November 20, 2024 • 25 mins
I’ve lived in Baltimore Maryland for the last nearly 17 years, I spent a year in DC and about 8 in Philadelphia. But I grew up in New England. The first 18 years of my life were spent growing up in southern New Hampshire. Like most people in New England, I was really into winter sports. I started snowboarding and spent most of my winters on the mountains of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Living in that area I’d see the bumper stickers and commercials for all of the local ski resorts. One of the most popular was Stowe Vermont.
The Stowe bumper stickers back then were just as popular as the OBX stickers you see today. They were everywhere. For whatever reason I never made it to Stowe. It’s just not a spot that my friends and I traveled to. Now, part of the reason is it was a little too far out of the way for a day trip. But I’ve only ever heard wonderful things.
If you’re looking for a mental image of Stowe Vermont, the best way is to picture a village from a Hallmark Christmas movie. That’s what Stowe looks like. Lots of small businesses, hardly any national chains, beautiful scenery and everything you could want to have a nice getaway from the madness of your life.
While I grew up knowing Stowe primarily as a ski resort, there’s so much more there. It’s amazing in the spring and summer with tons of events planned. And it’s beautiful in the winter as well even if you weren’t heading on the mountain. Joining me today is Carrie Simmons…she’s the executive director of the Stowe Area Association…otherwise known as GO STOWE. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
The Stowe bumper stickers back then were just as popular as the OBX stickers you see today. They were everywhere. For whatever reason I never made it to Stowe. It’s just not a spot that my friends and I traveled to. Now, part of the reason is it was a little too far out of the way for a day trip. But I’ve only ever heard wonderful things.
If you’re looking for a mental image of Stowe Vermont, the best way is to picture a village from a Hallmark Christmas movie. That’s what Stowe looks like. Lots of small businesses, hardly any national chains, beautiful scenery and everything you could want to have a nice getaway from the madness of your life.
While I grew up knowing Stowe primarily as a ski resort, there’s so much more there. It’s amazing in the spring and summer with tons of events planned. And it’s beautiful in the winter as well even if you weren’t heading on the mountain. Joining me today is Carrie Simmons…she’s the executive director of the Stowe Area Association…otherwise known as GO STOWE. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, what's up everybody? Welcome to Delightful Destination. This is
episode sixteen of the show. My name is Jeff Saint Pierre.
Delightful Destinations is a show designed to give people an
inside or deeper look at vacation locations around Maryland, the
mid Atlantic again of course other places across the country
or maybe even globe. My hope is to speak with
people who know these areas best and inspire you for
(00:23):
your next getaway. So I lived in Baltimore, Maryland for
the last nearly seventeen years. I spent a year in
DC in about eight in Philadelphia, but I grew up
in New England. The first eighteen years of my life
were spent growing up in southern New Hampshire. Like most
people in New England, I was really into winter sports.
I started snowboarding in high school and I spent most
of my winters on the mountains of New Hampshire, Vermont,
(00:44):
and Maine. Now living in that area, i'd see the
bumper stickers and commercials for all the local ski resorts.
I still remember the one for what sho Sit Mountain?
If you ever get a chance, look that up on YouTube.
What Shoesit Mountain? Those were legendary commercials. One of the
most popular, though, that I would see was for Stowe, Vermont.
The Stow bumper stickers back then were just as popular
(01:05):
as the OBX stickers you see today. They were everywhere.
But for whatever reason, I never made it to Stow.
It's just not a spot that my friends and I
travel to now. Part of that reason is it's a
little too far out of the way for a day
trip from where I lived. But I've only ever heard
such amazing things about Stowe. If you're looking for a
mental image of what Stowe Vermont is, the best way
(01:26):
to picture that is a village from a Hallmark Christmas movie.
That's what Stowe looks like. I'm not even exaggerating. They've
probably filmed Hallmark movies. There lots of small businesses, hardly
any national change, beautiful scenery, and everything you could want
to have in a nice getaway.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
From the madness of your life.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
While I grew up knowing Stowe primarily as a ski resort,
there's so much more there. It's amazing in the spring
and summer with lots of events planned, and it's really
beautiful in the winter as well. Even if you weren't
heading on the mountain. Joining me today is Carrie Simmons.
She's the executive director of the Stowe Area Association, otherwise
known as Go Stowe. I hope you enjoy our conversations.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Carrie, I mean, before we get into Stowe, tell me
a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
So, I am the executive director of Stowe Area Association,
so also known as Ghostow. I've been in the position
for a little over five years. And my background it
really compliments what I enjoy doing, which is leadership, branding
and marketing and really love building connections and creating really awesome,
(02:32):
authentic travel experiences. And I love to travel myself with
my family. And I'm a mom of a nine year
old and i just got a new puppy.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Oh wel congratulations on that.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Are you a Vermont native? How did you find yourself
in Stowe?
Speaker 4 (02:47):
I am not a Vermont native.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I'm originally from the Midwest, but we came out here
and really just fell in love, went to grad school
out this way, and then just fell in love with
the mountains and all there is to do and the
activities and the seasons and how close proximity of Vermont
New England is to the oceans and other places, and
(03:09):
it's just like really awesome how interconnected it is.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
So fell in love with that.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
I actually grew up in New Hampshire, so my first
eighteen years of my life, I saw advertisements for Stow
everywhere I went. But oddly enough, I've never been, Like
I've been to so many other mountains and resorts in
New Hampshire and in Vermont, but for whatever reason, Stow
is not one that I ever made it to.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Well, you'll have to make that change then soon.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I think from where I lived in New Hampshire, because
I was southeastern New Hampshire, right on the border of Massachusetts,
so I think from like for it's like a two
and a half to three hour drive, so it was
kind of like it was just out of our reach
for a day trip, you know, like it was just
a little little too far to go up there to
hit the mountain, to go snowboarding or something. I kind
of lived in that, Like my dad worked near Pat's
(03:56):
Peak in Mount Sun up East, so I'd go up
in that region a lot. And not trying to advertise
for other places right now. But I don't know why.
