I never thought my first trip through Mount Royal Park would be trekking on snow shoes, or for that matter at night. However, after strapping on these large racket-shaped frames designed to keep me from falling through the snow, I tentatively set out on what would end up being the most wonderful experience ever. While following an authentically clad, blue toqued guide to the top, she spoke to us about the history of the park, the flora and fauna, and the animals that make their homes there. Before we knew it we were standing underneath the Mount Royal Cross at the top.

After enjoying some hot chocolate, we slowly wound our way back down, and returned to Masion Smith where there is also a small cafe. You can coordinate a tour for your family from there. I cannot wait to go back to Mount Royal! I want to go back in the summer and bike it and hike it and pack a picnic and just explore it.

The newest performing arts center to northern Vermont does not disappoint. However, there are a few things to consider to make this a great visual experience for all members of your family.

Our family was excited to visit the newly opened SPPAC and we chose Celtic Crossroads as our first event. First off, the show and performance was amazing and a lot of fun to watch and listen. The theatre is a lot smaller than the Flynn Theatre. I would describe it as "intimate" and a perfect setting to get up-close-and-personal with a performance. I recommend that you check their schedule for upcoming shows and grab the family for a night out.

We reserved our tickets early and thought we were selecting an ideal row/seat for the performance. We chose the middle of first row (M) in the Mezzanine thinking that it would give our kids a higher vantage point. Unfortunately, there was a lighting/sound board station position in the center last row of the Orchestra seats that made it difficult to have an unobstructed view of the performance. The staff was very apologetic and offered to move us during intermission, which two of us did. Ideally, the SPPAC should show this on the seat map when purchasing tickets.

Now that we have been, we would recommend you consider the following seating areas as the best options for adults and kids:

1. Front Row - the stage is only about 2-3 feet off the floor so you get the feeling of being on stage. And watch out, you just might find your self there. During our performance, the artists more than once tried to entice a kid or two join them!

2. Orchestra - if not the first row, then we think rows D-F would be best. Do note that the pitch in the Orchestra section is low so we would not recommend these seats for shorter members of your family.

3. Mezzanine - as noted, you probably want to avoid the first row (M) but any row in the center is perfecting viewing and a great location for sound.

4. Box Left/Right - if you can get some of the free standing seats closer to the stage, go for it. You are a little higher than the Orchestra seating so you have a nice view.

A few other things to note: The seats are little hard but I wouldn't say uncomfortable. Show called for 7PM, but lights went down 20 minutes later. Want to grab dinner beforehand? There is The Cottage located nearby that is as cozy and intimate as the SPPAC. A little pricey, but very convenient.

My family of four, children ages 11 & 14, checked into Stowe Mountain Resort in late January 2013. We arrived on Friday night during the “rush”. We pulled up to a very long valet parking line. I was pretty sure we were in for a long check-in process. I couldn’t haven been more wrong. This luxury resort operates like a well-oiled machine. It was like something out of a movie. Multiple valets came streaming out of the hotel with bell-carts ready to take everyone’s luggage, skis and cars. We were inside in less than 5 minutes. Soon after that we were settled into our Ridgeline one-bedroom suite in the south wing.

I am pretty sure this suite was bigger than my first apartment and definitely better appointed. We had a full sized gourmet kitchen with a separate eating area, a living room with a sleeper sofa, a separate king-sized bedroom and an oversized marble finished bathroom. There were lots of little touches that make it feel amazingly comfortable for our family too like a stacked washer/dryer unit, a fireplace and the most luxurious sheets we have ever slept on.

It is good to know ahead of time that most guest rooms type feature some sort of kitchen or kitchenette. You can bring your own food or if you forget, the hotel has a great little shop that sells just about everything. It is part sundries, part clothing store, and part souvenir shop. You will find milk, half & half, OJ, english muffins, cheese and crackers, frozen lasagna, and organic juice boxes. If you forgot your bathing suit or need some Darn Tough ski socks, they can help you out with that too. Perhaps you want to bring home a little slice of Vermont? Grab a Simon Pierce bowl or Shelburne Farms cookbook.

One of the nicest things about staying a first-rate hotel is first-rate service. Although you keep your boots in your room, our family really appreciated the Ski Valet. If you want to avoid the line in the Ski Valet room, be sure to call ahead so your gear can brought out on a cart and be waiting for you to hit the slopes. This simple thing makes staying in at a ski resort with kids great especially all their stuff. The less gear you have to lug around the better.

Once our family got out on the mountain they enjoyed two full days of skiing on world-class terrain. Stowe has invested in its state-of-the-art snowmaking operations, just incase Mother Nature doesn’t pull through so the conditions are usually terrific. We always appreciate that this is an all high-speed lift access mountain. It means less time getting to the top and more time skiing. We are usually totally content to ski and ride only at Spruce Peak. There are plenty of beginner and intermediate trails, with just a few black diamonds thrown in. However my husband and daughter decided to try the Toll Road on the big side of the mountain. This 3.7-mile trail is a long lazy run. Some might say it is narrow, but they disagree. Getting back and forth between the two mountains is simple; there is an “Over Easy” gondola. You can also use this if you want to take the mountain gondola up to the Cliff House for a meal.

