Our family getaway to Smuggler’s Notch Resort was one of the best family vacations we ever had. Smugglers’ Notch is a unique family resort with a commitment to make your family stay the vacation of a lifetime and they sure deliver. The notch separates Mount Mansfield, the highest peak of the Green Mountains, from Spruce Peak and the Sterling Range. Most of the notch is in Mount Mansfield State Forest. Smuggs, as it is affectionately called, is located in Jeffersonville, Vermont and the scenery to get there from Connecticut gave us every opportunity to slow down and take in the beauty of New England in any season.
We planned a stop for lunch and Ascutney Market was Yelp recommendation. It’s amazing the people you meet on a trip and that’s our favorite part of any trip. A professional cyclist we met at the market happens to be from Connecticut and couldn’t stop talking about Mt Ascutney State Park and the adventure enthusiasts that we are took him at his word. Having lunch in the top of the mountain with the view spreading all around us was the stop we needed before continuing to Smuggs. Mount Ascutney State Park is one of the first Vermont State Parks. Vermont’s, and possibly America’s, first organized mountain-hiking trail was cut through its forests in 1825.
After lunch we made our way to the resort and we knew our family getaway to Smuggler’s Notch Resort was off to a wonderful start when it kicked off with a burst of vibrant colors in the most breathtaking nature spread and skyscape imaginable. The check-in process was smooth and we made our way through the village to our lodging. We felt like we were right at home when we stepped in our condo and our girls’ excitement and energy were the perfect way to kick off our weekend getaway.
Smuggs lodging is right in the heart of the Green Mountain State with fully equipped kitchen and in-home or in-building access to laundry facilities. You will feel right at home when you book your own family vacation and with Fall in the air, you will fall in love with all the amenities in the cozy, convenient, family-style lodging.
When we go on vacation, food is a very essential part of our everyday and Smuggler’s Notch makes dining very convenient with your choice of great dining right there at the resort or outside. Breakfast for us is one of the most important meals and the same goes for lunch and dinner. Upon our arrival on Thursday afternoon, we opted for pizza from the Village Pizzeria to take it easy and recharge from the drive. Friday was all about exploring Smuggler’s Notch so we stayed on premises the entire day. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast at Mountain Grille, lunch at Refuel Cafe and had a memorable dining experience at The Hearth and Candle.
The resort has shuttle buses available for guests and the driver that drove us back to our lodging that Friday night happened to be from Connecticut and currently living in Vermont. He recommended Brewster River Pub as a place to eat and we took him at his word. It was exactly what we needed for our family getaway to Smuggler’s Notch Resort last dining experience. We knew our visit to Vermont will not be complete without a taste of Ben and Jerrys ice cream served right at the resort. Being able to still have our Saturday Sweets tradition was the cherry on top for our girls.
Family is everything for me and we experienced that commitment of bringing family together in our family getaway to Smuggler’s Notch Resort. Before we arrived at Smuggs we consulted the Resort Information Guide to get an idea of the family activities we wanted to explore together and after going over the variety of fun activities listed, there’s no doubt why Smuggler’s Notch is America’s Family Resort.
Every night of the week we enjoyed fun family activities like listening to a live band before dinner while overlooking the gorgeous sunset and mountains all around us. We attended Smuggs own version of Family Feud and we had a fun time laughing and battling other families. There’s definitely plenty to do for families, children’s program during the day, teen activities at night and adults get to have fun also.
Our family getaway to Smuggler’s Notch Resort is one getaway with memories that will stay with us for years to come, especially when Babygirl turned into a confident swimmer after tons of time in the pool and ending our stay with the splashy fun Family Dive-In Movie was enough to feel the #smuggslove and connect as a family. Stay tuned for another blog post sharing about more of our family adventures and activities because being an active family who loves the outdoors, Smuggs delivered in the most amazing way that it will take another post to share with you.