It's just interesting, Like, that's one of the to me
growing up up there, Stowe was one of the most
well advertised, and I saw the bumper stickers everywhere, and
it was always so interesting to me now looking back
that I never I never made it. I mean, obviously
people love your area.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Yeah, no, it's it's one of those I mean we
often get.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Called like, you know, the Northeast capital of skiing or this,
you know, the Hallmark snow globe in the winter and
that kind of thing. And then the fall it's like
the premiere place to see the fall foliage. And so
it definitely is one of those quintessential places.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
So give me your elevator pitch on Stow. Okay, So,
like we're running into each other and I'm asking you
what you do? Tell me, Like, what are you going
to give me in like my ninety seconds about Stowe Vermont?
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Man, Well, I.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Guess I'll start off with something that I recently heard.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
So I was walking.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
We had this really cool wreck path that's kind of
interconnected throughout the community where you can pick up it
in one location that goes all the way to the
mountain of those seven miles, and I was walking on
the reck path, and I overheard a visitor and they
were talking about how they.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Had seen the photos of New England and fall, but.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Nothing compared to being here and like feeling that crisp
aaar and watching those leaves dance around them, and it
just reminded me how lucky it is to experience that
natural beauty every day of living here and how much
that and Stowe and Vermont offer that. And so I
really see Stow as like a world class outdoor experience
for every season. So if you're into skiing, you can
(05:38):
ski in the winter, whether it's cross country or downhill,
or if you're into hiking and biking, you can do
that on the other seasons. Or there's great water options
as well, like we have the tallest waterfall here in
Moscow and falls, and of course you have the backdrop
of the beautiful Mounts Mansfield that you can see vis
does at every spot basically as you drive through or
(06:01):
experience it just walking through the town. So it's just
really interconnected, and I love how you know you're really
here in a village.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
So it looks very quinet essential small town charm.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
A lot of iconic signature spots that you can go
to so, yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
I made a note to ask you how many Hallmark
Christmas movies have been filmed in Stow.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Oh, that is a good question.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I'm guessing a few, but I don't actually know about answer.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
It's just like everything that I've seen or heard about Stow,
it feels like the place they would just have like
a shop set up rightly, there'd be a studio, like
a studio production area for Hallmark right there in the
center of the town.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, we do have a signature event, the traditional Christmas
and Stow that happens, and a lot of other fun
events that happen over the winter, including the Winter Rendevous.
So it's a great time coming up for the winter,
but also there's also lovely things happening all season long.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Yeah, And I think that's something that a lot of people.
I mean, I'm trying to think with the average person
because I grew up near mountains that I grew up
enjoying mountains in the spring, summer, fall, winter, whenever. I
don't know if a lot of people understand how much
is in these typical ski resort areas outside of the
ski resort time, right, Like I think of places in Vermont,
like Stowe or like Killington or whatever. There's so many
(07:19):
opportunities in those particular areas, not just in ski season.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Yes, yeah, totally.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I mean for us, for example, there's a really amazing
couple museums, so there, for example, there's the Current and
they put on there's lovely sculptures and great exhibits that
happen in the actual museum itself, but then they have
all these exposed outdoor sculpture exhibits throughout the town, which
has been really awesome for people to experience all year round.
(07:50):
Then we also have a lot of performances that happen.
We have Spruceweek Arts at the top of the mountain
that you can see some great artists and performances. Then
we have the farmer's market that's wonderful. And then of
course we have the craft brewery scene. So the Alchemist,
for example, is here along with Stow Cider and Traps
(08:11):
has their own signature beers and so it's just like
you can get all that like place to eat, drink
and play and do fun activities.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
It's funny. When I started doing this podcast, I don't
know a few months back, it did not occur to
me how every single conversation at some point would involve
a local craft brewery like every place. And look, I
love it, don't get me wrong. I love to go
visit different places and see the different breweries wherever I go.
But it's so funny to me how every place sort
of hags their hat on a couple of different spots
(08:42):
in their area. And I never would have thought it
would come up quite as often.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
As it has. Yeah, yeah, it's really becoming the scene
of that, I suppose.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
And Vermont, I mean Vermont itself has a lot.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Of craft, whether it's craft cheeses or other kinds of
chocolates or.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Whatever it is. That it's really that spot for.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
That local small area to build their best tasting, best drinks,
best everything.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
And it's really fun to experience.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, it's the kind of life you expect when you're
going through an area like that. Like you mentioned, like
this is literally a village, Like it's picture what you
think of a mountain village, and this is it. This
is what you're going to get. And I feel like
that is exactly the kind of place where you would
see all these small businesses with their little hanging signs
about the craft cheeses and whatever, like, that's where you
expect to see. You don't expect to see targets and walmarts.
(09:32):
You expect to see the local people doing their thing.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Yes, and I mean there's some shops that you can
go in you literally feel like you're almost almost going
back in time a little bit.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
I love that though, being of experience that, Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Yeah, my brother and his girlfriend. My brother was living
in Idaho for a few years is off topic, but
they moved back to New Hampshire and he was like,
I can't. He said, I can't live in New Hampshire.
