My husband and I are considering visiting either and possibly both Maine and Vermont after Christmas. We have never been to either and although we do not ski (Vermont) we are still interested in visiting. We had thought about possibly Portland, Maine and Killington, Vermont. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If you don't ski, I wouldnt go to Killington VT. It's just a big ski resort. Consider Woodstock (near Killington) or Stowe VT (a great town in addition to the skiing). Woodstock and Stowe are both tourist oriented towns so there are plenty of great Inns/B&Bs, restaurants etc. Try www.gostowe.com for infor on Stowe. Gotta put a plug in here for skiing...if you've never tried it, you should. It's a great sport. When in Rome...right?!
Portland Maine is a great small city with excellent restaurants and shops.

ttt

I agree that Killington would not be the best destination for non skiiers - very commercial, lots of pub & grub type places. There are some absolutely beautiful villages in Vermont (and New Hampshire!), such as Woodstock Vt, Jackson NH, Stowe Vt, etc. Portland Maine is also lots of fun, but it's more of a city location, if that's what you want.

Thanks for your responses. I actually would love trying to ski but first they need to invent a better way for me to get up the mountain. Having a major fear of open air heights makes the ski lift an unpleasant thought for me. I really appreciate the help.

Amanda,
Don't give up on skiing!

Your first lift will be a rope tow...your feet never leave the ground!

Stay on the bunny slope, then graduate to the enclosed gondola...At many areas, there's a green (easy) trail down.

And forget Killington...zoo city whether you ski or not.

Another note to consider, East-West travel across the Green and White mountains is not very easy. You might consider the Eastern White Mountains...Jackson, Intervale, N. Conway for your mountain stay.

I wouldn't visit either place unless you don't get to see snow or you love to see. Maine is so much better int he summer time, fresh seafood, all the shops open, quaint litle towns. Not many people left when the season ends (usually about Columbus Day)

Well since I live in Atlanta, I do not see much, if any, snow so that was one of the reasons for going during this time. Since my husband is a teacher and a coach, travel time is usually only during the Holidays and one scant week during the off week (football off week) in the summer.

What exactly is a rope tow?

I don't know much about Vermont but I live in the Portland area and as someone said, Portland is a great little city. Although the more summer communities (Ogunquit, Kennebunkport) are pretty quiet in the winter, Portland is alive and kicking year round.(with lots of great restaurants, theater, museums, shopping). You can be at a small ski area (Lost Valley) in a half hour or so. Two very major ones, Sunday River and Sugarloaf are maybe 90 minutes away. A rope tow is a way of getting up the hill (note I said hill and not mountain...) without having to take your feet off the ground. Think of it as an automated thick clothesline! You just walk up to it, grab on, and up it pulls you. The only thing is, they are hard to come by these days with all the high tech chairlifts. You'll probably need to do some checking around the various places to see if any still have rope tows.

Amanda,
Deb's description covers it. A rope tow is typically found in the learner's area...it pulls you up a very gentle slope. Once you have gotten comfortable on the gentle slope, you'll be ready for steeper terrain. If you get to that point, you will make a decision..."Is this so much fun that I'm willing to get into an open air chair lift?"
Remember that these chairs have safety bars in the front that keep you from falling out. The only way you will fall out of a chair is if you jump out. And, on beginner terrain, you probably won't be far off the ground.

Do consider trying out skiing. I never did at all until two years ago (when I was 40), and now I can't get enough of it.

Most places, the beginner slopes have tow ropes or some tiny seat-thing that won't scare you. Most places, you don't have to buy a lift ticket to get access to the beginner slopes (inquire beforehand). You just have to rent the skis and boots, and maybe buy a lesson, and you could have a hoot of a day.