Apres Ski in Smugglers Notch
Smugglers Notch Village
The resort is a purpose-built mountain village designed for families. It is self-contained, with the majority of condominium lodgings slopeside.Smugglers’ Notch resort operates one of the more comprehensive village areas of all Vermont ski resorts. The village is filled primarily with ski-in/ski-out condominiums hosting regular visitors, but many of these regulars will rent out their space to tourists, friends, and family.
The village is located directly alongside the Morse Mountain area of the mountain, and is only a short lift ride and run from the bigger areas of Madonna and Sterling Mountains. Restaurants options abound in the resort village as well, as well as daily games, activities, and some nightlife.
Designed for families, the village area does offer daycare amenities for young children, as well as a world-renown ski school for little ones looking to get active and on the hill. Ski shops and equipment rental stores are also found in the resort village. For those traveling to Vermont in the summer or fall, the village does host a variety of children’s’ camps and activities while the ski slopes are closed. Some warmer-weather activities include hiking on nearby Green Mountain trails, swimming in the resort pools, and zip lining.
All activities and facilities are within an easy walk or free shuttle ride, and the two upper mountain ski areas are also connected by ski trail. If you plan not to venture beyond the village in the evenings, a car is not essential. The village center has a sports store, grocery, equipment rental store, several restaurants, ice skating, tubing, a Nordic center, an indoor pool and hot tub, and the FunZone-an indoor sports and game center for all ages.
A new state-of-the-art daycare center aims to maintain the resort’s leading status within the U.S. as a family destination. The nearest town is Jeffersonville, 6 miles (9.6 km) away at the base of the mountain, which has more restaurants, antique stores, and art galleries.
Smugglers Notch Restaurants & Bars
With the family emphasis and a large proportion of condos, apres ski is about as quiet as it gets.The Black Bear Tavern at the Madonna base offers typical ski resort fair alongside hot drinks, cocktails, and a number of locally brewed beers.
There are a number of more upscale restaurants on the village side of the resort. The Green Mountain Deli serves typical afternoon sandwiches and snacks. Riga-Bellos is the resort pizzeria, situated alongside a Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop for those looking to indulge in a Vermont staple dessert. The Hearth & Candle serves cozy locally grown organic food and also features an adult-only dining section. The Morse Mountain Grille serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktails, all of which have a Vermont flair. Finally, the Bootleggers’ Lounge is Smugglers’ Notch’s only late-night option, serving cocktails in a dance lounge setting.
Vermont Stella Notte and the Brewski are two other popular venues near the resort. Also nearby are the Three Mountain Lodge Restaurant, serving Vermont specialties, and the Smugglers’ Notch Inn, a typical old Vermont building that was once an inn on the stagecoach route. Both are in Jeffersonville.
Smugglers Notch Activities
There are lots of other activities to do at Smugglers’ Notch which are all family orientated.Off the slopes, Smugglers’ Notch offers a variety of activities for all ages. There are 16 miles (27 km) of cross-country and snowshoe tracks to follow, and also tubing, daytime and evening snowmobile outings, dogsledding, and a night school for snowboarding instruction under lights. Family evening entertainment includes parties in the FunZone sports and game center, bingo game night, Karaoke, dance parties, tubing and pool parties.
There is also ice skating. There are two teen centers with evening activities plus pool tables, Internet access, movies, video games, and snacks. Entertainment for adults includes Karaoke, magic and comedy improv shows, and bands.
For those looking to get outdoors but don’t want to ski or snowboard, Smugglers’ Notch offers a variety of activities. Snowshoeing in the surround Green Mountain forests is a favorite, as well as tubing on the surrounding hills and ice-skating in the nearby rink. For the active cross-country skier, Smuggs also features 16 miles (27km) of cross-country terrain. Dogsledding and snowmobile trips are also available for booking, and the village area FunZone hosts a variety of nighttime activities, including games, trivia, dancing, and pool parties.
Down the road in Jeffersonville, Smugglers’ Notch Distillery offers tastings of their locally distilled spirits including whiskey, gin, vodka, and rum. Visitors to this area will also find an abundance of maple sugar shops featuring some of the sweetest and best tasting syrup and candy in North America.