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Hotels in Stowe, Vermont

The Lodge at Spruce Peak

You can stay right in the heart of the mountains at The Lodge at Spruce Peak. This four diamond luxury property has a variety of guest rooms, studios, suites, penthouses, and residences in addition to several on-site restaurants, a spa, fitness center, and a salon. This is a great option if you want to be right in the heart of the action during the summer, spring, winter, or fall. But in the fall? Wow, imagine peaking out that window during peak fall foliage!

Outbound Stowe

Another popular hotel is Outbound Stowe, located a few miles from Mt. Mansfield and offering access to Stowe's Recreation Path. You can stay in more classic king or queen bed rooms, depending on your needs — or you can even rent out cabins, suites, and pool-side rooms. This property offers on-site dining and has pools and fire pits to sit around on those brisk autumn evenings.

Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge

Last but not least, Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge is located less than five miles from Vermont's highest ski mountain and offers access to backcountry trails to be one with nature. The property has 53 rooms and is filled with amenities including indoor/outdoor pools, fire pits, a game room, and a bar. At the bar, you'll notice they utilize the Bartesian to create quality cocktails and mocktails in seconds. All you have to do is select the pod you want and the machine does the work for you. It's such a neat concept that'll give you an affordable, premium-quality drink in minutes.

Attractions in Stowe

Cold Hollow Cider Mill

If you're in the mood for delicious cider donuts, apple cider, and fresh-baked sweet treats, then you'll definitely want to make a pit stop at Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Not only can you see a cider press in action, but also donuts being made in house. Aside from pastries, you'll also find an assortment of jams, jellies, honey, tea, condiments, and spices on the shelves that come from local vendors in Vermont.

Ben & Jerry's Factory

Ice cream lovers will rejoice when they visit the Ben & Jerry's factory. Technically, the factory is in Waterbury, but...it's only a 20 minute drive from Stowe — close enough to have it on this list! The factory is home to exclusive merchandise, a scoop shop, photo opportunities, and a guided tour for guests. Tickets for the guided tour are available online and in person, however, it's highly recommended to purchase ahead of time since they tend to sell out quickly. The tour provides a glimpse into the history of the company with a short video, followed by a look at the production line, and a tasting opportunity.

Stowe Gondola SkyRide

Unless you're afraid of heights, then you'll want to take a trip on this gondola that provides views of Stowe from the top of Mt. Mansfield. On top of the mountain, you'll find a gift shop and a few restaurants including The Cliff House and The Waffle. It's open daily from June 15 to October 20 and is $40 per adult and $26 per child. Tickets are available online and in-person, but it does sell out quickly.

Other attractions you'll want to check out while in Stowe include the Noyes House Museum and Green Mountain Distillers for tastings and unique opportunities you won't find anywhere else.

Shopping in Stowe

The Country Store

Located on Main Street, The Country Store has kitchenware, gadgets, home decor, bedding, and other trinkets that you can pick up while in the green mountain state. You'll find brands including Geometry, Jellycat, Matouk, Pom Pom London, and Casafina at this store located two doors down from the Stowe Community Church.

The Fly Rod Shop

The outdoorsy folks will want to make a stop to The Fly Rod Shop which is home to everything and anything fishing related. Aside from gear and tools, they also offer guided tours and trips including ice fishing, fall boat tours, fly tying classes, and even free casting clinics.

Transportation in Stowe

While downtown Stowe is walkable, you'll need a car to get just about anywhere and everywhere else. Uber and Lyft are very unreliable in the area so you'll want to consider transportation ahead of time. Go Stowe has some options for reliable car services and travel companies in the area.

The Vermont Explorer

I highly recommend Gary from The Vermont Explorer. He offers rides to and from Stowe's most popular tourist attractions, airports, and anywhere else you could possibly want to visit. He also does tours of some of the local breweries, a fall foliage tour, and a mountain tour. He's extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and offers fair prices for her his services.

Additional Taxi and Car Services

Other travel services include Patriot Transport, Sub Zero Taxi, GOGO Charters, Neil’s Wheels. I can't speak directly on these services since I haven't used them, but they are recommended by Stowe's tourism board.

Dining in Stowe

Tipsy Trout

The Tipsy Trout offers guests with a menu filled with fresh seafood and an extensive wine list. Not only is the food sustainably sourced, but the restaurant has breathtaking views of Mt. Mansfield so you can eat in a picturesque environment. Some popular menu items include crab cake sliders, seared scallops, lobster agnolotti, and salmon poke.

Harrison's Restaurant

Open Wednesday to Saturday, Harrison's Restaurant is a family-owned restaurant that has local and seasonal offerings for customers. As soon as you walk in, you'll get a very woodsy, home grown feel — exactly what I'm looking for when I need a cozy meal on a fall evening. The menu has an assortment of fish, meat, pastas, soups, and salads plus kid-friendly options, too.

