Smuggs' Family Fun!

Try to be involved with some of the planned activities - they're a lot of fun and they're listed in the RIG resort guide you get at check-in. Don't miss the Torchlight Parade and following fireworks on Thursday night. It is very special but very short in duration - try to be early. Things do start on time around there. Also, for kids in camps, the "cookie races" are earlier on Thursday, and parents can watch kids perform a very short, easy slalom and get a cookie at the bottom.

The evening parties are fun, too. We were sorry to have missed bingo and karaoke, but we were just too tired. Smuggs has a great website, with lots of details about all aspects of their resort, programs, ski conditions, and costs at Smuggs.com .

Quick Tips:

RCI guests can purchase an activities package for that allows unlimited use of most facilities, including the Fun Zone, and it gets discounts of 10 to 15% on many resort options (like daycare, ski or snowboard lessons and kid’s camps, rentals, and purchases at the gear shop).

If you're a beginning skier, buy a Morse Mountain-only lift ticket and save money. The concierge desk in the main building has lots of area info - ask if they have a coupon behind the desk for a particular place you want to go. We went to the ECHO LEAHY aquarium, and they had a discount coupon in addition to the flier that was on display. Try the area restaurants: 158 Main, Jana's, and Stella Notte were all good. Go to Stowe or Burlington for shopping.

Best Way To Get Around:

There's airport transportation from Burlington if you arrange ahead (for a fee), but if you want to go offsite, a car is best, but you can call anytime for the resort shuttle. They'll come pick you up right away and take you anywhere in the resort. If you're skiing, you can ski from the West Hill area down to the main village, but don't plan to walk it

Best Things Nearby:
The best things include the winter sports activities on site, the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, Ben and Jerry's factory, shopping in Stowe, ECHO Leahy aquarium, and the sugar houses and maple syrup sugaring outlet.

Best Things About the Resort:
Everything and everyone was so family-friendly, and the resort shuttle was prompt and accessible, even in bad weather. We enjoyed the TREASURES daycare facilities and staff, the FUN Zone, and the scenery.

Resort Experience:
We had a lovely week here - even the weather cooperated, with just the right amount of snow. We chose to go in early December because that's when the winter season officially started, with the ski camps and activities in full gear. We traveled with a 6-year-old who spent the whole week in snowboard camp (he'd never done it before), and a 2-year-old who we enrolled in their brand-new Little Rascals on Snow program. The idea was to teach her a bit about how to ski and to have her in daycare while we were on the slopes or just relaxing. She loved it there, and we thought the staff and facilities were just wonderful.

We did several of the planned family activities, including the Welcome Party (kid-friendly dancing, hors d’oeurves, and resort giveaways - we won a mascot teddy bear), the Luau-themed night at the FUN ZONE (good for all ages), and nighttime tubing on the snowboarding hill. There were also adult-only evening activities like comedy night and music, but we opted out and went to bed exhausted from the daytime fun each night.

New this year is an optional $150 RCI guest activities fee allowing unlimited use of the FUN Zone; pools; planned activities; and discounts on childcare, ski camps, lift tickets and rentals, and the ski shop. For us, the ski and camp discounts for both kids just about made us break even (full-day camp is $95 per child; rentals are extra, but lunch is included). We added the Familyfest program option onto the 6-year-old's camp to cover rentals.

There are quite a few restaurants on site but nothing stellar, though we admittedly didn't try the more upscale one. We ate dinner twice at the Morse Mountain Grille (mediocre, but family-friendly and convenient). Breakfasts at the grille were much better – a buffet breakfast for adults was $8. Offsite and across the street was a wonderful Italian restaurant, Stella Notte, and in Jeffersonville (5 miles away) we also had several great meals at 158 Main and Jana's. One night we drove into Stowe for a fondue feast, but it took 45 minutes to get there in the winter, when the mountain road connecting Stowe and Smuggler’s is closed.

The condo itself was in the Sycamores units on the West Hill, which is not walkable from the main resort area, but we had a car (it was about a 3-minute drive) and the free shuttle was great, too. We were disappointed by the number of indoor stairs to go up, down, and around to get to our room (we were later told that our building was the only one setup that way, on a hill). But the unit was great: roomy living space, lots of TVs (evenone facing the bathroom Jacuzzi), VCRs, a fully equipped kitchen with a microwave, dishwasher, and washer and dryer. We arranged ahead for a highchair - they had cribs and boosters available, too.

