Get Outta Town: Plan a Winter Getaway to Windsor County and Stowe, Vermont

The barn at Edson Hill inn in Stowe; a winter view of Edson Hill Inn; the inn’s scenic dining room; the Vermont Country Store in Weston; von Trapp Brewery in Stowe. photography courtesy of Edson Hill Inn.

While we wait for substantial snow to fall in Rhode Island, take a trip north where life is like living in a Norman Rockwell painting. The town of Weston, Vermont, is about three hours from Providence, and a quick drive to winter sports outings at Okemo Mountain in nearby Ludlow. The snow-covered town of Weston delivers a quaint Christmas village atmosphere for a winter getaway. 

In town, there’s the famous Vermont Country Store with rooms of candy, locally made food products, linens, kitchen tools, clothing and toys. During a tour, we learned that the throwback shop originated from a popular 1946 catalog (the original online shopping!) that sold locally made products. Guests walk through themed rooms and go back in time while browsing a museum-like display of antiques, including sleds, cameras, artwork, signs and more. Across the street is the Weston Village Store, with even more Vermont cheese, fudge, maple syrup, candles and more for sale, as well as the holly-bedecked Weston Village Christmas Shop, open all year, with the most charming holiday decor and handcrafted items.

Whether you choose to stay at the Inn at Weston, rent an Airbnb or hunker down closer to snow sports in Ludlow at the upscale, retro-style motor inn Main and Mountain (complete with a Miracle on Main Street-themed cocktail bar), there are plenty of places to stop and eat. Ludlow’s Gamebird features a retro arcade with skee ball and Pac-Man video games alongside a menu of family-style fried chicken with all the sides. Outer Limits Brewery cranks out wood-fired pizzas (Try the Vermonster with Vermont cheddar, apples, maple bacon and maple syrup) alongside craft brews. Don’t miss stocking up on smoked meats at Singleton’s General Store — which also features great stacked sandwiches — in nearby Proctorsville. 

The Vermont Country Store in Weston. Photography via Getty Images/Kirkikis.

Explore the further northern regions of Vermont and its frothy craft beer offerings by heading two hours north to Stowe. Known for incredible skiing at Smugglers’ Notch, the town is also synonymous with breweries like the Alchemist, von Trapp Brewing and Idletyme, as well as hard cider at Stowe Cider. Check into the Edson Hill Inn, a beautifully restored farm property with a rustic, red-roofed barn, farmhouse-style guest houses and luxury suites set back in the quiet snow-laced woods. The boutique inn’s cozy rooms are each decorated in different mountain themes — some have deep soaking tubs, reading nooks or fireplaces with views — with more upscale suites inside the inn.

Von Trapp Brewing: Amber Osgood.

The Edson Hill dining room overlooks the frozen pond, snow-covered hills and barn. Hearty dishes like steak frites and comfort food-worthy pastas are on the menu for dinner, or wake up to shakshuka and thick slices of French toast for brunch. Bring your big appetite to fuel up for a day exploring the breweries or sliding down the slopes. When it’s time to check out, plan a return trip in the summer when Vermont’s snow-capped mountains come alive again and it lives up to its name as the Green Mountain State.

Vermont maple syrup: Getty Images/Alexander Grablewski.

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