It's too busy. And I laughed, and then he said
he's like, we're looking at places, you know, sort of
been like northern Vermont, kind of near Burlington. I was like, okay,
all right, so I guess Stowe's not terribly far from there, right,
Stowe's kind of east of Burlington.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Yeah, I would say, well, I mean obviously that's where
you fly in for the airport is right there, so
it's really drivable. So we have a great connection with
Burlington and and.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
A lot of people do a couple.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
You know, the way Vermont is you're staying in a
couple of places this year's a couple of places there.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
And you're kind of traveling potentially even around New England.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
So Carr, you mentioned you have a family you really
love living up there. I have a family. I've got
a three and a half year old. Gosh, she's going
to be four before I know it. But I wonder, like,
you know, family friendly up there, and still I imagine
there's lots to do for just about everybody.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
Yeah, so we.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Have a lot of different options, I would say indoor
and outdoor. So like indoor, we have the swimming hole
that you can check out. That's if it's a rainy
day and you want to check out a place to
go swimming, or if you want to visit the local
of Vermont Ski and Snowmore Museum or the Current the
gallery there. There's lots of little shops and fun things
(11:02):
to do as well as there's lots of easy accessible
hikes and you can your kids could take their bikes
and go on the bike path during the time, and
there's just also really fun little places to check out
along the bike path that the little beautiful river that
connects through and brooks, So they can stop and play
along the way, so it's just a fun experience.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I love that you said I love that you said
easy hikes, because I'm picturing like I would love to
go on a hike with my daughter, but I know
we're going to get about fifty yards into it and
she's gonna go.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Carry me, carry y.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Yeah, been there, done that.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
You mentioned something else earlier too, about how you can
see the vistas when you're up there, and something that
I always have in my memory, this vivid memory of
going snowboarding up in that region and being like on
top of the mountain and just looking out along the
horizon and seeing all of the other resorts right like
you could just see all these huge peaks with their trails,
(11:58):
and there is there's just beauty there. There's just this
beauty you can't capture in a lot of other places.
Because I've lived closer to the Poconos now for the
last twenty years of my life, and they're great to
go enjoy, don't get me wrong, but you don't have
the same vibe that you would up there in like
New England, where you can just see everything for miles
and miles and miles.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yeah, I'm doing a hiking challenge. Right now, I'm trying
to hike forty four miles in the month of October.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
I'm getting there.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
But yeah, one of my favorite things is seeing all
of you know, getting to the top of you hike.
It's really got to make it worth it by having
the beautiful visiness. But it's also really accessible here too
because you can take we have the toll road that
you can drive up and then do a little more
hiking if you want, or you can take a gondola
ride and be able to experience it, and it is
it's absolutely magical, like being up at the top of
(12:52):
that mountain. And I love that you have a variety
of ways to get there if you want to do
really vigorous hikes or just be able to get up
there and a different Let's.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Talk about that for a second, because I know Stowe
itself is a town and it's got the village and
all that, but there is the mountain that's used primarily
for skiing in the winter time, but there's a lot
of other options at the mountain throughout the year as well.
And you just mentioned the gondola ride and that's one
of those things. But let's talk about some other options
that the actual resort.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Has, the resort itself outside well just in general the
destination as a whole cross country skiing is also really big.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
So just thinking of.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
In the wintertime, for example, Trap has a lot of options,
and if you know anything about Traps in terms of
obviously the signature sound of music and the whole Trap
family moving here and so their location is also really beautiful.
And we also get fat biking that happens in the
winter as well, and so in the opportunity just in
all those different times. And what's really nice is there's
(13:48):
integral like ski So if you're into skiing, there's lots
of options. But also if you, for example, you come
back in the summer and you're really big into mountain biking,
you can literally mountain bike and then come down and
again I'm going to mention it again, but you can
go down and get a beer like within a within
a within a moment.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
So it's just like really nice.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
How you can really have your your day planned out
and so much to do in one day and like
have a cozy retreat one minute and be really active
another minute.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
I know, as the winter comes in again, we mentioned skiing,
but you also have other events, like I know the
Winter Carnivals coming up in January. That's right around the
corner believe it or not.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
Yeah, that's held in January.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
And there's ice carvings throughout that people have in front
of their businesses.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
It's really fun.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
You can also see them carving before and there's lots
of fun activities. There's also the Stow Derby. It's the
oldest downhill across country ski race in North America that
happens and that's really fun. And then like I mentioned earlier,
the traditional Christmas and Stow and other events, winter rounds review,
lots of fun things come up.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
I think in the spring too, you start getting into
isn't there like a bike race to get to the
top of the mountain or something like that.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Yes, there's a number of different ones. We actually have
one coming up that's the Vermont ten.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
Miler, which yes, coming up in November.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
That's a scenic race that draws runners from across the
country to experience the beautiful fall.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
So that one's also coming up something.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
That I thought would be really cool too. As I
saw on your website, which is gostow dot com, that's Stowe.
So ghost Stow dot Com is the music on the
in the Meadow Music in the Meadow and the jazz festival.
