My wife and I are staying in the Stowe/Waterbury area in early October and wanted to get recommendations on any or all of the following: 1) best places to watch the sunset; 2) easy hikes; 3) best views; 4) best side/road trips within about an hour's drive; 5) best places to eat a fancy dinner; 6) best places for a more casual meal; and 7) anything else we shouldn't miss. Thanks!

www.gostowe.com should yield a lot of information in fact you can even view restauaunt menus on this site. Also you can view a list of local events.

I have been told that the breakfast at The Gables is nice.
We had great wood fired pizza at a place opposite the golden eagle resort (Eat in/take away) nice casual place. I can't remember the name, sorry

If you are considering staying at The Golden Eagle Resort - Bear in mind that although they do not make this public it doubles up as the local (Indoor) swimming pool/health club - many local people buy memberships so often the pool (It is not that large) and whirlpool is over run with non residents - especially children after school.

1)Sunset: Drive over to Burlington and watch the sun set from UVM's campus or from Overlook park in South Burlington (on Spear St).
2)easy hikes: Mount Mansfield has a good trail network. Also go up to Lake Mansfield and walk around the lake.
3)Best views: Top of Mount Mansfield. View from the Trapp Family Lodge.
4)Side trips: Burlington-Great small city. Montpelier-the state capital.
5)Fancy dinner-can't really help you there.
6)casual: The Shed
7)Be sure to drive through Smuggler's Notch. Also, if you like ice cream, be sure to stop at Ben & Jerry's in Waterbury,a few minutes south of Stowe.

Brian,

If you are going to Burlington, don't miss Shelburne, both the museum and farm. It's really great. One ticket is valid for 2 days (or at least it was when I was there)! Also, if you are driving up from Boston, check out the Shaker Village at Canterbury. It's well worth a stop.

As I am writing this I am just remembering my holiday there. I spent about 10 days in Waterbury and used it as a base for seeing most of Vermont. We did a lot of driving but we got to see everything we wanted. If you are planning on doing a fair amount of sightseeing, I would advise actually staying in Waterbury rather than Stowe. Stowe is lovely and a great place to visit, but I know that after 10 days in the area we got fed up of the drive up to and from Stowe. I am sure others will disagree, but that's just my opinion.

Have a great trip.

Laura

I can highly recommend Ten Acres Lodge for a "fancy" meal. Beautiful intimate surroundings, creative and talented chef, great wine list. It's just outside of town on the way to the Trapp Family Lodge.

For fancy meals, I would recommend looking into the restaurants operated by the New England Culinary Inst.

Inn at Essex a few miles out of Burlington has a great restaurant and there are several others in Burlington & Montpelier.

Not sure if this is the same pizza place referred to above but our favorite meal was at "Pie in the Sky" Pizza. It was wonderful! We really enjoyed renting bicycles and biking down the scenic recreational path that follows along the river.

Yes Debbie you are right it was Pie in the sky. Great Pizza!
And I agree totally that the rec path is worth a visit. There are several places that will hire out bikes at very resonable prices - you can find details on www.gostowe.com

Ye Olde England Inne in Stowe is wonderful. You can stay in the original inne or in Bluff House their new building with suites. Breakfast is included and is great. They have an olde
English Pub style restaurant and the food is excellent. If you are there on a Friday or Saturday night drive down to Waitsfield to American Flatbreads for dinner. The make all their own flour, toppings etc. and cook it in a stone oven right in the room you eat. Really different and excellent. If you are going in October, you must have reservations early as it is foliage season.

Here's another endorsement for Pie in the Sky - we loved it. As a fanily, we enjoyed staying at the Golden Eagle also. No problem with crowded pools in Aug. The room was nice, very clean and well furnished. Also had dinner at the Shed - wasn't thrilled with food or service but it may have been us (we were tired and a little cranky - they were slow and understaffed.) The rec path was really fun. We biked but lots of walkers and roller bladers too.

As a couple we've enjoyed staying at the Trapp Family Lodge. Very nice dining, beautiful room, great views. There are also easy hikes in the hills behind the Lodge - one leads up to a tiny chapel.

Ben & Jerry's is a short drive - the tour is pretty lame but the ice cream is good. Cider Hollow Farm (?) was an interesting stop also. They make apple cider, cider doughnuts and have a large giftshop.

You can ride the gondola to the top of Mt. Mansfield. That will give you a great view.

Have a great time.