DESTINATIONS — THE US
A green and pleasant land
Meera Dattani tours verdant Vermont
real-life ones depicted in the movie The Sound of Music – settled in Vermont. From the balcony of the Trapp Family Lodge, still run by the family, the serene views over the Green Mountains have more than a whiff of Alpine Austria. Verdant sums up Vermont –
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even the name originates from the French les vert monts or the green mountains. And there are few crowds to spoil the scenery. Vermont is the sixth-smallest US state by area and has the second- smallest population, behind Wyoming. The only New England state not on the Atlantic Ocean, it borders New York State, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and the Canadian province, Quebec,
t’s not hard to see why the von Trapps – yes, the
and its highlights include the Green Mountain National Forest, Lake Champlain and a section of the 2,180-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
l THE HILLS ARE ALIVE At the Trapp Family Lodge in the mountain town of Stowe in northern Vermont, it’s about more than The Sound of Music these days, although wall after wall of family photographs and weekly themed tours keep fans happy. After leaving Austria in 1938,
the family toured the US as a singing troupe before settling here in 1942. Initially built for visiting family and friends, the lodge evolved into a fully fledged resort, now run by Johannes, son of Baron and Maria von Trapp, his son Sam and daughter Kristina.
“We opened North America’s first commercial cross-country ski centre in 1968,” says Johannes. There are cycling, hiking and Nordic walking trails, too, plus a spa, tennis courts, bakery and mountain farm. They’re big on activities. In fact, attempts to engage Sam in The Sound of Music trivia are mainly fruitless as he’s more enthusiastic about his pet project, the Trapp Brewery, successfully distracting me with a craft beer-tasting. Stowe is an excellent base, home to ArborTrek Canopy Adventures – Vermont’s first zipline canopy tour – and Smugglers Notch State Park, which has miles of hiking trails snaking through its mountainous scenery. When it comes to luxury accommodation, Stowe
Mountain Lodge sits at the base of Vermont’s highest peak, Mount Mansfield, offering skiing in winter, riding in summer and spa treatments year-round.
l ON THE WATER An abundance of natural beauty makes Vermont dream road trip territory. En route to the jewel in the state’s crown, Lake Champlain, we stop at lakeside university town Burlington. As the state’s most populous town, this is Vermont at its busiest – but it’s still the least-populated largest town of any US state. The main drag, Church Street, sees independent shops ruling over chains and the lively waterfront has restaurants, boat tours and bike paths. On Vermont’s western border, with the Adirondack mountains
27 November 2014 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 69
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