Stowe

Look up “cute” in the dictionary, and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see a photo of Stowe—not, at least, after you’ve visited the adorable resort village. A bit like Aspen without the attitude, this is mountain living gone upscale: world-class shopping [1], eating [2], and resorts [3] with lots of crisp, fresh air; views of lush green Mount Mansfield in the summer, mind-blowing foliage in the fall, and excellent skiing in the winter.

Founded in 1763, Stowe earned its early living from sawmills and gristmills. But its beautiful setting and alpine climate started drawing tourists during the summer after the Civil War. Three Swedish families first aroused interest in skiing in 1913. A year later, a librarian from Dartmouth College [4] was the first to ski down the sides of Mount Mansfield and tourists began coming during the winter as well. By 1937, ski pioneer Charlie Lord had installed the first ski lift on the mountain, and the modern ski resort was born.

Despite Stowe’s popularity, however, the resort has eschewed the modern trend of building up the base lodge with condos and restaurants, preferring to work with independent businesses in the community instead. For that reason, Stowe still feels like a real community that happens to have a ski resort [3], rather than the other way around.