I can just imagine that being in that environment, like
among the mountains, the trees and summertime in New England
is just a beautiful time to be there. I just
(15:29):
imagine it's just magical to experience that.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
It's really cool to be able to, like, you know,
see the beautiful besta as you're listening to music and
you're like, okay, pinch myselfwhere am I right now? Yeah,
it's gorgeous. And you mentioned Ghostow. So our organization is
also celebrating eighty years Wow.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
This coming June twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
So we've been around for a long time as a
destination marketing organization and we also run a visitor center,
so anyone who comes into town can stop by the
little red building and come in and will help you
with anything you need. And then we also run a
central reservation and booking platform, so we really help support
the whole experience from marketing to get people to come
(16:14):
to the destination enjoy it, to booking the rooms and
then helping them and guide them along their adventure here.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
What is the hotel scene like up there, because in
my head I'm picturing a lot of like b and bs,
But I wonder what are the hot spots that people
like to check out in Still Yeah, I mean we have.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
A variety of like cozy inns, B and b's, so
we definitely have those which are great. And then we
also have mid size properties that offer a little bit
more that resort feel that you're looking for, with lots
of family friendly activities and things going on right on
the rand at the resort itselves, and then all the
way up to you know, ski and ski out or
(16:53):
anything right there that is right on the mountain, depending
on the activity that you want to do. So it's
really a diverse range of lodging properties. And then also
obviously we have a big short term rental varieties for
people as well to book I.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Have another embarrassing thing to admit about myself, and that
is that I've never stayed at a ski in, ski
out like place. And I'm so sad that that's the case,
because I guess because I lived up there, it was
just so easy to do day trips. We didn't stay
places very often, but I've always wanted to stay in
a ski in ski out place.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
Yeah, it's really awesome.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I mean, that's to be able to have the logist
prius peak right there. But the way that our town,
like I said, is really this eco system of in
the summer with the wreck path and the way the
village interconnects and the roads you can get anywhere really
really intuitively and efficiently.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
And then also in the winter we have the Mountain
Road Shuttle.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
So no matter where you're staying, we really encourage people
to just like just don't think about it, leave your car,
take your stuff, go up to the mountain using the shuttle,
and so really no matter where you stay, you have
an opportunity to have great skiing and great experience.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
There's obviously a lot of people like yourself that live
over there in Stow and they call it home and
that's where they have their business. But we do know
Stowe obviously relies very heavily on having people come to
visit and take part in the local atmosphere. What's it
like to live in an area that does have so
many people just kind of coming in and out.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Well, I always like to call Vermont more a broader
community because people who live and work here, you're getting
people that live everything.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Someday when you come visit, you'll see that small towns
are interconnected here. Like you mentioned Burlington's early forty five
minutes away, So there's a lot of towns within the
region that really connect, and so you may have employees
that work and live in different places. And I think
that's the beauty of Stowe and Vermont itself is that
we really partner and collaborate with our area of towns
(19:00):
and we're all in it together in that way. So
I would say that's a really key piece to Vermont itself.
And then also, you know, embracing that part of about
tourism and that what it has to offer and why
you came in the first place to want to experience
it that right, So we're gotting a lot of people
who experienced stuff for the first time and.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
Then want to maybe move here someday. Things like that, Oh.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
My gosh, I tell my wife all the time, like,
I want to move to a place like Vermont where
it's quiet and calm and I can live a happy,
relaxed life.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Get out.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I love living in a city, don't get me wrong,
because I like what a city can bring, and I
like the opportunities that a city has. But there is
something about that village atmosphere where I can go down
to my local coffee shop get a drink, and I
go stop and see my friends that run the store
next door. Whatever it is, there's just something about that
atmosphere that is so appealing.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Yes, it's kind of where you can say hello to
people and people really there's that connectiveness to it which
is really fun about a small town living.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
And you mentioned Burlington again too, Like you could fly
into Burlington and rent a car and get over to
Stow pretty easily. I think Stowe is kind of a
nice little central spot because it's not too far from
New Hampshire either. Like if you want to do like
a nice trip up to New England and just kind
of get around, you could stay in Stow and make
it sort of your central location.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
Yeah, that's what we get a lot of people doing that.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
They'll stay, some people stay, you know, a week, some
people stay three nights or two nights, and then they're
kind of using it as a jumping off point like
you mentioned, which is.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Really awesome and all along one hundred.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
There's lots of fun things to do even on the way,
so it's like you're basically all these great places like
Cold Hollo cider Mill is right there, Ben and Jerry's
all these places right up to when you go to Stow,
so you might not get to your place and you
have time to stop at all the wonderful places along
the way.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Oh my gosh, I got to get back up there.
It has been too long since the last time I
was in the Burlington area. I want to say, was gosh,
probably like nineteen ninety nine. I was looking at Middlebury,
almost going to Middlebury College, and I did not ultimately
go there, but I was really set on that that
was the last time I think I was there, which
I can't believe how fast twenty five years is passed.
(21:15):
So tell me more about your experience there, And I
want to know what's your favorite thing about living in
still What, Like you said, you have a family, You've
got a nine year old, and what is your favorite
thing to do as a family up there.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
Well, I'm a booty.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Okay, all right, that's okay, don't say it like that,
own it. It's okay.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
I mean, I love the outdoors.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
That's that's a key reason for living and living in
the mountains in general. So to be able to experience
skiing is great, and ice skating and all those fun
things is so great in the winter to be able
to do that.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
But then also, I'm a.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Big camper, so I enjoy getting out at the state parks.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
And there's a wonderful state parks in the area as well.
So yeah, all of it.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
But I would say, yeah, I just love the variety
of food options living here. I'm also or you know,
being able to be like, ooh, I'm going to check
out this cafe or I'm going to check out that, Okay,
So trying to mix it up and experience different ones,
that's that's the favorite thing for me.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Well, I'm glad you mentioned that, actually, because I'm just
going to speak from my experience. I feel like when
you start talking about smaller towns and villages, you don't
necessarily have like the quote unquote hot spots for food.
But I feel like where you are, you're going to
have some really cool and creative options and some really
great chefs.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Yeah, and it's fun, and so I think I really
appreciate that piece of it. To be able to, you know,
the nightlife is really great here too, so you can
experience the music and then you can go out and have,
you know, dinner, and you're kind of able to do
a lot for a really small town and small place
in that way, and there's a lot that you can
(22:58):
I think that's why people love to come visit he too,
because there's some things that they're like, oh, it's not
what I get from the city, but it still has
a little bit of that, So they're like my home
away from home kind of feeling.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah, like it it's a quiet village, but it's also
not a boring village, right, Yeah. Yeah, Well, the problem
with this podcast for me is that everybody I talked
to sells me on where they live and what they're promoting.
And I really want to go again. And I've got
a nice long list of all these places I have
to visit now, but I do have to get Stow
back on that list. Oh my gosh. I, like I
said the beginning, I can't believe that I haven't been
(23:30):
to Stow in all of these years of my life
and seeing the name on bumper stickers and everywhere growing up.
But yeah, it's added to the list officially. Carrie, where
can people go? Where's the best place to go for
someone that's looking to find out more information or maybe
start planning their trip.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Yeah, I would say right on our website, gostow dot
com would be where you can find a lot of information.
