We arrived back home from our trip to Smugglers’ Notch in Vermont late Sunday evening– spent, from a SUPER fun weekend. The entire family had such a great time doing so many activities that it’s hard to figure out where to start!
This Real Mom was hosted (including activities) at Smugglers’ Notch for a Friday through Sunday stay. All writing and opinions are 100% my own and based on my personal and family experience at the resort.
Smugglers’ Notch Accommodations
Smugglers’ Notch offers a wide variety of condo living options during your stay including 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5-bedroom condos. We spent our weekend in the newest Smugglers’ Notch resort community: the North Hills.
The North Hills has its own indoor Aquatic and Exercise Center and there’s even a sledding hill right next door! When you stay at a condo in the North Hills, you can enjoy GORGEOUS views of the Madonna and Sterling mountains (2 of the 3 ski mountains at Smugglers’ Notch).
Condo Living in the North Hills Community
Our condo unit was a 3-bedroom that features a master suite, complete with jacuzzi tub, steam shower, fireplaces, and walkout patio. In addition to the master suite, there was a smaller bedroom with full-size bed and a very spacious kids’ bedroom with 4 twin beds (and their own entertainment unit!
In addition to the 3 bedrooms, there is a queen-size pull-out sectional couch in the main living area. A dual-vanity full bath services the two bedrooms on the right wing of the condo.
The highlight of the living area, in my opinion, was the large great room (complete with gas fireplace) that opens off the kitchen and offers sweeping outdoor views, a large entertainment system, and extra-large sectional couch. A close second was the four-season sun room that also offered stunning views of the Madonna and Sterling mountains.
The kitchen was newer and offered all of the amenities a family of skiers might need including a dishwasher and all counter-top appliances you need to prepare a meal.
In addition to what you find in your own unit in Eagles, you will also find an outdoor hot tub and ski locker that you can take advantage of during your stay. With parking at your building, you won’t need to use the car again during your stay, unless you are planning on leaving the resort.
There is a shuttle service that will pick you up outside the building within minutes and take you anywhere you need to go on the premises.
A Wealth of Amenities and Activities
One of the things that really impressed me about Smugglers’ Notch was the HUGE variety of activities available daily and on weekends for all ages. Of course there is the Smuggs’ award-winning Snow Sport University, but what can you do if you aren’t interested in skiing or snowboarding? A LOT.
Family Fun Zone
The FunZone Family Entertainment Center and Recreation Center was a big hit with all three boys. Adjacent to the nordic center, it’s open from 2:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at night, and it features a number of bounce houses, an obstacle course, space to run around, arcade games, table games, snacks and more.
There was even an area for little guys that my almost two-year old fell in love with! He could play with trucks, push a shopping cart, and clown around without me having to worry about him being trampled by the older kids! 🙂 It’s a great place for the kids to burn off extra energy!
Aquatic Activities
If you want to go for a swim after a day on the slopes you can head to the Courtside Pool and hot tubs (along with changing rooms and lockers). You can lap swim, do aqua aerobics, or just lounge around in the pool. There are also aquatic centers in several of the other communities in the resort, including North Hill, where we stayed.
Right next to our building was an aquatic center with a pool, two hot tubs (one slightly lower in temperature), a children’s splash playground and lockers, showers, and changing area. The boys had a great time in the splash pad area!
Non-skiing outdoor activities
Even though I do ski, I opted to do a back country snowshoe trek Saturday afternoon. I have snowshoed around my home on packed snow, but the back country trip was a totally different experience and so much fun. My friend Jessica and I spent almost two hours trekking over streams and up hills, including over a beaver dam!
We got to see bear claw marks on trees and beautiful ice falls. It was such a memorable trip, and something I would do again in a heartbeat! If snowshoeing isn’t your thing, you can go ice-skating, cross-country skiing, swimming, snowmobiling, or maybe just kick back and hang out near the fire pit in the Village Lodge area.
You can also go for a night tubing session and grab hot chocolate afterwards! There were so many different things to do, and I really wish we had time to try them all!
Food and Dining
There are a number of different options (nine in total!) for dining while staying at Smugglers’ Notch. While at Smugglers’ Notch, we ate in our condo for some meals and also at Morse Mountain Grille & Pub. We also grabbed lunch at The Green Mountain Deli and ice cream at the Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop of course! 🙂
Other dining options include the Hearth & Candle and Riga-Bello’s Pizzeria. There is also a Country Store where you can buy grocery items to make your own meals in your condo. This is especially helpful when you’re watching the budget and you have small children!
Up Next at Smugglers’ Notch
I will be writing more about the children’s programs and the Snow Sport University in my next post, because it’s one of the things that really makes Smugglers’ Notch stand out among other ski resorts in the Northeast. We were blown away by how family-friendly things were and how Smuggs seemed to think of every little detail, including a wagon ride share program to help carry all of your gear around the village!
[…] is a serious list. It is no wonder Smuggs is known as a family resort! Check out this post from Jessica at 30SomethingMotherRunner to see how her young kids loved the FunZone and Aquatic […]