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 With Valentine’s Day around the corner, now is the time to think about delighting your loved one. What better way to surprise that special someone than by whisking him or her off on a long weekend? Looking for somewhere cozy, intimate, and romantic, yet with breathtaking vistas? We’ve got just the place for you…
The town of Stowe, nestled next to Vermont’s highest peak, the stately Mt. Mansfield, is a rustic slice of heaven. The rich history of the 200-year-old-village combined with its New England charm – the town’s colorful clapboard exteriors, its soaring church steeple, and its hand painted wood signs – all imbue it with an old European allure.
Walk down Stowe’s Main Street, and you will feel as if you’re walking back in time. The quaint town center offers an ice cream shop, a bookstore, a quilt shop, a Vermont-made furniture store, even an old-fashioned general store. In this village with a year-round population of about 4,500, you’ll remember what it means to stroll. Far from the hustle and bustle of big city life, you might sip a hot chocolate, while poking around one of Stowe’s numerous antique stores.
“Stowe is uniquely beautiful because it offers something wonderful for every season,” writes HomeAway Stowe homeowner, Leslie Eiser. “Yes, it was featured as the winter destination in the Alan Alda movie 'The Four Seasons,' but honestly, it could have been used for fall, spring, and even summer.”
In winter, skiers and snowboarders descend upon Stowe to experience Mt. Mansfield’s acclaimed terrain. At 4,395 feet, Mt. Mansfield is the highest point in Vermont. Stowe is particularly well-known as one of North America’s foremost cross-country skiing destinations, with hundreds of kilometers of backcountry trails, and more than 150 kilometers of groomed trails. Stowe also offers sleigh and dog sled rides, snowmobiling, ice-skating, and snowshoeing.
 Spring and summer visitors to Stowe enjoy strolls through blooming meadows and spine-tingling hiking above the timberline. Kayaking, canoeing, mountain and road biking, and horseback riding are also popular Stowe activities this time of year. And of course, as Vermont’s temperature climbs, there is always the option of cooling off by taking a swim in one of Stowe’s many sparkling streams and watering holes.
Finally, autumn brings the explosion of colorful leaves for which Vermont is universally famous. Whether you are exerting every muscle while rock-climbing, or merely taking a gentle stroll, your activity will take on a new dimension with Stowe’s stunning fall foliage as a backdrop.
No matter what season you choose to visit Stowe, you will feel captivated. HomeAway.com Stowe homeowner, Annette O’Brien, sent us this renter’s testimonial, “You live in God’s country – we felt transported to Switzerland in prime season. We’ll never forget watching the moose and deer in the backyard while having breakfast.”
Is it any wonder that there is a movement to brand Stowe, Vermont as the wedding capital of the East? “People from all around the world come to Stowe to get married,” says Lynn Espey, marketing director of the Stowe Area Association. “And wedding-mooners are the latest trend we are seeing in Stowe.” What better place to combine a wedding with a honeymoon, considering all of Stowe’s romantic possibilities?
HomeAway Stowe homeowner, Adam Black, captures the Vermont village best when he writes: “Stowe is an ideal retreat from a busy life, a magical and sacred place of natural beauty that calls to those who cherish simplicity of nature and the spirit of the mountains.”
Read other traveler stories from Stowe.
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