And like I said earlier, we do also run a
call center and visitor center. Say you can call us
also their number right there if you want to speak
to someone and get the local local help right away
(24:07):
to tell you a little bit more detail about what's
going on.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Carrie Simmons, the executive director for ghost Ow or of
the Stowe Area Association. If you will, Carrie, it's been
a pleasure talking to you. Thank you for letting me
reminiss a little bit about my time growing up in
New England and for sharing more about Stowe. I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Yeah, thank you so much for having us and good
luck with all the adventures you're going on. For every
single interview you have, you're gonna have to have it
a world for now.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
I guess, so, I guess big thank you to Carrie
Simmons for her time. I so want to make a
visit to Stowe, Vermont next year. It's been too long
since I've been in Vermont. If you want to find
out more information and start planning your trip, you can
visit ghostow dot com. That's goo Stowe dot com ghostow
(24:51):
dot com. And thank you to all of you for
listening to Delightful Destination today. Thank you for sharing some
of your time with me. Until next time, be well,
Hey, what's up everybody? Welcome to Delightful Destination. This is
episode sixteen of the show. My name is Jeff Saint Pierre.
Delightful Destinations is a show designed to give people an
inside or deeper look at vacation locations around Maryland, the
mid Atlantic again of course other places across the country
or maybe even globe. My hope is to speak with
people who know these areas best and inspire you for
(00:23):
your next getaway. So I lived in Baltimore, Maryland for
the last nearly seventeen years. I spent a year in
DC in about eight in Philadelphia, but I grew up
in New England. The first eighteen years of my life
were spent growing up in southern New Hampshire. Like most
people in New England, I was really into winter sports.
I started snowboarding in high school and I spent most
of my winters on the mountains of New Hampshire, Vermont,
(00:44):
and Maine. Now living in that area, i'd see the
bumper stickers and commercials for all the local ski resorts.
I still remember the one for what sho Sit Mountain?
If you ever get a chance, look that up on YouTube.
What Shoesit Mountain? Those were legendary commercials. One of the
most popular, though, that I would see was for Stowe, Vermont.
The Stow bumper stickers back then were just as popular
(01:05):
as the OBX stickers you see today. They were everywhere.
But for whatever reason, I never made it to Stow.
It's just not a spot that my friends and I
travel to now. Part of that reason is it's a
little too far out of the way for a day
trip from where I lived. But I've only ever heard
such amazing things about Stowe. If you're looking for a
mental image of what Stowe Vermont is, the best way
(01:26):
to picture that is a village from a Hallmark Christmas movie.
That's what Stowe looks like. I'm not even exaggerating. They've
probably filmed Hallmark movies. There lots of small businesses, hardly
any national change, beautiful scenery, and everything you could want
to have in a nice getaway.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
From the madness of your life.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
While I grew up knowing Stowe primarily as a ski resort,
there's so much more there. It's amazing in the spring
and summer with lots of events planned, and it's really
beautiful in the winter as well. Even if you weren't
heading on the mountain. Joining me today is Carrie Simmons.
She's the executive director of the Stowe Area Association, otherwise
known as Go Stowe. I hope you enjoy our conversations.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Carrie, I mean, before we get into Stowe, tell me
a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
So, I am the executive director of Stowe Area Association,
so also known as Ghostow. I've been in the position
for a little over five years. And my background it
really compliments what I enjoy doing, which is leadership, branding
and marketing and really love building connections and creating really awesome,
(02:32):
authentic travel experiences. And I love to travel myself with
my family. And I'm a mom of a nine year
old and i just got a new puppy.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Oh wel congratulations on that.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Are you a Vermont native? How did you find yourself
in Stowe?
Speaker 4 (02:47):
I am not a Vermont native.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I'm originally from the Midwest, but we came out here
and really just fell in love, went to grad school
out this way, and then just fell in love with
the mountains and all there is to do and the
activities and the seasons and how close proximity of Vermont
New England is to the oceans and other places, and
(03:09):
it's just like really awesome how interconnected it is.
Speaker 4 (03:12):
So fell in love with that.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
I actually grew up in New Hampshire, so my first
eighteen years of my life, I saw advertisements for Stow
everywhere I went. But oddly enough, I've never been, Like
I've been to so many other mountains and resorts in
New Hampshire and in Vermont, but for whatever reason, Stow
is not one that I ever made it to.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Well, you'll have to make that change then soon.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I think from where I lived in New Hampshire, because
I was southeastern New Hampshire, right on the border of Massachusetts,
so I think from like for it's like a two
and a half to three hour drive, so it was
kind of like it was just out of our reach
for a day trip, you know, like it was just
a little little too far to go up there to
hit the mountain, to go snowboarding or something. I kind
of lived in that, Like my dad worked near Pat's
(03:56):
Peak in Mount Sun up East, so I'd go up
in that region a lot. And not trying to advertise
for other places right now. But I don't know why.
It's just interesting, Like, that's one of the to me
growing up up there, Stowe was one of the most
well advertised, and I saw the bumper stickers everywhere, and
it was always so interesting to me now looking back
that I never I never made it. I mean, obviously
people love your area.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Yeah, no, it's it's one of those I mean we
often get.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Called like, you know, the Northeast capital of skiing or this,
you know, the Hallmark snow globe in the winter and
that kind of thing. And then the fall it's like
the premiere place to see the fall foliage. And so
it definitely is one of those quintessential places.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
So give me your elevator pitch on Stow. Okay, So,
like we're running into each other and I'm asking you
what you do? Tell me, Like, what are you going
to give me in like my ninety seconds about Stowe Vermont?
