Where is Stowe Vermont?
Stowe, Vermont is located at the foot of Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak. Stowe is best-known for a hallmark movie experience in the charming downtown. It has the best apple cider, beautiful hiking and biking, incredible restaurants, ski resort at the Lodge at Spruce Peak, and cute bed & breakfast Inn’s. It’s the home of the original Ben & Jerry’s! There’s so much Stowe has to offer, so let’s dive in to the BEST things to do in Stowe, Vermont! 🙂
Best places to stay in Stowe Vermont, or near Stowe?
I’d recommend booking ahead because it does sell out quickly in the town of Stowe! Here are my top recommendations for places to stay in Stowe (be sure to book ahead). If you’re booking for the fall in Stowe, Vermont, plan on the last week of September or the first week of October.
- The Lodge at Spruce Peak (Stowe’s only ski-in and ski-out resort)
- The Butler House (in the heart of downtown Stowe)
- The Green Mountain Inn (free ski shuttles & in heart of downtown Stowe)
Best places to stay near Stowe:
We were unable to stay in Stowe, because we couldn’t find available reservations (we were booking about a week in advance in our trip). We ended up staying 1 night at a bed & breakfast called the Griff Inn, in Waitsfield, Vermont, which is 45 minutes away from Stowe. And we also stayed 2 nights at a condo in Sugarbush Ski Resort, Warren, Vermont, which is 48 minutes away from Stowe.
Best times to visit Stowe?
Stowe is an all-season destination! In the summer, you can enjoy hiking, biking and swimming! In the fall, you can enjoy seasonal leaf-peeping (the best place to see vibrant leaves!). In the winter, enjoy skiing and shoe shoeing at Smugglers Notch and take the Stowe Gondola for a winter snow globe experience! In the spring, you can enjoy fresh maple syrup and wildflowers!
10 Best Things To Do in Stowe, Vermont:
The best things to do in Stowe, Vermont, in my opinion, will be your favorite too! I’m including a variety of activities for all ages including hiking, restaurants, activities, nice walking paths, and the BEST photography places! Not to mention, these are the best places to see fall foliage in Stowe, Vermont!
1. Hike Moss Glen falls | Hiking in Stowe, Vermont
Moss Glen Falls located just outside of Stowe, Vermont is a must-see, easy hike! It’s perfect for a fall day! If you’re visiting Stowe, add this to your bucket-list if you’d like a quick and beautiful hike to see the cascading falls!
I’ve created a Moss Glen Falls hiking trail guide for more details!
Hiking Stats:
Distance: 0.6 miles roundtrip (to the falls and back)
Difficulty: Easy
Length of time: 20 minutes out and back (depending how many times you stop to take photos or break)
Elevation Gain: 150 Ft.
Cliff notes: Parking is right beside the trail head. You’ll follow the easy to see path ahead, and it’ll bring you to the river. You’ll continue to follow the river until you see a fork in the trail. If you go to the left and climb up, it’ll take you to the top of the falls. Bring tennis shoes, the climbing part can be slippery if muddy. If you go to the right of the fork, you’ll follow along the river to the falls and see them from the bottom.
The google maps location can be found here at the address 369-615 Moss Glen Falls Rd, Stowe, VT 05672 and will take you to the trailhead.
2. Stop by the Cold Hollow Cider Mill (best apple cider & cider donuts!)
The Cold Hollow Cider Mill is a must-see if you plan on visiting Stowe, Vermont! This authentic cider press is in action and ready to serve you the best apple cider you’ve ever tasted. I have a full detailed article of the Cold Hollow Cider Mill.
It’s an apple cider farm nestled into the hills of Stowe, Vermont. They specialize in making the best apple cider in Vermont, and the legendary Cider Mill donuts. They also make jams, maple syrup, pies, all kinds of bakery items. They have a hard cider tasting room, where you can taste the best hard ciders!
There is a little cafe on the site, and you can enjoy a nice breakfast or lunch while visiting the cider mill. They have breakfast items, paninis, wraps, salads, sandwiches and soups. For more information visit their website here! You can purchase their products directly online! Everyone can have a taste of the legendary apple cider from the famous apples in Vermont!
The google maps location is here so you can find it easily!
3. Visit the famous “church photography spot”
We searched around a long-time to find this spot. It wasn’t easy to find, so I made it easy for you! It’s called “the Stowe Community Church viewpoint“.
The famous photographed spot of the Stowe Community Church, can be found in a parking lot. We parked behind the church (for free) and walked through downtown Stowe, across the little bridge, and behind the Tangerine & Olive gift shop. If you drive straight there, you’ll have to pay for parking in the little gravel parking lot.
4. Percy’s Corn Maze
The Percy Corn maze is located in the beautiful town of Stowe, Vermont. It’s a fun activity for you, your family, kids of all ages and even your dog! It takes about 30-40 minutes to complete. We made af friend on the trail and started talking, so it took us over an hour! The maze in the fall is one of my top things to do in Stowe, Vermont easily!!
It costs 8 per adult, kids 7 and under are free.
It’s open mid summer to late fall. It’s a must do for the fall 🙂
5. Visit the famous Ben & Jerry’s
The Ben & Jerry’s site is the only factory open to the public. It’s the very FIRST factory, built in 1985. And continues to manufacture 350,000 pints per day while offering fans a sneak peek at their humble beginning!
When we came to this location, it was PACKED. There were like 3-4 bus loads of people and a huge line. I would 100% recommend going early in the morning.
You can book a factory tour at the Ben & Jerry’s original factory!
6. Hike to Bingham Falls in Smugglers Notch State Park | Hiking in Stowe, Vermont
Bingham Falls located in Smugglers Notch State Park. It’s a must-see, easy hike! It’s perfect for a fall day! If you’re visiting Stowe, Vermont, this is one of my top things to do in Stowe!
