Vermont - Suggestions wanted.

[RESORT2ME Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RESORT2ME]

Old navy buddy would like to visit Vermont. Ok, sounds great to me also.
They are from Mississippi and we have been VA/NC for years... No longer from Michigan.
Winter snow is not wanted. When to visit in Fall (prior to snow)?

From experience, when is the latest we should expect to enjoy up there? I have been reading review and it appears mid-October. Hopfully the leaves will still be there.

I'll be varifying before booking a resort. Need elevator, no stairs. (Four in our 70s)
I'm thinking Smuggler's, east from Burlington... lots of quaint towns, covered bridges.

What is to be seen/ not missed?

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

There are no elevators at Smuggs that I'm aware of. Some units are at parking level, but front desk is not good at being able to tell you what is/isn't - it varies by building. You can ask for an HA unit, that should do the trick. I would agree that shooting for Oct 15th is best bet.

Stowe is another nice town. A few more timeshares there, though I don't know about elevators. Check with Trapp Family Lodge - they are on II, not RCI.

[susieq Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close susieq]

Robert, when we were up at Smuggs, we were in the OAKS bldg., (2 bedrm. unit), the ONLY bldg. with an elevator. We were there ck. in the last wk. in Sept. to the 1st of Oct. ~ leaves were at their peak. I'd be afraid that if you wait 'till 15th, they'll be past. JMHO

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

I think susieq nailed the leaf probability, so unless that's a must see I would suggest early to mid September---great weather and the kids are back in school. Mid-October and later weather can be unpredictable and sometimes hazardous.

[BWolf Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BWolf]

Trapp Family Lodge may be a good choice, but it is expensive if you rent in the Lodge. If you are exchanging thru Interval, you will get a guest house, and all have stairs. However, for a tip, the bellmen at the front door will come and move your luggage in, and out, for you. We did this when my major quad surgery made moving luggage inadvisable.

HTH

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

I apologize in advance to all the Smuggs lovers...but we went to Smuggs last year and didn't love it. People with young children are crazy about it, but I would not recommend it for a group like yours.

The resort is spread out and very hilly. They have shuttle buses, which are great, but you have to wait for them and with physical limitations, it's not so easy to be hopping on and off the bus. The resort's location is isolated. The resort has entertainment, which is nice, but I don't think it's every night of the week. There's very little to do in the immediate area besides outdoor activities like riding, hiking, ziplining, which I gather are not going to be your thing.

The nearest town is Stowe, which is a ski town and surprisingly expensive, and to get there you have to drive through the "notch," a narrow mountain pass. Unpleasant. Plus just getting up to northern Vermont is a long, long drive from us in northern NJ--from Virginia, you'd better be very very fond of driving.

How about something in the southern part of the state? Or how about the Berkshires? Oak n Spruce is very well located and it really IS surrounded by quaint little towns.

[susieq Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close susieq]

Wackymother is right ~ we weren't real impressed with Smuggs. The Oaks bldg. which I mentioned, is right across the parking lot from check in, right near the entrance ~ and at the bottom of the hill. The Shuttles weren't running when we went ~ I think they stop Labor Day. We hunted lots of Covered Bridges, went to Ben & Jerry's, Cabot Cheese Store, and a little Cider Store on the same route, (Did I say little?? - it had more than a farmer's market!!) When we went out to the Berkshires, (western Mass), we stayed at Vacation Village, I don't think there were elevators there tho. But it is an interesting area ~ lots of small towns.

[RESORT2ME Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RESORT2ME]

SMUGGS elevator and views

Robert, when we were up at Smuggs, we were in the OAKS bldg., (2 bedrm. unit), the ONLY bldg. with an elevator. We were there ck. in the last wk. in Sept. to the 1st of Oct. ~ leaves were at their peak. I'd be afraid that if you wait 'till 15th, they'll be past. JMHO

OAKS bldg... if we are up, are there better views that can not be seen from lower level of that or other buildings? I notice when looking thru pictures, I can't tell if the shots are from UP, so wonder as to advantage to being UP (off ground floor).

Last week of Sep or 1st week of Oct, did you experience much rain and mud? One review mentioned parking lot wasn't even graveled. We can take mud, but just want to know so as to share info with our friends.

The last week of Sep or 1st week of Oct, should we expect crowds at Smuggs or Stowe?

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

OAKS bldg... if we are up, are there better views that can not be seen from lower level of that or other buildings? I notice when looking thru pictures, I can't tell if the shots are from UP, so wonder as to advantage to being UP (off ground floor).

Last week of Sep or 1st week of Oct, did you experience much rain and mud? One review mentioned parking lot wasn't even graveled. We can take mud, but just want to know so as to share info with our friends.

The last week of Sep or 1st week of Oct, should we expect crowds at Smuggs or Stowe?

I would not expect crowds. Smuggs is generally a family oriented destination and most activities are suspended if not prime summer or winter. Stowe is primarily a ski destination. There will be leaf peepers about, but it's a long way for most peepers to drive.

[susieq Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close susieq]

There weren't too many crowds anywhere, kids are all back in school then, so not too bad. You will be competing with the leaf peeping crowd, but not really a lot. FWIW, there were very few kids at Smuggs then, mostly adults. Our unit was on 2nd floor, (remember elevators), and the view out the windows was like the upper 1/4 of trees ~ so we could see lots of color right out the window, the lower units, although convenient, were ground level. I think the review you read about the parking lot was mine. We arrived in the rain, (not really raining ~ more of a heavy mist), and expected a paved parking lot, what we got was muddy gravel. That was the only rainy day though. I'm not quite sure how to add pictures, so you'll have to click on the links below. If I can help with anything else, just ask..........


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