Cliff House Restaurant

If you decide to take the gondola, then you'll definitely want to stop by Cliff House Restauranton the top of Mt. Mansfield. This restaurant is very popular and encourages a reservation (although walk-ins are welcome) and gives customers a one-hour window to eat. I mean, just imagine these views come October!

Does Stowe, Vermont have a downtown?

Yes, Stowe does have a downtown area. It's pretty walkable and has a few well-preserved historic buildings and many entertainment, shopping, and dining offerings for visitors.

Is Stowe a walkable town?

Downtown Stowe is walkable, however, to get to different places you'll either need to have a rental car or utilize a car service. Be sure to plan ahead the distance between attractions you're looking to visit so you can time everything accordingly.

How many days do you need in Stowe?

The amount of days you need to spend in Stowe depends on what you're trying to see and do. For example, if you want to check out several hiking trails and ski, then you may want to stay closer to five days. On the other hand, if you want to peruse the downtown area, look at the autumn foliage, and get a general feel for the town, then two or three days is definitely sufficient.

There's so much to love about Sonoma — which is just a 1.5 hour drive from SFO — from the small town charm around the plaza to the hiking trails at the Sonoma Overlook to the friendly walk-in wineries that rival the more posh ones in nearby Napa. With acclaimed restaurants like Valley Bar and Bottle, Cafe La Haye, El Molino Central, we have amazing food options, making the city-to-country swap much less of a sacrifice. The weather is also fantastic for summer-lovers through October, when the six-month dry season ends.

Wineries host everything from live music to Broadway theatre to yoga and meditation too. OK, enough with my hometown boast. Here's how to spend a perfect girls weekend in Sonoma this harvest season and beyond.

Day 1: Spa Day

The Lodge at Sonoma is one of my favorite spa experiences in the town of Sonoma, with a relaxing pool and sauna area, plus cozy private reading pods that you can lounge in before you get your treatment. Stay and/or book your spa treatment here to start your girls weekend (you can book a yoga class beforehand too). You can have lunch poolside or toss on a sundress and hop over to nearby MacArthur Hotel (another favorite) for lunch at their darling outdoor restaurant Layla.

After your leisurely lunch at Layla, stroll around the Sonoma Plaza for shopping: Jak Z for home decor lovers; The Loop, KJB, Wildeflower, and Perlé for fall fashion; and Chateau Sonoma for your Francophile fix. After picking up your next fall read at Readers' Books, grab a scoop or two at Sweet Scoops, homemade ice cream sourced with local ingredients like lemons, peaches, berries, and even wine!

The Fairmont Mission Inn & Spa is another must on my visitor list — cozy outdoor fire pits are perfect for grabbing a bite and a cocktail in the evening. You can stay overnight here too, and they have a great spa with mineral pools, but you can definitely take advantage of their amenities and Santé restaurant (a good brunch spot) without an overnight stay.

Day 2: Wine Tasting

Harvest season is a beautiful time to visit Sonoma with rolling hills of lush vineyards that start to change color toward late fall. I suggest a day trip to Healdsburg for your second day in Sonoma County. Drive up scenic Highway 12 toward Santa Rosa and visit the French-inspired chateau at Jordan Winery, a scenic Alexander Valley estate with oak and olive trees, a 2-acre garden (it's the largest winery pollinator sanctuary in the country), lakes, and the perfect grapevine backdrop for your IG stories.

Book Jordan's Paris on the Terrace Harvest Lunch or Pizza Cooking Class & Luncheon in October, or dress up for a magical Halloween tasting experience with fall-inspired hors d’oeuvres made by Michelin star-rated chef Jesse Mallgren.

Another favorite wine tasting experience is taking a drive up to Reeves Winery in Dry Creek Valley. Sip small production wines in their open air veranda, surrounded by craggy oak trees, grapevines, and a Great Pyrenees named Guy.

Healdsburg has its own town square with boutiques, galleries, a bookstore, and gourmet restaurants like the plant-based Little Saint, Valette (the Day Boat Scallops en Croute are a must table experience!), and Barndiva.

Day 3: Bike Ride

Back in Sonoma, grab bikes at your hotel or home stay, or rent them, and ride along the Sonoma city bike path that cuts straight through the town, along Montini Open Space Preserve, the Train Museum, and country roads lined with vineyards and berry bushes. Ride to the Sunflower Caffe at the downtown plaza (it has a darling garden in the back) or grab fresh paninis at Sonoma's Best, which also has a cute garden in the back with a few cottage stays.

The bike path leads to Bartholomew Estate Winery, where you can grab a picnic table and a bottle of wine and enjoy your al fresco lunch from Sonoma's Best. Next door is also California's first winery, Buena Vista Winery, built in 1857. There are a bunch of local wineries that are also worth driving to, including Scribe Winery (members only tho), Hamel, and Ram's Gate. Or you can pop by tasting rooms downtown like Pangloss Cellars, Three Sticks, and Roche.