The downside: You can only go through RCI once every 4 years.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

We had several delicious meals at the very reasonably priced 158 Main during our recent stay at Smuggler's Notch (about 5 miles away). Our first experience involved walking in to the bakery section for little munchies. We were looking for sandwich rolls, which they didn't have, but they had many loaves of freshly baked bread sitting out on the counter waiting for the dinner crowd. The smell was divine. We bought some maple creme brulee desserts "to go" and saved them for later, promising we'd be back another night for dinner.

Two nights later, we returned for the aforementioned dinner. We go there just as a party of several dozen people was being seated. To the credit of the wait staff, they made sure our order went in promptly and we experienced no delay whatsoever. My husband ordered a spicy Japanese-influenced soba noodle and meat dish that he liked very much, and I ordered a crusted fish dish that came with the most delicious sauce (I can't remember the details). Our toddler got a plate of creamy homemade macaroni and cheese that was so good that we all nibbled at it. We got more take-out maple creme brulees for dessert (even at family-friendly restaurants, which this was, complete with available toys to play with, a several course dinner is sometimes too much to ask of a little one, so we often choose to eat dessert later).

158 Main is open for three meals a day, so we decided to have a breakfast there before our trip was over. The breakfast menu was so large and varied that it was difficult to decide, but eventually my husband settled on eggs Florentine, and I got a skillet dish with eggs, hash browns, sausage, cheese, and veggies. We also shared a side order of pancakes. Apart from having too much food (which we expected and happily took home in a doggie bag), everything was great! 158 Main focuses on fresh, local ingredients, and the quality and taste shows through. Most dinner entrées are in the $12 to $18 range, and breakfast entrées were between $5 and $10.

A chalkboard hanging over the bakery listed a few evening events, such as a coffeehouse and musical guests upstairs on certain evenings, but none were listed for the slightly off-season week that we were there.

We had dinner two different nights at Jana's and were very pleased with the casual family-friendly decor and atmosphere, as well as the varied and very moderately priced menu. The first night we dined there, it was a themed Italian night featuring pasta and other Italian specials. Other weeknights had different themes, such as lobster night or seafood night.

The menu has a range of burgers, sandwiches, and local specialties as well as the more creative entrées. Desserts are homemade, and I was tempted to try the Sugar on Snow (frozen maple syrup candied over ice), but the kids were too restless - we'll have to try desserts on another trip. They have an ice-cream parlor counter on one side of the restaurant, but I think it probably does more summer business. It was pretty quiet in December.

Morse Mountain Grille is the main sit-down family restaurant on the Smuggler's Notch property. It's located in the heart of the village, right near the ski base area and the registration building. For family-friendliness and convenience, it's great, but the food is really just so-so. We found the breakfast buffet ($7.95 adult) to be much better than lunch or dinner fare. The breakfast included juice, cereal, yogurts, breads and danish, coffee cake, and fruit salad, plus a hot buffet with pancakes (plain and blueberry, with real maple syrup), made-to-order waffles, eggs, sausage, and bacon. Everything tasted fresh and was pretty good. It's a nice getaway for parents after dropping the kids off at ski camp in the morning.

We ate several dinners at the grill, with more disappointing results. The menu choices seemed interesting, but the food was bland and in some cases tasted pre-packaged. The French onion soup was okay, but it was topped with mozzarella cheese instead of gruyere, with soggy bread in it. One night, I ordered a grilled maple-marinated flank steak with frizzled onions (not really a bargain at $16.95). It came dry, overcooked, chewy, flavorless, and without the onions. The waitress seemed surprised--she said it was a house favorite (though some staff was new), and she offered to bring me something instead. I re-ordered, and my burger came well-done instead of medium-rare (plus, it was obvoiously a pre-made frozen patty). I decided to just eat the mashed potatoes and mashed cauliflower side dishes (both good) and call it a night, since the kids had long since finished their meals. Another night, I had a very uninspired, dry shepherd's pie (my 3-year-old liked it, since it was basically bland, crumbled, chopped meat, canned corn niblets, and mashed potato).