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Man, Well, I.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
Guess I'll start off with something that I recently heard.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
So I was walking.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
We had this really cool wreck path that's kind of
interconnected throughout the community where you can pick up it
in one location that goes all the way to the
mountain of those seven miles, and I was walking on
the reck path, and I overheard a visitor and they
were talking about how they.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Had seen the photos of New England and fall, but.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Nothing compared to being here and like feeling that crisp
aaar and watching those leaves dance around them, and it
just reminded me how lucky it is to experience that
natural beauty every day of living here and how much
that and Stowe and Vermont offer that. And so I
really see Stow as like a world class outdoor experience
for every season. So if you're into skiing, you can
(05:38):
ski in the winter, whether it's cross country or downhill,
or if you're into hiking and biking, you can do
that on the other seasons. Or there's great water options
as well, like we have the tallest waterfall here in
Moscow and falls, and of course you have the backdrop
of the beautiful Mounts Mansfield that you can see vis
does at every spot basically as you drive through or
(06:01):
experience it just walking through the town. So it's just
really interconnected, and I love how you know you're really
here in a village.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
So it looks very quinet essential small town charm.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
A lot of iconic signature spots that you can go
to so, yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
I made a note to ask you how many Hallmark
Christmas movies have been filmed in Stow.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
Oh, that is a good question.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I'm guessing a few, but I don't actually know about answer.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
It's just like everything that I've seen or heard about Stow,
it feels like the place they would just have like
a shop set up rightly, there'd be a studio, like
a studio production area for Hallmark right there in the
center of the town.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, we do have a signature event, the traditional Christmas
and Stow that happens, and a lot of other fun
events that happen over the winter, including the Winter Rendevous.
So it's a great time coming up for the winter,
but also there's also lovely things happening all season long.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Yeah, And I think that's something that a lot of people.
I mean, I'm trying to think with the average person
because I grew up near mountains that I grew up
enjoying mountains in the spring, summer, fall, winter, whenever. I
don't know if a lot of people understand how much
is in these typical ski resort areas outside of the
ski resort time, right, Like I think of places in Vermont,
like Stowe or like Killington or whatever. There's so many
(07:19):
opportunities in those particular areas, not just in ski season.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Yes, yeah, totally.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I mean for us, for example, there's a really amazing
couple museums, so there, for example, there's the Current and
they put on there's lovely sculptures and great exhibits that
happen in the actual museum itself, but then they have
all these exposed outdoor sculpture exhibits throughout the town, which
has been really awesome for people to experience all year round.
(07:50):
Then we also have a lot of performances that happen.
We have Spruceweek Arts at the top of the mountain
that you can see some great artists and performances. Then
we have the farmer's market that's wonderful. And then of
course we have the craft brewery scene. So the Alchemist,
for example, is here along with Stow Cider and Traps
(08:11):
has their own signature beers and so it's just like
you can get all that like place to eat, drink
and play and do fun activities.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
It's funny. When I started doing this podcast, I don't
know a few months back, it did not occur to
me how every single conversation at some point would involve
a local craft brewery like every place. And look, I
love it, don't get me wrong. I love to go
visit different places and see the different breweries wherever I go.
But it's so funny to me how every place sort
of hags their hat on a couple of different spots
(08:42):
in their area. And I never would have thought it
would come up quite as often.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
As it has. Yeah, yeah, it's really becoming the scene
of that, I suppose.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
And Vermont, I mean Vermont itself has a lot.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Of craft, whether it's craft cheeses or other kinds of
chocolates or.
Speaker 4 (08:58):
Whatever it is. That it's really that spot for.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
That local small area to build their best tasting, best drinks,
best everything.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
And it's really fun to experience.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, it's the kind of life you expect when you're
going through an area like that. Like you mentioned, like
this is literally a village, Like it's picture what you
think of a mountain village, and this is it. This
is what you're going to get. And I feel like
that is exactly the kind of place where you would
see all these small businesses with their little hanging signs
about the craft cheeses and whatever, like, that's where you
expect to see. You don't expect to see targets and walmarts.
(09:32):
You expect to see the local people doing their thing.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Yes, and I mean there's some shops that you can
go in you literally feel like you're almost almost going
back in time a little bit.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
I love that though, being of experience that, Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Yeah, my brother and his girlfriend. My brother was living
in Idaho for a few years is off topic, but
they moved back to New Hampshire and he was like,
I can't. He said, I can't live in New Hampshire.
It's too busy. And I laughed, and then he said
he's like, we're looking at places, you know, sort of
been like northern Vermont, kind of near Burlington. I was like, okay,
all right, so I guess Stowe's not terribly far from there, right,
Stowe's kind of east of Burlington.
Speaker 3 (10:07):
Yeah, I would say, well, I mean obviously that's where
you fly in for the airport is right there, so
it's really drivable. So we have a great connection with
Burlington and and.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
A lot of people do a couple.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
You know, the way Vermont is you're staying in a
couple of places this year's a couple of places there.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
And you're kind of traveling potentially even around New England.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
So Carr, you mentioned you have a family you really
love living up there. I have a family. I've got
a three and a half year old. Gosh, she's going
to be four before I know it. But I wonder, like,
you know, family friendly up there, and still I imagine
there's lots to do for just about everybody.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
Yeah, so we.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Have a lot of different options, I would say indoor
and outdoor. So like indoor, we have the swimming hole
that you can check out. That's if it's a rainy
day and you want to check out a place to
go swimming, or if you want to visit the local
of Vermont Ski and Snowmore Museum or the Current the
gallery there. There's lots of little shops and fun things
(11:02):
to do as well as there's lots of easy accessible
hikes and you can your kids could take their bikes
and go on the bike path during the time, and
there's just also really fun little places to check out
along the bike path that the little beautiful river that
connects through and brooks, So they can stop and play
along the way, so it's just a fun experience.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I love that you said I love that you said
easy hikes, because I'm picturing like I would love to
go on a hike with my daughter, but I know
we're going to get about fifty yards into it and
she's gonna go.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Carry me, carry y.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
Yeah, been there, done that.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
You mentioned something else earlier too, about how you can
see the vistas when you're up there, and something that
I always have in my memory, this vivid memory of
going snowboarding up in that region and being like on
top of the mountain and just looking out along the
horizon and seeing all of the other resorts right like
you could just see all these huge peaks with their trails,
(11:58):
and there is there's just beauty there. There's just this
beauty you can't capture in a lot of other places.
