![]() When my husband, five-year-old daughter and I arrived, we checked into the Stowe Mountain Lodge- the first uber-luxury property of this size and caliber to go up in Stowe. (The festival was named for Vermont's similarity to Mozart's Austria, not for the composers it features.) Tourists and locals showed up in droves with picnic baskets and wine to listen to Beethoven under a starry canopy. The only time we saw a crowd was in the Trapp Lodge's concert meadow at the Vermont Mozart Festival ( 80). The roads that cut through cornfields and bucolic valleys are often empty, as are the trails. You'd think with such an arrestingly beautiful landscape and so much to offer, Stowe would be clogged with tourists. Indeed, dining is one of the top reasons to visit Stowe. The lamb chop I ordered at Michael's on the Hill came from a local farm, as did the vegetables and cheese. That means everything is organically grown or locally produced. What's more, the 30 or so restaurants in Stowe-many on par with some of the best in the country-are part of the Vermont Fresh Network. Downtown Stowe is bustling with shops, galleries and historic buildings, while neighboring Waterbury hosts Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory (tours available, the Vermont Ski Museum ( 80), Lake Champlain Chocolates ( 80) and the Cabot Creamery Annex ( 80). Descendents of the von Trapps of Sound of Music fame are here, and some of them run the enchanting Trapp Family Lodge (see "Where to Stay"). There are natural water holes to plunge into, rivers to kayak down and miles of trails to explore, even by dog cart. How much could there be to see in a laid-back, mountain town where "Moose Crossing" signs decorate the landscape and the most prominent landmark is the Community Church's tall steeple? Plenty, it turns out. Moreover, there's so much to do in Stowe's off-season that I was hard-pressed to complete my itinerary, even after five action-packed days. Unlike the winters, when thermometers can visit minus territory, summers are ideal here-dry and with temperatures in the mid 70s. Yet such people are only part of Stowe's intrigue. Or you'll meet a waitress from Brooklyn who traded rows of brownstones for cedar trees. ![]() That means you'll find a former financier from New Jersey working at the Morrisville-Stowe State Airport (seven miles from downtown), garnering an eighth of his former salary but endowed with a Walden-like perspective on the merits of a modest lifestyle. ![]() ![]() Transplants from all over the country have rooted here to escape the commotion of cities and the strictures of more traditional ways of life. Vermont's contrarian legacy, dating back 200 years, is part of what makes the state-and Stowe in particular-so interesting. Indeed, there have been movements for the state to secede from the U.S. Vermont is a 9,600-square-mile swath of mostly independent-minded folks. I also realized how dramatically the Green State differs from anywhere else in the country. On a jaunt in summer, however, I discovered that this historic New England village has far more to offer than skiing. World-class downhill slopes and chillingly steep "front four" mountaintop runs have made Stowe, Vt., a favorite destination for skiers. ![]()
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