Summer in Vermont?
 

Not sure if this is the best place to post, but here goes...

We are looking for a place/region for our summer vacation and are leaning towards Vermont. My wife and two daughters (aged 8 and 10) are NOT cyclists. So we are looking for a "resorty" place that has some culture for the Mrs. and some water sports/outdoorsy and "girly" activities for the girls, but also good riding so dad (me) can go for a 2-3 hour ride each day. Hills are expected.

Any suggestions as to which general areas in the Green Mountain State are good for both "family" activities AND cycling?

Doug

http://www.shoreacres.com/
Nice self contained Hotel/motel right on the lake.
North Hero Island is beautiful, great place to ride.

Or the Burlington Court Yard.
Great bike trail along the lake from Burlington and lots of restaurants and shopping.
http://www.bikekinetix.com/t_vt/vt_r...-bike-path.php

Second N Hero. Stayed there a few years ago on a bikevermont tour. There is a winery nearby, flat water kayaking on Lake Champlain, and Burlington is nearby. The Champlain islands are atypical for Vermont - mostly flat! I'd also check out Burlington itself.

woodstock inn

or maybe

the equinox

Lots of great road riding from each location and stuff to do for the ladies.

Vermont . A wise choice. I'd think it a top notch cycling state.. Lots of organize tours go to Vermont..
.My favorite park. Lots of bike trails are nearby..
Marsh- Billings-Rockefeller National park..


http://www.nps.gov/mabi/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

stowe is resorty. not far from the big city of burlington.
lots of great cycling nearby. probably deals to be had in the ski off season on lodging.
hiking, the stowe river path, new england cutesy town with touristy stuff. summer stuff at the ski hill. most hotels have pools.

heading south out of stowe you get into the mad river valley - waterbury (ben & jerry's tour) at the north end then down to waitsfield and warren. prime cycling - mountains if you want em on either side of you. 30-40 minutes from burlington for 'big' city stuff. lake, beaches, echo kids science museum, teddy bear factory, shelburne farms, etc. etc. bike path along lake, canoe, kayak, bike, rollerblade, shopping and eating on church st., etc. etc.

islands - as noted kind of neat - i ride up there from btv each summer - but flat for vt and pretty isolated. if you plan on parking and just hanging out a b&b or campground up there would be fine - but you're further from the mountains and burlington for the family stuff, but right on the lake.

if i didn't live here i'd stay out near waterbury / richmond area. ride in the morning climbing all sorts of hills or gaps (rt. 100 through the gulf, or over app, or on some dirt), then head into town with the fam, or to stowe for touristy mountainy type stuff. or send the fam into town and meet them later...

The Hero islands are nice but kind of busy in the summer months... Burlington/Stowe is also nice, with resort type areas, Ben and Jerrys, Colby Cheese, etc... and some really nice riding around Stowe, but the Hero Islands would be better if kayaking is involved cause of Lake Champlain...


Jay

Thanks for the tips. It has given me something to go on.

Why not tour Vermont?

Start with Fort Ticonderoga. Sis wanted to see it and I almost didn't go. We
had biked there and I was tired. It was great, the view is spectacular, the museum is
terrific, it's a 'must see'. The family restaurants at the other end of town are good or were a few years ago).

Burlington is worth a visit, have lunch on a street with no traffic, no cars allowed at all...

The Stowe area is just flat out cool. Ben and Jerrys! Hiking, biking, you can take the ski thing to the top and enjoy the view,
and more. Make sure you have pancakes there!!! Pancakes are practically a religion. Good place to chill for a couple days.

And the islands sound cool, haven't been there yet.

Why not tour Vermont?

Start with Fort Ticonderoga. Sis wanted to see it and I almost didn't go. We
had biked there and I was tired. It was great, the view is spectacular, the museum is
terrific, it's a 'must see'. The family restaurants at the other end of town are good (at least they were a few years ago).

Burlington is worth a visit, have lunch on a street with no traffic, no cars allowed at all... very continental.