Because I've lived closer to the Poconos now for the
last twenty years of my life, and they're great to
go enjoy, don't get me wrong, but you don't have
the same vibe that you would up there in like
New England, where you can just see everything for miles
and miles and miles.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yeah, I'm doing a hiking challenge. Right now, I'm trying
to hike forty four miles in the month of October.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
I'm getting there.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
But yeah, one of my favorite things is seeing all
of you know, getting to the top of you hike.
It's really got to make it worth it by having
the beautiful visiness. But it's also really accessible here too
because you can take we have the toll road that
you can drive up and then do a little more
hiking if you want, or you can take a gondola
ride and be able to experience it, and it is
it's absolutely magical, like being up at the top of
(12:52):
that mountain. And I love that you have a variety
of ways to get there if you want to do
really vigorous hikes or just be able to get up
there and a different Let's.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
Talk about that for a second, because I know Stowe
itself is a town and it's got the village and
all that, but there is the mountain that's used primarily
for skiing in the winter time, but there's a lot
of other options at the mountain throughout the year as well.
And you just mentioned the gondola ride and that's one
of those things. But let's talk about some other options
that the actual resort.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Has, the resort itself outside well just in general the
destination as a whole cross country skiing is also really big.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
So just thinking of.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
In the wintertime, for example, Trap has a lot of options,
and if you know anything about Traps in terms of
obviously the signature sound of music and the whole Trap
family moving here and so their location is also really beautiful.
And we also get fat biking that happens in the
winter as well, and so in the opportunity just in
all those different times. And what's really nice is there's
(13:48):
integral like ski So if you're into skiing, there's lots
of options. But also if you, for example, you come
back in the summer and you're really big into mountain biking,
you can literally mountain bike and then come down and
again I'm going to mention it again, but you can
go down and get a beer like within a within
a within a moment.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
So it's just like really nice.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
How you can really have your your day planned out
and so much to do in one day and like
have a cozy retreat one minute and be really active
another minute.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
I know, as the winter comes in again, we mentioned skiing,
but you also have other events, like I know the
Winter Carnivals coming up in January. That's right around the
corner believe it or not.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
Yeah, that's held in January.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
And there's ice carvings throughout that people have in front
of their businesses.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
It's really fun.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
You can also see them carving before and there's lots
of fun activities. There's also the Stow Derby. It's the
oldest downhill across country ski race in North America that
happens and that's really fun. And then like I mentioned earlier,
the traditional Christmas and Stow and other events, winter rounds review,
lots of fun things come up.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
I think in the spring too, you start getting into
isn't there like a bike race to get to the
top of the mountain or something like that.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Yes, there's a number of different ones. We actually have
one coming up that's the Vermont ten.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
Miler, which yes, coming up in November.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
That's a scenic race that draws runners from across the
country to experience the beautiful fall.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
So that one's also coming up something.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
That I thought would be really cool too. As I
saw on your website, which is gostow dot com, that's Stowe.
So ghost Stow dot Com is the music on the
in the Meadow Music in the Meadow and the jazz festival.
I can just imagine that being in that environment, like
among the mountains, the trees and summertime in New England
is just a beautiful time to be there. I just
(15:29):
imagine it's just magical to experience that.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
It's really cool to be able to, like, you know,
see the beautiful besta as you're listening to music and
you're like, okay, pinch myselfwhere am I right now? Yeah,
it's gorgeous. And you mentioned Ghostow. So our organization is
also celebrating eighty years Wow.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
This coming June twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
So we've been around for a long time as a
destination marketing organization and we also run a visitor center,
so anyone who comes into town can stop by the
little red building and come in and will help you
with anything you need. And then we also run a
central reservation and booking platform, so we really help support
the whole experience from marketing to get people to come
(16:14):
to the destination enjoy it, to booking the rooms and
then helping them and guide them along their adventure here.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
What is the hotel scene like up there, because in
my head I'm picturing a lot of like b and bs,
But I wonder what are the hot spots that people
like to check out in Still Yeah, I mean we have.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
A variety of like cozy inns, B and b's, so
we definitely have those which are great. And then we
also have mid size properties that offer a little bit
more that resort feel that you're looking for, with lots
of family friendly activities and things going on right on
the rand at the resort itselves, and then all the
way up to you know, ski and ski out or
(16:53):
anything right there that is right on the mountain, depending
on the activity that you want to do. So it's
really a diverse range of lodging properties. And then also
obviously we have a big short term rental varieties for
people as well to book I.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Have another embarrassing thing to admit about myself, and that
is that I've never stayed at a ski in, ski
out like place. And I'm so sad that that's the case,
because I guess because I lived up there, it was
just so easy to do day trips. We didn't stay
places very often, but I've always wanted to stay in
a ski in ski out place.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
Yeah, it's really awesome.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I mean, that's to be able to have the logist
prius peak right there. But the way that our town,
like I said, is really this eco system of in
the summer with the wreck path and the way the
village interconnects and the roads you can get anywhere really
really intuitively and efficiently.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
And then also in the winter we have the Mountain
Road Shuttle.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
So no matter where you're staying, we really encourage people
to just like just don't think about it, leave your car,
take your stuff, go up to the mountain using the shuttle,
and so really no matter where you stay, you have
an opportunity to have great skiing and great experience.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
There's obviously a lot of people like yourself that live
over there in Stow and they call it home and
that's where they have their business. But we do know
Stowe obviously relies very heavily on having people come to
visit and take part in the local atmosphere. What's it
like to live in an area that does have so
many people just kind of coming in and out.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Well, I always like to call Vermont more a broader
community because people who live and work here, you're getting
people that live everything.