Quick hiking stats:
Distance: 0.5 miles roundtrip (to the falls and back)
Difficulty: Easy
Length of time: 20 minutes out and back (depending how many times you stop to take photos or break)
Elevation Gain: 157 Ft.
Cliff notes:
Parking is alongside both sides of the road by the trailhead. The trailhead is located right off the main road through Smugglers Notch. Once you park and start down the Bingham Falls trail, you’ll find it’s a flat trail through the trees all the way to the waterfall. You can go to the right and hike down to the base of the falls, and hike along the river there for more cascades.
Bingham falls is located in Smugglers Notch State Park, which is in Stowe, Vermont. Once you enter the state park, you can find the trailhead via Route 108/Mountain Road, 6.4 miles west of the Route 100/108 intersection in Stowe village.
You can find the Google Maps location to the head here!
7. Take a stroll through the downtown of Stowe
Downtown Stowe has so many cute shops to explore and photo opportunities! There’s several restaurants too along this main strip. We parked behind the Stowe Community Church. We walked around the Stowe Recreation Path, and then up around the town over to the church photography viewpoint. We cross this little bridge along the way that was really cute, and definitely a photo opportunity!
8. Walk or bike down the Stowe Recreation Path
The Stowe Recreation Path is a 5.3-mile paved public path that’s free to use and easy to access! It starts in the historic Stowe Village, parking behind the church, and ends at a beautiful covered bridge! Everyone can enjoy scenic views along the mostly flat and level trail. It’s especially gorgeous in the fall. It’s the perfect fall bike ride!
9. Take a Gondola Ride
See Vermont’s greatest views the easy way by taking the Stowe Gondola SkyRide! From the top of Mount Mansfield (Vermont’s highest mountain) you can access the Cliff House restaurant, visit the Summit Retail Gift Shop and enjoy a sweet treat at The Waffle. This is a beautiful way to see fall foliage, snow mountains, and the best views in Smugglers Notch!
You can get your tickets either day of in person or online by visiting their website.
10. Eat at the American Flatbread restaurant
If you’re a pizza lover, you’ll LOVE this wood-fire pizza cooked where you can see it! We sat right by the fire, and it was the perfect ending to a fall day! We got the warm apple cider along with our pizzas and it was wonderful! This is one of the best restaurants in Stowe, Vermont!
3 full day itinerary:
This was the 3 day itinerary that we did on our New England Fall road trip. We flew into Boston, rented a car, and drove straight up to Stowe! This was the first 3 days of our trip! Then we drove to New Hampshire to Crawford Notch in the White Mountains, and then drove to Maine. I hope this 3 day itinerary helps you plan your perfect trip to Stowe, Vermont!
The third day we actually had a FAIL. I didn’t include the “fail” into the itinerary, so I included something else fun to do 🙂
The “fail” was driving to Woodstock to see the “famous Sleepy Hollow Farm”. It is CLOSED to the public as of fall 2023! The road to see the farm is closed by signs and police officers! Everyone should know this, because we were led astray. The Sleepy Hollow Farm is THE most photographed spot in Vermont for the fall foliage. So, now you cannot access it. There were too many tourists blocking the roads, and being disrespectful to the homeowners.
I kept a scenic drive to Woodstock because it’s still really beautiful drive! And there’s cute little mom and pop shops along the way where you can get apple cider, and treats!
Day 1:
Visit the Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Take photos at the famous Community Church viewpoint
Have dinner at American Flatbread
Day 2:
Get up early & take a scenic drive to Woodstock and back
Visit the famous Ben & Jerry’s
Hike Bingham Falls in Smugglers Notch
Have some fun at Percys corn maze
Eat at the Backyard restaurant (you have to have the Speciality tater tots! We got the buffalo chicken tots!) Located in downtown Stowe
Day 3:
Hike to Sterling Pond to Spruce Peak
Take a ride on the Stowe Gondola
Eat a sweet treat at the top of the mountain at the Waffle
Head to downtown Stowe and stroll behind the church on the Stowe Recreation Path
Walk around downtown Stowe for souvenirs
Eat dinner at the restaurant Whip (located in the heart of downtown Stowe)
What should I wear to Stowe?
Since it was the fall of the year, we went the second week of October. It was in the 40’s-60’s, and it rained only a few times. It was a crisp, autumn trip! I like to dress “comfy cute” while traveling. I always brought a rain jacket on hikes, and wore waterproof hiking boots. I also wore my favorite blanket scarf that goes with pretty much any outfit, and it turns into a blanket too! So in cooler restaurants or covering up in the car, it was perfect!
You can find all of my fall outfits by visiting my Like To Know It page! It’s a free app that you download, and go to my profile “AbbyHagen” and shop my looks directly from the photos! It’s SUPER cool!
My photography gear for Stowe:
- Sony ZV-1F Vlog Camera for Content Creators and Vloggers White
- Sony a7 III ILCE7M3/B Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera (base only)
- Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 for Sony Mirrorless Full Frame
- Camera Backpack 17.3 inch (with laptop flap)
- 128 GB memory card SanDisk
- 5 TB external hard drive
Final Conclusions about Stowe..
In my opinion everywhere we went on our fall road trip through New England, Stowe was one of my favorite locations! It offers such a varity of things to do. We enjoy hiking but also doing relaxing and fun activities in each place we visit. We found that Stowe offered that experience for us. Sometimes places only have one or the other.
Be sure to check out the rest of my blogs continuing on our New England Road Trip! After Stowe, we stopped by the Elephant Head hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, then went off to Maine to Acadia National Park and hiked the famous Beehive Loop Trail.
Thanks for reading! 🙂
