Gadling

A few years ago while on a business trip, I found myself dining with the von Trapp family from The Sound of Music.  Well, not exactly with the family itself, but at the lodge they operate in the mountains of Vermont. 

After fleeing Austrian nuns and Nazis, the von Trapps made their way to the United States in 1939 and eventually opened up a lodge in Stowe, Vermont on 2,700 acres of land.  The Trapp Family Lodge is currently operated by 67 year old Johannes von Trapp, the youngest of Maria and Georg’s 10 children (and one of only three the ex-nun popped out herself). 

The lodge is the quintessential, picture perfect, Vermont ski lodge.  I went in winter when snow was piled high and fireplaces wafted the scent of burning pine through the crisp mountain air.  It was beautiful.  Those expecting a kitschy homage that panders to the film with waitresses and maids dressed in curtains and as nuns, will be disappointed.  There are certainly plenty of family photos and a weekly screening of the film, but no Disneylandesque selling out--except perhaps in the gift shop.  It is simply a fantastic lodge, with some cinematic allure, and a fine restaurant serving local game and other specialties. 

If you’re heading to Stowe this season for some boarding or skiing, take an evening to head up the hill and check it out.  And if you come across love-struck Ralf the Nazi tossing pebbles at Liesl’s window, please punch him in the head for me. 

Filed under: Skiing