Skiing Came Lately to Vt. ‘Summer’ Resort

STOWE, Vt. —  For a rustic little 19th-Century village cuddled in the state’s beautiful Green Mountains, this town has a remarkably international flavor to go with more country inns per square mile than any other place in New England, plus restaurants with at least 10 foreign and regional cuisines to choose from.

Stowe might rightfully be called the place where skiing became a mass-appeal sport in the United States after World War II, with lifts on Mt. Mansfield drawing parka-clad ski buffs from all over the Northeast and beyond.

But more than a century before the East’s first chairlift went up here in 1941, Stowe had been a popular summer resort, noted for its clean, crisp air and breathtaking scenery. And it is still a year-round playground, except for the early spring “mud months” when skies are leaden and footing is slushy.

What strikes us as unusual is that a town of just 3,500 can handle a steady flow of visitors from late spring through summer and another batch for fall foliage and winter skiing, while still retaining its country atmosphere.

Perhaps that’s why 64 innkeepers and more than 40 restaurateurs greet you with smiles and cosset you with service. It’s partly good business, but mostly just the easy hospitality of New Englanders.

Here to there: Take USAir or United to Burlington, Vt. From there it’s 45 minutes by Interstate 89 to Stowe.

How long/how much? A day will do for the town, but with so much to see and do in the area we’d suggest a week, particularly for skiing. Lodging costs are high-moderate, dining decidedly moderate. And you really should get a rental car for visiting some of the places we mention below.

Getting settled in: Ye Olde English Inne (Mountain Road; $118 to $150 double, half-pension, higher during foliage season) is an authentically restored country inn presided over by affable Brits Cris and Lyn Francis and just a short walk from the village center. This one is as relaxed and comfortable as you could hope for. It has a pool and an outdoor Jacuzzi (some rooms have their own) and a buffet breakfast to reckon with: juices, homemade breads and granola, lots of coffee. Ye Olde English Inne is a local gathering place, just the spot to gird yourself for a mid-winter, 104-degree soak in the outdoor Jacuzzi.

The inn has foliage and ski-season packages based on a half-pension plan (breakfast plus your choice of either lunch or dinner), and the staff will arrange outings from hot-air ballooning to trout fishing for its guests.

Ten Acres Lodge (Luce Hill Road; $116 B&B; double, $54 with shared bath) looks like a red farm on a quiet hillside between Stowe and Mt. Mansfield, but inside it’s total charm and tasteful luxury. The lounges are all beamed ceilings and fireplaces, with bedrooms delightfully paneled and couches done in gay chintz. There’s a pool and tennis court, buffet breakfasts and one of the best restaurants in New England.

The Yodler (edge of town; $68-$150 double, half-pension) is a 1798 lodge with a motel-like addition owned by a Bavarian couple who have maintained an old-fashioned country feeling about the main building.

Hooked rugs, handmade comforters and pine chests grace the smallish rooms. The motel rooms are more contemporary. There’s a pleasant lounge with a small bar and cozy couches. A clay tennis court and heated pool will keep you active. Special weekly plans are available during the foliage and ski seasons. Some rooms have kitchen and fireplace.

Regional food and drink: Most of the fare is New England hearty, with Swiss, German, Austrian and Italian all over the place. Lots of good clam chowder on the menus, and Vermont Cheddar is as tasteful as the state’s renowned maple syrup, yet not nearly as expensive. Vermont specialties lean toward marvelous baked beans, syrup-cured ham and wonderful veal.

Moderate-cost dining: Cafe Mozart (in the village) will serve you Vienna’s finest, with enough Central European dishes on the menu to make it interesting. You’ll find such dishes as schnitzel, stuffed cabbage, Hungarian goulash, chicken paprika, pork tenderloin stuffed with smoked sausage, mushrooms and peppers. They’re also open for lunch.

Mr. Pickwick’s (Olde English Inne) has an informal, pub-like atmosphere with food to match. Bishop’s pie departs from the more mundane shepherd’s pie, being more of a beef Bourguignon beneath a pastry top, with fresh vegetables and fries. It’s great. There’s also the pub-grub staples of bangers and mash, steak and kidney pie, fish and chips and Cornish pasty, plus a bow to the north with Highland haggis. Pickwick’s beer selection spans 21 countries, eight of them served straight from the wood.

The Yodler is for people who have skied or hiked enough in the Vermont air to eat heartily. Their nightly buffet dinner at $14 is known far beyond the town’s limits, drawing folks ready for homemade soups and baked beans, maple sugar-cured ham, turkey with fixings, meat loafs, vegetables, salads, breads, desserts and make-your-own strawberry shortcake.

Going first-class: Topnotch at Stowe (Box 1260, Stowe; $142-$220 double, half-pension) is a magnificent Alpine-contemporary resort with everything on the property that you could possibly want. There’s no lobby or reception desk; the concierge meets you in the library/living room for check-in. All the public rooms have antiques, fine contemporary art and sculpture. Bedrooms are huge, comfortable and filled with books. Try 10 outdoor and four indoor tennis courts, a pool, fitness center, putting green and equestrian center.

The dining room at Ten Acres Lodge is just about the last word in elegant dining by candlelight. And the changed-daily menu lets you choose starters such as smoked venison sausage with red wine and mustard, or oysters on the shell with horseradish, then goes on to roast loin of wild boar with ginger-plum sauce, partridge marinated with red wine and cepes, or swordfish grilled with avocado. Everything about the lodge and dining room is definitely first-cabin.

On your own: Some of the nation’s best downhill ski slopes are near here. The cross-country trails are seemingly endless. There are also ice skating, sleigh riding and other winter sports.

Late January brings Stowe’s Winter Carnival, with snow sculptures, costume parade, ski and dog-team racing and fireworks, all presided over by a carnival queen. Folks tell us it’s fantastic.

Summer and fall in Stowe are loaded with cultural events: open-air concerts, craft and antique shows, art exhibitions and theater. There are tennis, golf, hiking, canoeing, serious trout fishing, hot-air ballooning, flying and gliding.

Then hop into your rental car for a visit to Shelbourne Museum & Heritage Park (closed in winter), one of Vermont’s most famous attractions, or the beautiful little college town of Middlebury with its Morgan Horse Farm.

There’s always a tasting tour through Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory, which Time magazine pronounced the best purveyor of the luscious stuff in America. Antique stores abound for collectors with a black belt in the art.

For more information: Call the Stowe Area Assn. at (802) 253-7321, or write (Box 1230, Stowe, Vt. 05672) for a brochure on sights and lodgings, another with a calendar of coming events.