3 days in Vermont with young children
 

We are going to be in New Hampshire/Vermont for 4 days in the middle of June. We will be travelling with our 6, 4 and 1 1/2 year old. We enjoy outdoor stuff, but can't do strenuous hikes because of the kids. We also enjoy museums, farms, factory tours and hiking. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding a fun itinerary and where to stay? Anybody stayed on a farm? Anybody stayed in Stowe? Any suggestions would be great.

Stowe is wonderful but maybe a little too far north although on the way after you go thru Montpelier you'll come across fun things like Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory tour. There's Vermont Teddy Bear near Burlington.
OTH in NH there is Charming Fare farm in Candia (near Manchester) that now has a lot of wild animals as well as your typical farm animals. I've heard a lot of good things about their themed hayrides. You could also visit the Clydesdales at Anheiser Busch Brewery in Merrimack (near Manchester). Further north there is the very popular Storyland in Glen NH (just north of North Conway) in the White Mountains. Depending on when you come you can check the calendar of events at places like the Science Center in Holderness, Remick Farm Museum in Tamworth and NH Farm Museum in Milton and Canterbury Shaker Village in Canterbury (just north of Concord). There's a childrens museum in Portsmouth NH plus the Science Center at Odiorn Point where they can touch sea creatures. I would be tempted to choose the lakes region/mountains for mid-June because the lupines will be blooming. A visit to Polly's Pancake Parlor is esp scenic that time of year. There are plenty of short hikes in the region. One of our favorite areas is Center Sandwich/Tamworth which is near Lake Winnipesaukee. Driving back roads you just might see a bear. Someplace in the Meredith, Moultonborough, Center Harbor area would be on Lake W but convenient to the mountains but staying in the Glen area would be good too. There are plenty of ski condo options which would be great for a family.

In the Woodstock area:

Billings Farm and Museum

Queechee glass artisan demos (and restaurants)

St. Gaudens Historic site

Enjoy!

Stowe would be a great place to stay. You can visit the Ben & Jerry's factory and Cold Hollow Cider Mill in nearby Waterbury. You could drive over to the Burlington are and visit the Vermont Teddy Bear FActory in Shelburne and the ECHO Center on the Burlington Waterfront. For the adults, you could visit the Magic Hat Brewery. From Stowe, you could drive through Smuggler's Notch. You kids will be facinated by the drive. Take the gondola up Mount Mansfield - doesnt take you to the summit though. Or you could drive up the toll road.
From Stowe you could also drive over to Cabot to the cheese factory and take the tour there.
Hope this helps!

Shelburne museums are great for kids and grown ups.Paul

We had a nice stay at Smugglers Notch. We dont' usually do stuff like this, but we were there for 3 days and the kids went to their camp for 2 half days and really enjoyed it. Smugglers has nice pools with water slides. There is also a small pond with a dock floating in the middle. Attached is a rope ladder for the kids to climb up and if they get to the top they can ring a cow bell. This kept them occupied for a long time, b/c it was hard climbing that rope to the top.

On the way to Smugglers, we stopped at the Ben and Jerry factory. Yummmmm.

Many years ago, we stayed at a beautiful Vermont farm with our children.It was tucked away on a dirt road, and was a vacation we'll never forget. The place was Harvey's Mountain View in Rochester Vt. I think it's still there. There are plenty of other Farm b&b's in both states. As for things to do with kids, Billings farm Museum just outside Woodstock Vt. is a must, as is Ben and Jerry's. The Shelburne Farm (not to be confused with Shelburne Museum) is also a great place for kids. A ride across Lake Champlain on the ferry is another fun thing to do. On the New Hampshire side of the river, there are many options for children, like Santa's Village, Storyland, Clark's Trading Post, etc. There are also many walks and small hikes in both states that would be suitable for children, like the trails at the Rockefeller Estate across the road from Billing's Farm.
One word of warning: mid June is the peak of blackfly season up here, and with all the rain we've had they are out in force this year. If you walk thru any rural wooded area, you're sure to encounter them.

Nordic village in Lincoln NH is great with kids your ages. So close to StoryLand plus it has lots of family activities of its own including cute little row boats for a tiny pond, family sing a longs around a bonfire etc.

Also love Stowe, the Golden Eagle resort there worked well for my family when the were your childrens ages.

Very happy memories for my family in both of those places.