Why you should visit this scenic Vermont town

Under a blanket of powdery snow, Stowe is a natural playground for skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers — affectionately known as the ‘ski capital of the east’. Just a 30-minute drive north of Vermont’s state capital, Montpelier, Stowe is favoured by winter sports enthusiasts, but when the season changes, the historic town undergoes a dramatic mood change. Its rugged hillsides transform from a quilt of ivory to shades of emerald in the spring and summer, before bursting into brilliant hues of yellow, gold, orange and red in autumn. From craft brewery tours and hiking to farmers’ markets and festivals, here are some of the best things to do in Stowe in all seasons.

Creative craft beers and ciders

With more craft breweries per capita than any other state, Vermont is a place of pilgrimage for beer connoisseurs. Head over to the rustic-chic, farmhouse-style bar at Idletyme Tap & Tavern, where award-winning brewmaster Will Gilson melds classic European brewing traditions with Vermont hop culture. Sample the smooth, Munich-style Helles Brook lager or try a beer flight featuring six different draft beers. In the summer, grab a table by the Treehouse Bar on the outdoor patio and pair the sudsy brews with a giant Bavarian pretzel.

If you prefer beer with a side of art, check out The Alchemist, a family-owned brewery that’s as creative with its craft beers as it is with its aesthetics. Vibrant, eclectic murals cover the walls, ceilings and silo of the brewery, while the ‘beer cafe’ serves the flagship hand-pulled Heady Topper double IPA and bottled sour beers. Food is dished up from Warren’s Kitchen & Catering, a funky food truck parked outside the brewery. Try crowd favourites like the fried avocado tacos, or mac and cheese with pulled jerk pork.

Apples may be synonymous with the ‘fall’ season, but visitors can take a self-guided tour of Cold Hollow Cider Mill year-round. One of New England’s top cider producers, the mill continues to make pure apple cider the old-fashioned way — watch a traditional 1920s rack-and-cloth press squeeze juicy McIntosh apples into fresh (non-alcoholic) cider and sample the authentic beverage afterwards. Taste Cold Hollow’s seasonal ‘hard ciders’ (alcoholic ciders), too, before picking up a popular cider doughnut, made with an old-school doughnut machine.

Village strolls and scenic hikes

Take a stroll through Stowe’s enchanting downtown village, lined with whimsical boutiques, jewellery stores and sweet shops, and marked by the quaint Stowe Community Church with its striking white steeple. To keep you fuelled as you wander, try the homemade oatmeal drizzled with Vermont maple syrup at Café on Main, a cosy spot inside the historic Old Depot building. Just a short walk away, contemporary art centre The Current hosts a variety of exhibitions, lectures, film screenings and workshops throughout the year.

Beginning in downtown Stowe, the Stowe Recreation Path is a scenic 5.3-mile trail that connects the village to the green foothills of Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak. Flanked by serene woods and lush foliage, the path makes for an easy hike — meandering through several parks, across bridges over the trickling West Branch River, and past a swimming hole, a corn maze, farms and restaurants. Further up Mount Mansfield, Smuggler’s Notch State Park is the starting point for several hiking trails, such as the challenging Hellbrook Trail.

Upbeat events and festivals

Throughout the year, Stowe plays host to a diverse range of exciting events. Every Sunday from May to October, the Stowe Farmers Market bustles with local and regional vendors selling fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and cheese, bread and pastries, pickles and preserves, as well as flowers, crafts and more. A jubilant Fourth of July parade, along with festivities and entertainment, marks the national day each year. In August, music enthusiasts gather for the Stowe Jazz Festival, a free, three-day event celebrating the diverse genre and all its sub-genres — including swing, bebop, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban jazz. Then, in October, the town holds its three-day Stowe Foliage Arts Festival, featuring more than 150 artists and artisans displaying their artwork and crafts.

Stowe’s events list doesn’t stop there — the Trapp Family Lodge also hosts a series of festivals and events that are open to the public, including Oktoberfest celebrations, outdoor summer concerts, trail running races, holiday brunches and fondue nights. The musically gifted von Trapp family (the inspiration for the film The Sound of Music) settled in Stowe in the 1940s, where the mountain vistas reminded them of their home in Austria. Amid 2,600 acres of rolling hills, the family have welcomed visitors to their grand alpine estate since 1950. Trapp Family Lodge also has an on-site brewery specialising in Austrian-style beer — tour the facility before settling down at the adjacent von Trapp Brewing Bierhall restaurant for a hearty meal of chicken schnitzel or bratwurst.