Wrap your long weekend with a dinner at Valley Bar and Bottle and a cocktail at the speakeasy-style Beacon Bar next door, both on the plaza, and come back and visit us soon!

Matt Damon & Luciana Barroso Relationship Timeline

2003 — Matt Damon And Luciana Barroso Meet At A Cute Bar

Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso's cute story blossomed in 2003 during a moment that followed a classic romantic trope. He was filming Stuck on You when he and the crew decided to unwind at a bar, but that's not all.

It just so happens Luciana was bartending that same night. "He had started getting recognized...and then it got kind of aggressive because people are drinking and stuff, and so he came and hid behind my bar," Luciana fondly remembers. (Vogue Australia). However, Matt wasn't an idle celebrity! He once "trained as a bartender for a film" so his skills helped Luciana make "a ton of money in tips!"

Matt also talked about the first time he saw Luciano on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2011 and said, "Eight years and four kids later, that’s my life. I don’t know how else our paths would’ve crossed if that didn’t happen.”

From there, the rest is history!

2005 — Matt Damon And Luciano Barroso Get Married

Following a brief engagement, the couple got married towards the end of 2005. Matt's publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed the low-key wedding occurred at Manhattan's City Hall, and that she wasn't aware it was happening until the morning of (via NY Times).

June 2006 — Matt Damon And Luciano Barroso Welcome Their First Daughter Together

The couple continued to keep the details about their relationship private until the birth of their first daughter was announced. Luciana already had a daughter from a previous marriage, Alexia, that Matt opened up about during an interview in 2011. "I jumped into the deep end with Lucy," he said. "I mean, Alexia was already 4. I was an extra dad..." (via Parade).

Though Matt and Luciana didn't offer any statements to the public, Matt's brother Kyle excitedly gushed about their newborn's arrival. "The baby is here. Isabella arrived...," he said while Jennifer Allen assured that everyone was "very happy" and "healthy" (via People).

August 2008 — Matt Damon And Luciana Barroso Welcome Another Daughter

It seems like Matt and Luciana were destined to be surrounded by girl energy because they welcomed their second daughter together in 2008. Gia Zavala Damon was born a "healthy, beautiful baby girl," according to Matt's publicist Jennifer Allen (via the Daily News), but nothing else was shared about her birth.

October 2010 — Baby Stella Is Born

It's safe to say someone needs to give Matt a 'Girl Dad' award because the couple welcomed another daughter in 2010! Unlike before, the actor dished about her birth and the family's overall dynamics.

"It’s been pretty crazy. The baby came a couple of weeks early. It’s our fourth, so we’ve done it before — but it’s a whole new dynamic," he admitted (via People). He and Luciana eventually had to change their parenting approach because their daughters needed "different things" than they had before.

April 2013 — Matt Damon And Luciana Barroso Happily Renew Their Vows

Matt and Luciana decided to reaffirm their love in St. Lucia, and it was a slightly bigger affair than their wedding. All of their daughters attended as well as close friends Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who were married at the time (via People). A source said, "It was a very family-oriented and happy celebration" where "guests brought their children."

August 2015 — Matt Damon Gives His Candid Opinion About Marriage

While promoting The Martian, Matt shared his thoughts about marriage after he was asked about Ben's wellbeing following the announcement Ben and Jennifer were getting a divorce. Matt said, "I think marriage is insane," before clarifying how he cherishes "being married" to Luciana (via Entertainment Tonight).

August 2019 — Matt Damon Cements His Love For The Women In His Life

A few years later, Matt dedicated his devotion to his wife and four daughters by getting a tattoo of their names. Tattoo artist Daniel Stone had the privilege of helping the actor literally wear his heart on his sleeve in 2019 and wrote, "FOR HIS KIDS #alexia #isabella #gia #stella Honor tattooing one of my favorite actors! #MATTDAMON," in his caption on Instagram.

July 2023 — Matt Damon Gets Real About Battling Depression

Last year, Matt confessed that the only person to help him get through a moment of depression was Luciana. While talking to Jake Hamilton of Jake's Takes, Matt said, "I think, without naming any particular movies, that sometimes you find yourself in a movie that perhaps might not be what you had hoped it would be and you're still making it."

He went on to share how much Luciana encouraged him to look ahead instead of paying attention to any inconveniences he was worried about. Not only that, but he credits her with helping him be a "professional actor" who's able to "do the 15-hour day and give it absolutely everything," no matter what the outcome is.

He later sat down with his co-stars of Oppenheimer and shared the one reason he broke a rule he had in place with Luciana. "I had — not to get too personal — negotiated extensively with my wife that I was taking time off," he revealed (via Entertainment Weekly). The only thing he said could get him to break the agreement was a phone call from filmmaker "Chris Nolan."

It looks like we owe Luciana Barroso a ton of gratitude for being an incredibly supportive partner throughout her and Matt's marriage!