Funtown, Vermont – Smugglers’ Notch

We landed in fun-land around a five o’clock on Friday night. We had come to Smugglers’ Notch to put their wintertime activities to the test.  After a smooth check-in with the friendly and informative front desk staff, we decided to zip over to the rental shop to pick up our daughter’s snowboard gear for her morning lesson. Like a fine oiled machine, they have an assembly line process going on there that works. You go through each room — sign in, boots, board/skis and then you are out the door. Perfect for us because we were on a mission. Our kids had their sights set on the FunZone as their Friday night activity.  After a quick slice of pizza for them at Riga-Bello’s, we were on our over way to Fun-opolis.

The FunZone

Who said bigger isn’t always better? The FunZone is a “must see, must do” while you stay at Smuggs. Kids will have a blast on the large slide, on the obstacle, playing indoor mini golf, or over in the small arcade area. (FYI the games pay-to-play like any other arcade). Shuffleboard and ping-pong were big hit for adults while kids were off playing.  We found the whole space to be airy and bright with lots of variety. A nicety, there is a separate area for kids 8 and under with their own smaller bouncy houses and obstacle course. We noticed that even during peak hours when the FunZone was crowded, it remained a calm environment with lots of staff who we’re not shy about making sure kids did the right thing.  Locals take note: You will likely be awarded “Parent-the-Year” by your kids if you host their next birthday party here!

After all that playing, we were starving.  The adults grabbed dinner in the Morse Mountain Grille and the kids got dessert.

Ski School

Saturday morning our youngest wanted to try snowboarding for the first time.  As she is a veteran skier, we decided the best way to approach this new challenge was to sign her up for an adventure snowboard group lesson. This hour and a half morning lesson allowed her to get some instruction yet still let us spend the afternoon skiing as a family.  Our son, an advanced skier, joined the Notch Squad Alpine Group for a lesson at the same time up at Sterling Mountain.

Locals take note: Want to learn to ride too? On Tuesdays and Wednesday from 4:30 – 7:30pm Smuggs’ offers Night School Boarding for beginners. This is a great way to for families to go snowboarding for the first time.  For just $49 the package includes Burton Learn-to-Ride equipment rental, an hour of instruction and an additional hour and a half of freestyle time on the hill (with coaches hanging around to help you out). Who knows, some day soon you too could be shredder and maybe even learn to slay the rails.

The Pools

Rather than apres-ski, our kids wanted to check out the indoor swimming pools, midday.  We figured we would just go with it. Depending on what area of Smugglers’ you stay in you may have exclusive use of an indoor/outdoor pool area. We were staying in the North Hill Community and had access to the North Hill Central that had an awesome water playground, an indoor heated pool, and two hot tubs.

Locals take note: Smuggs’ offers great waterparks in the summer time. The Mountainside Park is a big hit with FindandGoSeek users, rendering it worthy of 5 stars. And a really big bonus, Vermonters get 50% off!

Tubing

Our evening activity was tubing on Sir Henry’s Hill. After the lifts close they turn on the lights and still run the magic carpet over there so you can you can hitch a ride to the top with a tube (provided) and zoom to the bottom.  Dress warmly and wear a helmet! This is available Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 5-8pm.

One bummer for my little (and big) outdoor enthusiasts, we weren’t able to airboard. What is that you ask? Think of an inflated raft for the snow.  They are 48″ long, fun, fast and take sledding up a notch. Unfortunately for us this activity is only available for resort guests Monday-Friday from 2:00 – 4:00.  Hmmm, a great reason to come back I suppose!

After another quick trip to the FunZone (the kids couldn’t get enough of this place), we had an outstanding dinner that night at The Hearth & Candle.  We ate downstairs in the cozy bar nook. I would heed their suggestion though to make reservations, it was quite crowded.

Zipline Canopy Tour

Probably the most unexpected highlight of our weekend came on Sunday.  After a few ski runs in the morning, we headed over to the new Arbortrek Canopy Tour Center.  During orientation you are suited up in the gear, but a few things to remember before your arrival: dress in layers, wear a full balaclava (the provided helmet doesn’t cover ears, neck), bring your own goggles, glove liners and hand-warmers.  And definitely eat something — the zip-line tour is 3 hours. You might even pocket a granola bar for your kids to sustain them along the way.

I had no doubt that my son and husband would thoroughly enjoy this. However I thought my daughter and I would be looking for the “chicken out door” after the first zip (there is none).  A pleasant surprise for both of us – we really enjoyed it!  On the longer zips, she needed to ride tandem with an instructor because she was just over the 70 lb minimum and didn’t gain enough speed to get to the platform.  But she didn’t mind, this just made it more fun. Before the tour is over you will have zipped 7 times, crossed a sky bridge and rappelled down from the trees.  By the end we all had a sense of accomplishment both as individuals and as a family that we have not achieved from any other family activity we have participated in thus far.

Insider Tips

It seems like we did a lot, and we sure did pack a whole lotta fun into 48 hours, however I feel like we barely scratched the surface.  Smuggs is really all that and more. It is a place for families who really enjoy doing things together. They didn’t earn the #1 spot for Family Programs (for 12th year!) in the 2010 SKI Magazine Reader Survey for nothing.

You may have heard of the 5 ‘P’s — Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.  I’d suggest in order to take advantage of all this non-stop fun you are going to need to do some advance planning. So not only should you use the Smuggs web site, but take full advantage of the fabulous front desk staff before you get there to help get your bearings and pre-plan some of your trip.  They can help you select the best accommodations for your family’s needs: location to the mountain you are most likely to ski at (they have 3), do you want to be close to daycare, which pool you want to use, proximity to the restaurants and more. The Smuggs staff will help you choose the best ski and stay package for your family’s budget and get your kids registered for lessons before they arrive. They can also guide you through the myriad of activities so you don’t miss anything during your stay.

There is a phenomenal slope-side day care should you need it for kids ages 6 weeks through 3 years old. Treasures is nicer than most daycare facilities I have ever seen. This state licensed facility is bright, immaculate and modern, they even have radiant heat to keep those little tootsies warm. There is a mini-magic carpet and ski rentals in-house for the Little Rascals Ski Program (ages 2 & 1/2 – 3).   What I noticed right off the bat is how happy all the kids appeared, no one was crying.  Everyone was engaged in their arts & craft projects, playing or eating the fresh baked muffin of the day.  Even in the baby room the infants seemed soothed.

Great care has been taken to make sure guests are not inconvenienced while at the resort. The Country Store, located right in the village, stocks everything you need (or forgot) like videos, snacks, drinks, magazines, and toiletries.  There is a shuttle on-demand system to get you around the resort. Everything is self-contained so there is little reason to use your car or ever worry about parking.  The village center is all walkable and has shopping, dinning and many of the kids programs.

One weekend wasn’t enough for us to fit in ice skating, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, dog sledding or even try all the restaurants.  And let’s not forget, Smugglers’ Notch is a year-round resort for family fun, so we will definitely be back!

(While I was invited to Smuggler’s Notch and they paid for most of my expenses, my review reflects the honest opinions of my experience without outside influence.)