The kids meals are the usual--hot dog, burger, nuggets, grilled cheese, pasta in butter or red sauce, etc. They do offer a nice choice of sides for the kids--smiley face fries, applesauce, veggies, fruit salad, roasted apples, and a few others, but you can only choose one--just try to convince a toddler to pick fruit or a veggie INSTEAD of smiley fries. Desserts come with the kids meal--a white chocolate-coated Rice Krispie treat or a "cup of dirt" (canned chocolate pudding with crushed oreos).

If you like beer or something with a bit of kick to it after skiing, it sounded like the bar had a wide range of offerings, including local beer on tap, but that's not really our speed, so we didn't partake.

If you're in the mood for a 45-minute drive from Smuggs, the ECHO Leahy aquarium in Burlington makes a very nice half-day excursion. It's part-science museum, part-ecotourism resource center, part-research lab, and of course, part-aquarium. Don't come expecting dolphin and sea lion shows, but once there, you will find a nice variety of permanent and visiting exhibits that focus on the Ecology, Culture, History, and Opportunities (ECHO) of the Lake Champlain area. There is a small touch tank with starfish and a few mollusks. There are large- and small-scale fish tanks (you can watch them being fed), a mini-movie to watch, a family activities room, a model of a the Champlain basin where little ones can float boats and "go fishing", a toddler Discovery Room, a cafeteria, and a nice gift shop. While we were there, a visiting exhibit featured the human body and Amazing Feats of Aging. There is plenty for school-age children to do and see, as well, but we were traveling with a toddler and focused our activities around her. Admission is $9 for adults, $6 for kids 3-17, and free for kids under 3. The center is located right on the waterfront in downtown Burlington, and it has its own parking lot.

The check-in desk at Smuggler's Notch has brochures, maps, and if you ask them to look for them, discount coupons for ECHO behind the counter ($1 off per admission).

Check out ECHO Leahy Center Vermont .

Treasures is the newly built million-dollar Smuggler's Notch childcare center. It's located right in the village, and you can actually drop off your child and then ski right down to the lift area from their backyard. Or you can have the shuttle meet your older child there and take him or her off to ski camp. They offer daytime childcare for infants to 3-year-olds from 8:30am to 4:30pm, plus a few evening drop-off "kids' night out" events for older kids (must be at least 3 and potty-trained).

We found the facility to be just wonderful--very clean and up-to-date (think radiant floor heating for little feet, tiny sinks and toilets, and one-way mirror viewing for nervous parents like me). Each child had a cubby where they could leave things for subsequent days like snow pants, diapers, wipes, extra clothes, etc. The staff was very friendly. Our daughter went for their brand-new Little Rascals on Skis program, and she had the same caregiver all week (whom she adored, by the way). They serve lunch, snacks, do diapers, have naptime, and of course, have all sorts of puzzles, games, stuffed animals, and playtime choices. In the ski program, they also take 2 1/2- to 3-year-olds outside and get them used to equipment and beginning ski techniques. It's a cumulative 5-day learning program. On day one, they try on boots and stomp around a bit. By day 5, some are actually being pulled around on a tow on skis. Our daughter, however, said the boots felt funny and the goggles hurt her nose, so she liked to be inside more. The staff was very nice about it and didn't push her. She just took it at her own pace. We were concerned she'd only last a few hours, but she wanted to go back all day, every day, for the whole week. The costs are $95 per day for the ski program or $66 per day for regular childcare, and $25 for the kids'-night-out programs, which run from 6 to 10pm. There is a discount on all Treasures rates if you purchase the RCI activities pass at check-in.

I'm not sure if a library technically qualifies as an attraction, but I wanted to include it in my travel journal because it was an integral part of our stay in the area. First of all, there's free high-speed Internet access (albeit on a sole computer). Visitors can stop by and check their email at no charge. The one-room library is small, but the staff is very friendly and accommodating. I found a book that I was interested in reading, and when I asked the librarian about it, a leisurely discussion ensued with the librarian and another patron about the TV show Desperate Housewives, to which we thought the book might be a precursor. I also asked if I could check out a book as a visitor to the area, and I was given temporary borrowing privileges in exchange for my Smuggler's Notch room info and cell phone number. Library hours are Monday and Tuesday, 1 to 8pm; and Thursday and Saturday, 9am to noon.