Apres-ski we spent time in the hotel’s heated outdoor pool and hot tubs. Unfortunately, we weren't able to check out the game room as it was converted into meeting space during our stay for a large medical group that was also staying at the hotel. On Saturday night the only organized kids activity ($) was “build-a-bear”, my daughter (age 11) was a little old for this though she did it anyway and the free movie was Horton Hears a Who. My son was disappointed that there was no laser tag. It was a bit surprising despite the fact that the hotel was crawling with kids. We ended up just ordering food at the Hourglass bar and eating in front of the roaring fireplaces and playing cards. Which ended up being a great way to end our day.

Some things to know:

- A rollaway bed is going to cost you $35/night (plus taxes)
- The hotel is valet only - $19/night (plus taxes)
- The hotel is pet friendly, like many places in Vermont (a real plus for dog lovers), but if you don’t love pets, know that dogs are only allowed stay on certain floors/certain rooms. Dogs are not allowed in restaurants.
- You can request a late check out. It will cost you $75, but it gets you your room until 6:00 pm! Totally worth it for a full day if skiing. Shower, change, pack up and head out. No rush. No hassle.


Disclosure: While I was invited to Stowe Mountain Resort and they paid for most of my expenses, my review reflects the honest opinions of my experience without outside influence.

My family of four, children ages 11 & 14, stayed at Stowe Mountain Resort in late January 2013. On our first night we had dinner at the Resort’s AAA Four Diamond restaurant, Solstice. It is located adjacent to the Hourglass bar and lounge, which is the more casual of the two in-house dinning options. If you don’t make a reservation for Solstice, you will likely find yourself dinning first-come, first-serve at the Hourglass.

Despite the formal appearance of the menu, with items like New England Lobster Cocktail with American Sturgeon Caviar or Slow Roast Prime Rib of Beef, you might think that kids aren’t welcome. Well, they are! They actually have an entire menu dedicated just to kids! I think parents will really appreciate, what I think is the most extensive kids menu for "growing youngsters", that I have ever seen. It had lots of choices like the fluffernutter sandwich, a Nutella sandwich, hidden veggie-pepperoni Mac and cheese, junior sliders and more.

In addition to the kids’ menu, during busy season and on weekends, there is a kids buffet. My children helped themselves to generous portions of delicious mac & cheese and some of the best chicken fingers ever (I had to taste them!)

We were treated to a special flatbread and local beer tasting. We tried the Back Country, the Carnivore and the Vegetarian Mushroom. They were all paired with 5 different local Vermont beers. My favorite was the Rock Art Hourglass Ale, made by Rock Art, but just for Stowe Mountain Resort.

Although we were stuffed, we did try dessert. I would recommend the Hourglass black & white ice cream sandwich - a double chocolate chip Cookie with vanilla Ice Cream and a puddle of fudge Sauce. Need I say more?


Disclosure: While I was invited to Stowe Mountain Resort and they paid for most of my expenses, my review reflects the honest opinions of my experience without outside influence.

Adults know that after a full day on the slopes there is nothing better than relaxing at the spa. For $25, you can treat your children to this special experience too. My daughter, age 11 and son, age 14, enjoyed a "Chillax Session" during our weekend stay at the Stowe Mountain Lodge in late January, 2013.

After we checked in, the kids were given robes to wear over their clothes. Then they were led outside (a little strange, but the kids didn't seem to mind) and into a separate treatment room across the way where there were four papsyan chairs set up with foot rests. The chairs/stations were separated by thin sheer drapes which you could pull down or back if you were having your treatment with a friend or sibling.

After getting them settled, I was told that I could leave and they would be relaxed and ready for pick up in 30 minutes.

My children described their treatment like this: "It awesome! First they used head scratchers on our heads. Then they painted chocolate on our faces. After that she put cucumbers on our eyes to reduce swelling. While we had chocolate masks on our face she put coconut oil on our hands and feet and massaged them. To remove the chocolate mask, she put hot towels on our faces, all the while we were listening to jazzy music. For the last part of the treatment we picked out sleeping masks -- while we had them on our eyes, she put warm wax sheets, that smelled like pears, on our feet to make them smooth. "

For the finishing touch, my daughter had whoopie pie cream rubbed on her feet and hands. My son could not have this as he has a nut allergy and that cream wasn't nut-free.

This treatment sounded absolutely delicious! Chocolate, cucumbers, pears and whoopie pie! They smelled so good at pick up time, I just wanted to gobble them up. I know they loved going to the spa. The only bummer was that kids are not allowed to use "Healing Lodges" where the indoor jacuzzi is located. You have to be 15 and older. Luckily the resort does have an outdoor heated pool and two hot tubs which they enjoyed at another time during our stay.

Disclosure: While we was invited to The Spa at Stowe Mountain Lodge and they paid for most of our expenses, my review reflects the honest opinions of my experience without outside influence.