Slow in Stowe

Post by Ella.

“There is a 10 minute slowdown in three miles. You are still on the fastest route.”, Google Maps chirped happily as we neared Stowe, Vermont yesterday. Just 1/2 mile from the town, we joined the stop-and-go line up on the one lane Route 100 heading into Stowe. No road construction, no accident. Just people streaming into the village.

Stowe is the quintessential small, picturesque town. Nestled between the Green Mountains and the Worcester Range, it attracts skiers, mountain bikers, hikers and of course, peepers during the early fall. There are a bounty of boutique shops lining the Main Street and world class spas tucked away in the hills. A continuous program of festivals and events year-round  keep road-tripping travelers busy. Yesterday, there were presentations and exhibits for Indigenous Peoples Day at the Municipal offices, a staging of “The Haunting of Hill House” at the Hyde Park Opera House, and a Spruce Peak Pear Harvest Party.

As a bonus, there is the nearby town of Cabot, home of Cabot cheese; down the road is Waterbury, where Ben & Jerry offer factory tours; and all around are cider pressing outfits (you can tour an old school apple pressing room) and a few scattered vineyards. Most importantly, it is the hometown of my friend Holly, born and raised in Stowe  until she headed west, as a young woman, to New Mexico. So despite the jam of people, we had to stop for a slow stroll in Stowe.