Your Stowe travel guide is here just in time for the beautiful Fall Vermont weekends! Vermont has been on my list for a while, and we finally had a reason to plan the visit when our friends got married in late September. We headed to Stowe for the weekend and enjoyed 3 days exploring Vermont.
Living in Jersey City/NYC, you typically visit upstate NY during the fall, but Vermont isn’t that much further and has the most enchanted fall feelings! It’s only about 5 hours from NYC, but you can fly or take a train too. We flew from EWR into Burlington early Friday morning, and were able to enjoy a full day exploring before the wedding welcome party started. Typically, peak foliage is the end of September-early October, so we were there before the leaves totally changed. We lucked out with a sunny and 70 degree weekend that made walking around so pleasant.
Vermont is known for its breweries and the state actually has over 100 of them! I’m sharing all of our Stowe favorites below as well as recommendations from our friend who grew up there. If you want to see more from our trip, check out my travel vlog on YouTube. Also, feel free to comment any questions you might have too. Be sure to save this for your next fall weekend or trip to Vermont!
What to Do
There’s so much to do in Stowe, especially in the Fall/Winter! Obviously, people come to Vermont for Ski season, but we really enjoyed seeing it during the Fall. Here are some ideas:
Breweries: Vermont has over 100 breweries/cider mills! We visited The Alchemist, Trapp Family Lodge, and Stowe Cider during our weekend.
Hiking: Stowe is an outdoorsy dream. There are tons of hikes, nature walks, mountain biking, and trail options to choose from. Check out this hiking map to see the difficulty level on some popular options. **Skiing/snowboarding/snow activities available during the season too!
Visit Main Street: Downtown Stowe is a quintessential small town Main Street! It’s adorable, and has a ton of shops, restaurants and galleries to explore. This is also where the famous white steeple Stowe Community Church is.
Gondola Skyride: You can take this gondola up the mountain for gorgeous views of Stowe! There’s also a few restaurants at the top. It’s recommended to book tickets in advance to secure your spot.
Where to Eat
We found a ton of dining options in Stowe, and most of them had a casual atmosphere even if the food was more upscale. We enjoyed all of the outdoor seating options to really soak in the Fall weather! Favorite restaurants include:
- Alpine Hall
- American Flatbread
- The Bench
- Cliff House
- Harrison’s
- Piecasso
- Sushi Yoshi
- Tipsy Trout
Coffee/Breakfast:
- Black Cap
- Cafe on Main
- Stowe Bee Bakery
- The Bagel
- The Skinny Pancake
Bars/Breweries:
- Apres Only
- Cork
- Idletyme
- Fjallbar
Where to Stay
Most of the hotels in Stowe are “ski lodge” inspired and so adorable! We had a great stay at Bluebird Cady Lodge, and they have two other properties nearby. Some other options include:
Luxe:
- Field Guide Lodge
- Stone Hill Inn
Mid-Range:
- Bluebird Lady Hill
- Green Mountain Inn
- Lodge at Spruce Park
- Trapp Family Lodge
More Affordable:
- Stowe Village Inn
- Talta Lodge
- Outbound Stowe
You can easily search for your dates at any of these hotels below. *affiliate*
