Funky Fun Frolic

As readers of this blog may already know, we planned a(nother) getaway to celebrate the 24th anniversary of our first date. Unlike that many years ago experience in our native NJ, this time we celebrated in New England, specifically VT.

Despite our fondness for lodgings in a castle-like or former mansion B&B, we stayed in a former ski lodge, later an English Tudor Inn, which has reverted to a ski lodge with a fun modern motif. 

The Field Guide Lodge foregoes traditional design for a funky, colorful atmosphere. It's on a small hill on Mountain Ave in Stowe, VT, and definitely unlike the previous lodging at the site. It's ultra-modern, yet casual and comfortable. This visit was definitely modern New England ski-type lodge in a stylish, fun, and relaxed hotel, ideal for those who, like us, enjoy more than a B&B experience, but less than a traditional resort.

There wasn't any history about the former ski lodge (Sans Souci), but there were a number of online photos that showed exterior and interior views of the most recent previous lodging, called Ye Olde England Inne. As seen in online photos it heavily featured lots of dark browns in its decor. The former ski lodge was purchased in 1983 by a British couple vacationing in VT and renovated into a classic English Tudor style inn with dark wood moldings and paintings of equestrian scenes, dogs and aristocrats. An in-house restaurant/pub was called Mr. Pickwick’s. This English-themed inn was foreclosed in 2014 with an assessed value of $1.6 million. 

Purchased by a developer for $800,000, Lark Hotels later contracted to buy the property for $1.1 million and by late 2015 completed a $2.5 million overhaul. The Lark Hotels group has lodgings in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Most recently we stayed at the Hotel Portsmouth (NH). Because we liked our stay there, we sought out this hotel. (The veterans military discount and discount card we received from our previous stay were also incentives.)

The 2.5-acre Field Guide Lodge property has guest rooms and suites, a restaurant and bar (now vacant), a whirlpool, covered deck, pavilion and outdoor pool. 

Main desk and lobby of Field Guide Lodge

Orange is the color of choice

The Field Guide Lodge is a bright, contemporary space that was noticeable from the moment we entered the lobby. There was a lot of fuzzy rugs and pillows, artisan furniture, wooden beams, a rack with vintage field magazines, tree stump tables, and bold colors mostly burnt orange and mossy green. We learned these are the signature colors (as if it wasn’t too obvious). 

Lobby decor of Field Guide Lodge

Seating areas in main lobby of Field Guide Lodge

There's also high-tech amenities including bathrooms with soaking tubs, flat screen TVs with Apple TV, iPads in each guest room, seasonal pool, year-round outdoor hot tub. Its ultra-modern, yet casual and comfortable. The 30 rooms and suites are decorated with contemporary furnishings and fabrics and playful accents, like cardboard animal heads, photos of skiers and birds (larks) in the woodsy wallpaper. 

The Field House which includes suites of the Field Guide Lodge

We readily accepted an upgrade to a suite in the Field House which included a sitting room with gas fireplace (which we enjoyed one rainy eve while enjoying vintage Hitchcock films), a private deck, oversize soaking tub, and valley and mountain views.

Decor in the Field House suite

One drawback was that an onsite popular, casual eatery known as the Picnic Social was no longer operational. We heard that it was a fun, upscale, casual eatery with outdoor picnic tables on a covered deck. It closed in early 2018 (not COVID related). We were told that plans are underway to reopen a dining area at a TBD future date.

Tables and seating areas in closed Social Picnic restaurant

Once upon a time, breakfast had been served in this defunct restaurant. Now it’s bag & go with a selection of assorted breakfast items available daily in pre-packaged containers. However, this wasn't a below-average selection of packaged goods. We enjoyed raspberry scones, lemon-poppyseed muffins, yogurt and fruit, and deviled eggs and salad. And, we didn't have to go anywhere as tables were available for dining in.

Onion rings & burgers at the Sunset Grill, Stowe, VT

Since this was our anniversary celebration, we wanted to recreate the lunch enjoyed on our first date—burgers and onion rings. After asking at the lodge for a place that served both, we were directed to the Sunset Grill. (This meal was lunch and dinner.)

Our main activity during this getaway was walking in and around downtown Stowe, which we've visited before, along with a road trip to neighboring Waterbury, VT. Stowe is noted for things related to sports and the great outdoors. We saw more cyclists during our short stay here than we've seen in weeks in Nashua, NH.

Stowe (VT) Recreation Path

View of downtown Stowe from Recreation Path

A major Stowe attraction, which is also free, is the 5.3-mile long paved Stowe Recreation Path. It’s open to all age groups for walking, biking, and even snowshoeing in winter. The path crosses over creeks where people can fish (or swim) and offers views of Mt. Mansfield (highest VT) mountain and downtown Stowe.

Part of this walkway called the Quiet Path connects to the Recreation Path. What’s unique about this path compared to the longer Recreation Path is that it's for joggers and walkers only with posted signage to that effect (although we did spot a couple of cyclists).

Little River view from Quiet Path walk

It’s natural surface vs. pavement and winds along the West branch of Little River. The 1.8-mile long path has a lot of interpretive signs and benches to sit and enjoy the views or a picnic lunch.

Grenville met a friendly bear

The hand-carved bench was very unique

What’s unique about the Quiet Path compared to the longer Recreation Path is that this part of the path is for joggers and walkers only with posted signage that no cycles are allowed (although we did spot a couple). Also, unlike the Recreation Path, which requires that dogs be leashed, here they can run free with an owner in attendance. We saw many dogs frolicking in the fields with their doggie friends and owners chatting close by.

In the mid 1870s, the land was agricultural and the farmland was owned by Orlando J. Benson. He had 160 acres of land, with 50 acres of pasture, 30 cows and a sugar orchard. The Mayo family bought the farm in 1925 and it was used primarily for dairy farming until 1986 when pigs continued to be raised there. 

Most predominant wildflowers along our walk

Stowe townspeople heard of possible development plans that included condominiums, a golf course or a commercial horse farm. In 1989, town voters approved buying the 235-acre property, in an effort spearheaded by the newly formed Stowe Land Trust which purchased the Mayo Farm and transferred it to the Town of Stowe. At the time, it was the single largest parcel of land ever purchased solely by a Vermont municipality for conservation and agricultural purposes. 

A plan to develop the Stowe Recreation Path started when traffic on Mountain Road, one of the town's main roadways, became so congested. Pedestrians and bikers were endangered by the vehicles and had to curtail walking and cycling activities. 

At the start, about two and a half miles of the path were paved, along with 16 bridges. Most of the land was donated to allow the construction of the path. Soon, the path became so popular that an extension was planned and later another 2.6 miles were added to it along with four more bridges.

The property is open to the general public for all types of outdoor recreation. Some crops, primarily corn, are still grown in the fields. Public access is sometimes limited or prohibited when agricultural practices, such as harvesting, are being done.

Maple creemees in downtown Stowe (VT)

After walking, we headed downtown to Stowe Mercantile for a treat (after all, this was our celebration road trip). Shown above is our choice of a maple creemee, a swirling tower of maple-flavored soft serve atop a sugar cone, known as soft serve ice cream anywhere other than Vermont.  Why? Because years ago, Vermont ice cream was made with a higher butterfat content than run-of-the-mill soft serve so it was creamier in texture and richer in flavor, and so creemee comes from creamy.

Just to make a couple of New Jersey natives feel at home in New England, we spotted this license plate, which goes to further support that there's always a Jersey connection!