Looking for suggestions on what to do in Stowe and Burlington VT

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Our family will be spending Memorial Day weekend in Stowe and Burlington VT and I was looking for recommendations on what to do and where to eat. I am sure that some on CC know that area well and I would like to tap into your wisdom. We have a car so we can get away from Stowe and Burlington as well if it’s worth the drive.

In terms of things to do, we enjoy nature, the water, and hiking of easy and intermediate trails. In terms of food, one of us is vegetarian, so we skip seafood restaurants and steakhouses, but are open to most other things.

Given how difficult and expensive hotel rooms were, I suspect that the most common spots are going to be packed that week, so would love to hear about great lesser-known places as well.

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In Stowe:

  • Go on a hike. Consider consulting the Green Mountain Club for trail maps and suggestions of which hike suits you. Hiking up Mt. Mansfield is popular, but more rigorous.

  • Drive to the top of Mt. Mansfield and enjoy the great views.

  • Rent bikes and ride along the Stowe recreation path (easy). Or you can just go on a walk on this paved pathway. You could first pick up takeout gourmet at The Harvest Market and pack a picnic to eat. Or pick up sandwiches at Cafe on Main.

  • Go to the Ben and Jerry’s Factory, about 15 minutes away…they have a tour.

  • Visit all the shops.

  • Go to Trapp Family Lodge and look around, and enjoy the views.

  • Take the Gondola ride up the mountain at Stowe.

  • Rent canoes or kayaks.

  • Restaurants: Dining Room at Edson Hill, Swiss Fondue Restaurant, Tres Amigos, The Skinny Pancake

In Burlington:

  • Walk along Church Street Marketplace…pedestrian-only walkway, no cars, various shops…eat at a restaurant with outdoor seating…try Leunigs or Sweetwaters.

  • Walk along the Burlington Waterfront, can walk to it from downtown…it runs along the lake’s edge, nice views. Possibly do at sunset. In that vicinity is a restaurant called The Skinny Pancake that has a variety of crepes.

  • Consider some type of boating on the lake…like there are scenic cruises from the city’s waterfront. There sunset ones. There are schooners or other sailing opportunities. You could to go North Beach and rent kayaks.

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I absolutely love Shelburne Museum. There are tons of interesting things to see including buildings (a lighthouse, a round barn, and a steamship) and the grounds are absolutely gorgeous with gardens full of lilacs and peonies. It is truly a unique and beautiful place.

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We love the Trapp Family Lodge. I recommend it highly to everyone. My daughter and I stayed there on a whim one night in October and I can’t wait to go back. We got to meet one of Maria’s granddaughters. Our room opened up to a large balcony overlooking the mountains and we saw gorgeous sunrise. We went on a guided walk through the woods and learned a lot about trees. We also saw the chapel at the top of the hill that one of Maria’s sons built by himself.

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Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far.

@soozievt, you gave plenty of great suggestions and we look forward to trying to fit them in. We unfortunately won’t be able to do the Ben & Jerry’s tour due to covid. And @helpingmom40, the Shelburne Museum looks fabulous, but they are opening just after Memorial Day weekend. We will have to save both of those for our next trip there.

@MaineLonghorn, we are staying at TopNotch resort in Stowe. But I am planning on stopping at the Trapp Family Lodge and have read that the Kaffeehaus at the lodge is very good.

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The von Trapp Brewery and Bierhall is excellent, also. The restaurant has a big enclosed sun porch that is very pleasant and looks out over beautiful scenery.

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Bummer about the museum. I didn’t even look at their schedule before suggesting it so I’m sorry.

How about the Lake Champlain Chocolates factory tour, shop, and cafe? They used to have tastings but they are on hold now. You can still see the factory, though.

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A chocolate factory tour sounds wonderful. Thank you.