shots and was shocked that I let her have so much sugar. We got some syrup and maple candies to take home. A maple syrup tour should definitely be on your list! 

II) Cabot Creamery

Cabot cheese is sold everywhere on the East Coast. They are known for their many varieties of sharp cheddar.

At Cabot Creamery’s Visitor Center you can view the manufacturing floor, watch a video of the process, and try some samples.

After our syrup sugar rush, we were excited to add some protein in with the cheese. Their cheese is delicious.

Note: The visitor center was closed due to Covid. Check the website for updated Cabot locations.

III) Cold Hollow Cider Mill

After all of that cheese, everyone is probably thirsty. Cold Hollow Cider makes both apple cider and alcoholic cider.

They are also known for their cider doughnuts. Sissy enjoyed apple cider while we tried a flight of adult ciders.

Their shop was filled with all sorts of interesting Vermont souvenirs. It was a fun stop on our tasting tour.

IV) Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry’s is one of those boxes that everyone who visits Vermont has to tick. With that being said, it was our least favorite stop.

All of our tasting experiences prior to this stop were small, authentic, relaxed, true farm country Vermont. Ben & Jerry’s feels like the Disney World of tasting tours.

They cram you into a room like cattle with thousands of other people waiting for your tour time to be called out on a loudspeaker. Tour bus after tour bus dropped off hundreds more.

The actual tour itself was just okay. We actually enjoyed the grounds of the place the best.

The flavor graveyard was really fun. So were all of the photo props that you can take pictures with.

The best part was actually a few activity booths outside while people wait for tour times. We tye died t-shirts at one of the booths which Sissy loved.

Overall, I am glad we went, but I would not go again. We prefer the laid-back tastings at the smaller places to have that true Vermont feel. We bought some ice cream and ticked the box.

V) More Tasting Tour Ideas Near Stowe Vermont

– Von Trapp Brewery

– Idletyme Brewing Co.

– Laughing Moon Chocolates

– Stowe Cider

– The Alchemist

– Smuggler’s Notch Distillery

– Ellison Estate Vineyard

– Boyden Valley Winery

Note: Covid has affected available tastings. Check websites for updates.

3) Bike The Stowe Recreation Path

Rent a bike and enjoy this paved 5-mile scenic trail around Stowe. The path is mostly flat and winds over streams with mountain views and a covered bridge.

Adventure Tip: Access from the northern trailhead is less busy and downhill. This is also the most scenic section of the trail.

4) Take a Scenic Drive Through Smugglers Notch State Park

Enjoy the 3-mile scenic drive that begins at the state park visitors center and takes you through a winding and beautiful notch pass.

There is also a short boardwalk trail that begins near the visitor center.

5) Hike To Moss Glen Falls

Close to Stowe, VT is a short hike to the 125 foot Moss Glen Falls. From the parking area, follow the stream a 1/4 mi to reach the falls.

When the trail forks, go left to a short steep section to take pictures above the falls or go right to see the base of the falls.

Adventure Tip: The trail to the left of the fork is steep with tree roots. The trail to the right of the fork has slick rocks. Wear sturdy footwear and watch your step.

6) Go To The Top Of Mount Mansfield

Head to the top of the highest mountain in Vermont, Mount Mansfield. What a view!

You can reach the top of Mount Mansfield either by driving the Auto Toll Road or by taking the Gondola SkyRide.

The Auto Road is 4.5 miles of unpaved switchbacks to reach the top. At the top, you can walk the ridgeline for fantastic views in every direction.

If the tight turns of the Auto Road don’t seem like a relaxing way to enjoy the mountain, consider taking the Gondola SkyRide at the Stowe Mountain Resort.

Adventure Tip: The Auto Toll Road is limited to cars only. It is too narrow for large vehicles including dually trucks, campers, or trailers. You can opt for the SkyRide if you have a large vehicle.

7) Enjoy Ski Resort Activities

Did you know that ski resorts have tons of activities to enjoy both in the summer and winter? We already listed some options at the Trapp Family Lodge, but here are some other fun resorts.

Stowe Mountain Resort/Spruce Peak offers the Gondola SkyRide, golf, a Tree Top Adventure course, rock climbing, and a ZipTour Adventure.

Smugglers Notch Resort offers a resort day pass called the Daycation Ticket. They have a popular waterpark, mini golf, mountain bike skills park, zip line canopy tour, and Llama Trekking.

I hope you feel inspired to explore all Vermont has to offer! Have you ever visited Stowe, Vermont? What were your favorite activities in the area? Please leave me a comment!

Are you also headed to New Hampshire on your trip? Check out: 11 Fun Activities For A Family Vacation In The White Mountains, NH.

Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to Pin it and Share it.

Enjoy your adventure detour!