Situated at the foot of Mount Mansfield, Smuggs (as it is fondly called) is located on Route 108 between Stowe and Jeffersonville.  The drive through the historic and beautiful Smugglers’ Notch Pass and arrived at Smuggs on a sunny day and immediately noticed the breathtaking views of the mountains. Upon arrival we were welcomed by friendly staff and immediately felt like part of the Smuggs family.  The first thing we noticed is that kids were everywhere — running, jumping, laughing and enjoying fun in the outdoors.

 

There are so many activities available at Smuggler’s Notch, you would have to stay the entire summer to take advantage of them all.  There is truly something for everyone!  Between the children’s programs, guided hikes and “wikes” (a cross between a walk and a hike), the nature center, eight heated pools, waterslides, splash pools, a driving range, splash parties, bonfire sing-alongs, fishing, biking, climbing and the first of its kind canopy tour in Vermont, enjoying the outdoors is what it’s all about at this resort!  You can opt to spend the entire time together as a family and enjoy the numerous activities geared towards families or can enjoy time separately and take advantage of the many kid and adult oriented activities and camps.

 

We registered our daughter for three-days of the Trail Blazers camp.  It is Smugg’s version of summer camp — but this is no typical summer camp.  Hands down, it offers the most unique programs and activities I have ever seen or experienced and much is focused on nature and the outdoors.  The Trail Blazers are encouraged to appreciate nature through nature related games, arts and crafts, nature observations with simple gear such as nets and magnifying glasses, and easy hikes through forests and fields.  Not knowing whether Beaner would actually go to camp without crying or wanting to leave early, we quickly learned she was just fine and too busy having fun to even give her parents a second thought.  At the end of the day she raved about how much fun she had how her counselor was so terrific.  To this day, she still talks about her.  Her only complaint was that she was stuck in the kiddie pool with the non or beginning swimmers, even though she could swim.  This was a bummer and I tried to arrange for her to have access to the larger pool, but that would have a required her to be with a different age group.  She managed to have fun on the slides in the waterfalls, and  the time spent swimming was a small portion of the overall day and experience.  In the end, she had so much fun, she requested to attend camp for an additional day.

 

 

While our daughter was at day camp, we took advantage of some of the other family oriented activities like the Bears and Berries wike (a walk plus hike) and the Family Ties River Walk.  Both were fun and educational and I was impressed by the knowledge of the trip leaders.

 

You can spend a lot of time late afternoons at the various pools, which were never overcrowded and situated in beautiful settings.  We spent hours enjoying the water and the pleasant atmosphere.  One thing we learned was that late afternoons were often interrupted with thunderstorms, which caused a bit of chaos when the lifeguards had to clear the pools.  However, I appreciated their concern for safety and after calling for a ride, we were always driven back to our condo, where we would safely sit on the covered porch and watch the amazing site of downpours and lightening in the mountains.

 

We also enjoyed the resort’s nature center and interpretive paths through the different areas of the resort that explained its efforts to be eco-friendly.  I was impressed by how the management and employees are committed to being responsible stewards of Vermont’s natural resources. The resort is home to Bicknell’s Thrush, a species of special concern in Vermont, black bear and an abundance of other fish and wildlife species.  Its habitat, wetlands and natural vegetation are managed with concern for creating a landscape that meets both the needs of the resort and its guests, as well as nature.

 

The property is huge and driving your vehicle is cumbersome.  The resort encourages use of its free on-demand shuttle service to get from place.  Another options is to walk, which is great exercise, but can be tough little kids.

 

Overall, our stay at Smuggler’s Notch was fun, relaxing and memorable.  If the goal of your family summer  vacation is to connect with nature and have lots of good, old-fashioned family fun with many options for  activities, then Smuggler’s Notch should be on your list of resorts to visit.