It has been years since John and I have been to Vermont
so it was time to return. We had never
been to Stowe and always thought it was a solely a ski destination. That is not
the case. In fact, Chuck Baraw, the
owner of Stoweflake Resort said that the 80% of his guests visit outside the
winter season. I can
understand
that. There is so much to see and
do. First of all the drive is much nicer
when there is no snow and ice on the roads.
The 60-acre Stoweflake Resort is a destination in itself with a 30-room
spa with a marvelous Aqua Solarium and a seven-circuit Zen Labyrinth, indoor
and outdoor pools, a 9-hole golf course free to guests, tennis courts,
squash/racquet ball court, and more – I am sure I missed something.
On the way, via Route 100, we stopped at Ben & Jerry’s
in Waterbury, just a few miles from Stowe. I love the Ben & Jerry
story. They took a five-dollar online
ice cream making course from Penn State and turned it into a multi-million
dollar business. Part of their success
is due to using only fair trade products and giving back to the community. I
asked the
young lady directing traffic, “Do you get free ice cream.” The answer
was, “Yes, three pints a day.” The place was busy but we only had to wait 20
minutes for the next tour. It started
with a video about the company and then a walk by the production floor. The best part was the free ice cream at the
end. The taste treat of the day was
Salted Caramel Blondie – vanilla ice cream with blond brownies and salted
caramel swirl. Oh! My! So delicious. They
have a Wall of Honor. We were
surprised to learn that the long-time favorite
Cherry Garcia is no longer the number one favorite flavor; it is now Half
Baked: Chocolate & Vanilla Ice Creams with Fudge Brownies & Gobs of
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Before we left we walked up the hill behind the
parking lot to the Flavor Grave Yard. Sugar Plum was the flavor that died out
the fastest – sounds good - but even though based on the tombstone it lasted a
year it actually only lasted a couple months, from just before Christmas to
just after New Year’s. Some of the “dead” flavors sounded great like Tennessee
Mud.
After we arrived at Stoweflake we had a light lunch in
the resort’s casual restaurant, Charlie B’s Pub & Restaurant with a lovely
alfresco deck. I am not a real fan of
sushi mainly because it is often too fishy but I loved their Spicy Duck Ninja
Roll made with duckling leg comfit, rice, miso aioli, and rolled in nori paper.
It was lightly coated in tempura batter. It was served with a surprisingly
delicious seaweed salad and ginger.
After we settled in our luxurious room we drove into
Stowe, a
classic 200-year old village in the shadow of Mt. Mansfield, Vermont’s
highest peak. They have preserved its small village ambiance. We visited the
museum of the Stowe Historic Society housed in old West Branch Schoolhouse. We
picked up their free Historic Walking Tour of Stowe and wandered the Historic
District. Also in the village is the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum – but it
was closed while we were there.
It has been years since John and I have been to Vermont
so it was time to return. We had never
been to Stowe and always thought it was a solely a ski destination. That is not
the case. In fact, Chuck Baraw, the
owner of Stoweflake Resort said that the 80% of his guests visit outside the
winter season. I can 
On the way, via Route 100, we stopped at Ben & Jerry’s
in Waterbury, just a few miles from Stowe. I love the Ben & Jerry
story. They took a five-dollar online
ice cream making course from Penn State and turned it into a multi-million
dollar business. Part of their success
is due to using only fair trade products and giving back to the community. I
asked the 
