Expert: David Beckett - 1/1/2006

Question
We live in Atlanta, GA and are looking for a weekend get-a-way.  It has been over 8 years since we've had snow, and our daughter, age 5, has never seen more than a brief flurry.  We would like to fly into Burlington.  From there, I need some help.  I would love a lodge or inn-off the beaten path.  We are used to at min " a holiday in type stay" and hopefully a very nice "Bob Newhart" experience.  Can you recommend a few places to stay that are not "national chains."  If you have some time, some additional recommendations would be great.  I really appreciate it and happy new year!

Answer
Andrea -

Please feel free to let me know what other questions you have. I'm at 1 802 264 1888. If you don't catch me, please leave me a number and a good time to reach you. I'm also at david@askDavidBeckett.com !

I'll try to give you a variety of places to stay in and around Burlington. But first, some ideas about the whole trip if I may:

Flying in to Burlington makes a lot of sense. The Sheraton Burlington is quite lovely and has a nice Restaurant and Pool which your daughter would enjoy. It's a very nice place to stay and would be somewhat entertaining itself. Staying there also would be extremely convenient, because even though you'd want a drive into the country (see below) you'd be a very short drive from Downtown Burlington. Why would you care about Downtown Burlington? Well, first of all, Burlington has a gorgeous old fashioned main street, known as The Church Street Marketplace. The main street (Church Street) has a mixture of independently owned shops, restaurants, cafes and boutiques - as well as quite a few national stores. All of this is on a pedestrian-only street. From there it's possible (although perhaps not ideal for 5 year old legs) to walk right down to the Waterfront Park with it's wonderful new ECHO Center - An interactive hands-on children's science museum! You'll ALL really enjoy that! The ECHO Center is right on the water and has a nice little restaurant/cafe with a lake view. You're right at the waterfront which is gorgeous. I like to walk down there and watch the Ducks and see the frozen shoreline myself. There's a huge boardwalk and bikepath and series of parks with a sculpture garden and floating municipal boathouse/restaurant etc etc. Downtown Burlington has won countless awards like The Great American Main Street Award etc, for it's human scale and friendliness to pedestrians and so on.

Even though you're coming to see the countryside, since you're flying into Burlington, I can't recommend The ECHO Center and Church Street Marketplace highly enough...

But you want to go see the country. I'd suggest a drive to the town of Stowe VT. It's just the sort of place you're picturing, I believe. You'd get there by driving 30 minutes from Burlington on Interstate 89 until you get to Waterbury VT (heck - there's even a Holiday Inn in Waterbury, as well as a number of B&B's) and taking a left onto Route 100. You'll want to stop in Waterbury Center at Ben and Jerry's factory for a quick tour, and The Cold Hollow Cider Mill 5 minutes down the road to Stowe. Cold Hollow has every VT product and is a must for a hot mulled cider and a tour! They have an amazing old cider press there. When you get to Stowe, you'll find it a vibrant little town with all sorts of things to do. Ask where The Stowe Rec Path is and you'll find a gorgeous walking trail with little footbridges and views galore. Depending on the weather this will be a terrific place to go for a little walk and enjoy the snow. Then drive right up The Mountain Road, you'll be at the Stowe Mount Mansfield ski area and be able to get a look at the Ski area and Mt Mansfield itself.       


www.langhouse.com
right in Burlington ...and lovely.

www.sheratonburlington.com
in between the airport and Burlington

http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/BTVBU/main.wnt
Another terrific place to stay. Right on the waterfront and a very short walk to The ECHO center children's science museum AND The Church Street Marketplace.

www.vtcomfortinnburlington.com
where my parents stay when they come to VT

www.trappfamily.com/
One of the nicest places in VT. They made a movie about the family called The Sound Of Music.

http://www.echovermont.org/visit/destination.html
The Childrens Science Museum and some Burlington photos and links

http://www.enjoyburlington.com/

http://www.ci.burlington.vt.us/

I hope this helps!
David Beckett