Speaker 4 (18:34):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Someday when you come visit, you'll see that small towns
are interconnected here. Like you mentioned Burlington's early forty five
minutes away, So there's a lot of towns within the
region that really connect, and so you may have employees
that work and live in different places. And I think
that's the beauty of Stowe and Vermont itself is that
we really partner and collaborate with our area of towns
(19:00):
and we're all in it together in that way. So
I would say that's a really key piece to Vermont itself.
And then also, you know, embracing that part of about
tourism and that what it has to offer and why
you came in the first place to want to experience
it that right, So we're gotting a lot of people
who experienced stuff for the first time and.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
Then want to maybe move here someday. Things like that, Oh.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
My gosh, I tell my wife all the time, like,
I want to move to a place like Vermont where
it's quiet and calm and I can live a happy,
relaxed life.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Get out.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
I love living in a city, don't get me wrong,
because I like what a city can bring, and I
like the opportunities that a city has. But there is
something about that village atmosphere where I can go down
to my local coffee shop get a drink, and I
go stop and see my friends that run the store
next door. Whatever it is, there's just something about that
atmosphere that is so appealing.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Yes, it's kind of where you can say hello to
people and people really there's that connectiveness to it which
is really fun about a small town living.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
And you mentioned Burlington again too, Like you could fly
into Burlington and rent a car and get over to
Stow pretty easily. I think Stowe is kind of a
nice little central spot because it's not too far from
New Hampshire either. Like if you want to do like
a nice trip up to New England and just kind
of get around, you could stay in Stow and make
it sort of your central location.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
Yeah, that's what we get a lot of people doing that.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
They'll stay, some people stay, you know, a week, some
people stay three nights or two nights, and then they're
kind of using it as a jumping off point like
you mentioned, which is.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Really awesome and all along one hundred.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
There's lots of fun things to do even on the way,
so it's like you're basically all these great places like
Cold Hollo cider Mill is right there, Ben and Jerry's
all these places right up to when you go to Stow,
so you might not get to your place and you
have time to stop at all the wonderful places along
the way.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Oh my gosh, I got to get back up there.
It has been too long since the last time I
was in the Burlington area. I want to say, was gosh,
probably like nineteen ninety nine. I was looking at Middlebury,
almost going to Middlebury College, and I did not ultimately
go there, but I was really set on that that
was the last time I think I was there, which
I can't believe how fast twenty five years is passed.
(21:15):
So tell me more about your experience there, And I
want to know what's your favorite thing about living in
still What, Like you said, you have a family, You've
got a nine year old, and what is your favorite
thing to do as a family up there.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
Well, I'm a booty.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Okay, all right, that's okay, don't say it like that,
own it. It's okay.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
I mean, I love the outdoors.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
That's that's a key reason for living and living in
the mountains in general. So to be able to experience
skiing is great, and ice skating and all those fun
things is so great in the winter to be able
to do that.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
But then also, I'm a.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Big camper, so I enjoy getting out at the state parks.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
And there's a wonderful state parks in the area as well.
So yeah, all of it.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
But I would say, yeah, I just love the variety
of food options living here. I'm also or you know,
being able to be like, ooh, I'm going to check
out this cafe or I'm going to check out that, Okay,
So trying to mix it up and experience different ones,
that's that's the favorite thing for me.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Well, I'm glad you mentioned that, actually, because I'm just
going to speak from my experience. I feel like when
you start talking about smaller towns and villages, you don't
necessarily have like the quote unquote hot spots for food.
But I feel like where you are, you're going to
have some really cool and creative options and some really
great chefs.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Yeah, and it's fun, and so I think I really
appreciate that piece of it. To be able to, you know,
the nightlife is really great here too, so you can
experience the music and then you can go out and have,
you know, dinner, and you're kind of able to do
a lot for a really small town and small place
in that way, and there's a lot that you can
(22:58):
I think that's why people love to come visit he too,
because there's some things that they're like, oh, it's not
what I get from the city, but it still has
a little bit of that, So they're like my home
away from home kind of feeling.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah, like it it's a quiet village, but it's also
not a boring village, right, Yeah. Yeah, Well, the problem
with this podcast for me is that everybody I talked
to sells me on where they live and what they're promoting.
And I really want to go again. And I've got
a nice long list of all these places I have
to visit now, but I do have to get Stow
back on that list. Oh my gosh. I, like I
said the beginning, I can't believe that I haven't been
(23:30):
to Stow in all of these years of my life
and seeing the name on bumper stickers and everywhere growing up.
But yeah, it's added to the list officially. Carrie, where
can people go? Where's the best place to go for
someone that's looking to find out more information or maybe
start planning their trip.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Yeah, I would say right on our website, gostow dot
com would be where you can find a lot of information.
And like I said earlier, we do also run a
call center and visitor center. Say you can call us
also their number right there if you want to speak
to someone and get the local local help right away
(24:07):
to tell you a little bit more detail about what's
going on.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Carrie Simmons, the executive director for ghost Ow or of
the Stowe Area Association. If you will, Carrie, it's been
a pleasure talking to you. Thank you for letting me
reminiss a little bit about my time growing up in
New England and for sharing more about Stowe. I appreciate you.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Yeah, thank you so much for having us and good
luck with all the adventures you're going on. For every
single interview you have, you're gonna have to have it
a world for now.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
I guess, so, I guess big thank you to Carrie
Simmons for her time. I so want to make a
visit to Stowe, Vermont next year. It's been too long
since I've been in Vermont. If you want to find
out more information and start planning your trip, you can
visit ghostow dot com. That's goo Stowe dot com ghostow
(24:51):
dot com. And thank you to all of you for
listening to Delightful Destination today. Thank you for sharing some
of your time with me. Until next time, be well,
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