The Stowe area is just flat out cool. Ben and Jerrys! Hiking, biking, you can take the ski thing to the top and enjoy the view,
and more. Make sure you have pancakes there!!! Pancakes are practically a religion. Good place to chill for a couple days.

And the islands sound cool, haven't been there yet.

If you come to VT, don't forget to shop in NH. We have no sales tax.

Great place tp buy wine.

come to burlington, great bike shops and organized rides, nice bed and breakfasts, tons of shopping for the girls and lots of outdoorsy things to do like rock climbing (indoors and out) or swimming. If your lucky you'll try organizing your trip for when the criterium comes to town, usually early september.

Thanks for the suggestion. We had considered staying at a resort (like smuggler's notch) but they want $3000 for a week's stay - forget that. So we will likely spend much of our time in or near Burlington.

you'll have a good time.
camping? hoteling? bb'ing?

Stowflake Inn is supposed to be very nice. Never stayed there.

Equinox is also very nice, but I'd rather be near Stowe than by Manchester, which is full of shopping outlets.

Three Mountain Inn in Jamaica Vermont (15min from Stratton, 40min from Manchester) is my favorate inn in the world (seriously). It isn't a place for kids though, and is small so probably not what you are looking for. But the real highlight is the dinner there. Truly amazing, the chef prepares each meal himself in the small kitchen, and most ingredients are from local farms that he picks up in the morning. It beats anything you can get in the fanciest places in Manhattan, and is a tremendous value for what you are getting also. I highly recommend!

Middlebury, which is 45-50 minutes south of Burlington, has culture (the college), plenty of stuff to do that is not cycling-related, and the option for flat rides in the Champlain Valley and hilly rides if you go east into the Green Mountains. And the Black Sheep Bistro in Vergennes, 15 minutes' drive north of Middlebury, has the best french fries in the known universe. Even if you're based in Burlington, a visit to Vergennes and Middlebury would be worthwhile.

Probably hoteling, although we may try to find a 1 week "condo" with a kitchen to save money on meals. Kids are definitely not into roughing it. Ideally a place with access to a pool.

Cycling is not on the family's agenda, but they will probably tolerate me sneaking away for a 2-3 hour ride each day.

Burlington is a great place. Are you bringing a bike of your own? If you want to try a spot outside of Burlington, there is Essex, about a 15 minute drive on the infamous "circ" highway (well, around here at least...) anyways there is a place there called "The Essex" it's pretty nice. Up-until last fall it was home to NECI (New England Culinary Institute) I'm not sure if they got rid of their "formal" dining totally, but they still have the regular restaurant which is always good, they have a community garden which they get some of their food from, seasonal goods, etc.

Here's a link.
http://www.vtculinaryresort.com/

Thanks for the tip. And yes, I will be bringing my own road bike. I have a funny body type and can't really ride a stock bike, plus I am pretty fussy about my bike anyway. My family puts up with my cycling and doesn't mind if the bike comes along. I hope to find some good hillclimbs while I am out there.

I just lived in Burlington, VT for the past 2 years. It is a great location to "launch" from for bike rides. Jump on over to Craigslist to see who might have a short term rental, the summer is when the college kids are gone and you can sometimes pick-up a great deal at half the price of a hotel. Easy town to navigate "car-less" yet easy to get out of town fast on a bike and into the landscape. Enjoy!

Try Quechee
 

This would be a great place for you and your family. It's a private community with a great clubhouse--full gym, indoor and outdoor pools 2 great golf courses, 12 tennis courts, restaurants and miles and miles of great hiking. There is also a Lake with a manmade beach for swimming, fishing and canoeing. I have 2 girls, 9 and seven and they love it. The town is 4 miles from Woodstock, a quintessential VT town.

I would recommend a website vrbo.com for renting a condo(In the interest of full disclosure-- I have a condo listed there). renters have full access to amenities for a small fee.

We loved visiting so much in the winter we bought a place and fell in love with the summer even more than the winters.