Vermont Has Much More to Offer Than Just Winter Skiing Activities

In this day of resorts that try to blend into the scenery but all too often fail, it’s comforting to find one that’s known worldwide yet doesn’t have so much as a post office.

Sugarbush is near Waitsfield. It’s also near Warren, Mad Valley Glen, Irasville and other places you probably never heard of unless you’re a dedicated skier.

Vermont’s Green Mountains hide many resorts in their great stands of beech, birch, elm, maple and poplar. Sugarbush once had the reputation of being the most chic for crowds bent on showing off the very latest in glitzy ski wear. So much so that its most popular skiing area earned the nickname “Mascara Mountain.”

Although the ski-to-be-seen set is still around, Sugarbush has become a year-round family resort where horseback riding, hiking, tennis, golf, sailplane soaring and the fall influx of foliage seekers account for most of its visitors.

Getting here: Fly USAir, United or Continental to Burlington, Vt., for about $405-$468 round trip, depending upon advance-purchase and day of week flown. The bus service isn’t the greatest, so plan on driving to Sugarbush in about an hour.

How long/how much? Most visitors stay at least a week, winter or summer. Make reservations early for foliage season. Many inns here quote prices based on half-pension, but they’re still moderate. Ski-season costs usually climb from those mentioned below. The end of March through April are considered the “mud months” in New England and should be avoided.

Getting settled in: The Inn at Round Barn Farm (Box 247, Waitsfield 05673; $85-$125 B&B; double) sits beside a round barn built in 1910 and is one of Vermont’s few remaining examples of this Shaker structure. Recently opened as an inn, the main house and grounds are a symphony of flowers. Of the six rooms, all with bath, two have Jacuzzis, two have canopied beds and each has handmade quilts and wall stenciling.

The Waitsfield Inn (Box 969, Waitsfield 05673; $100-$130 double, half-pension) has stood since 1825, with the common room an old barn added a decade later. It’s a spread out and informal place, with the former barn now warmed by a fireplace, original planked flooring, bookcases and comfortable couches.

Some of the bedrooms have lofts, handcarved wooden beds and beamed ceilings. Dining is a combination of continental and traditional Vermont, with a choice of main courses at dinner. A simple wine list also is available.

Tucker Hill Lodge (Box 147, Waitsfield 05673; $130-$178 double, half-pension) has gained national acclaim for its cozy atmosphere and magnificent food. It’s set on a wooded hillside surrounded by stone walls and English gardens, and has a pool and tennis courts.

The simple and rustic bedrooms have rag rugs in bright colors, oak furniture and old-fashioned coverlets on the beds. And there’s a separate 1805 farmhouse with handhewn beams and fireplace that’s suitable for a family or two or three couples who want privacy, with their own garden and mountain stream.

Regional food and drink: One of the things that jumps out at you about Vermont dining is the superior quality of the veal and turkey. Look for both on menus.

Many inns and restaurants make good use of the fiddlehead ferns, wild leeks and the blueberries, raspberries and strawberries that seem to blanket the state. You’ll find the berries and their jams and jellies sold at roadside stands throughout the season.

Maple syrup and wonderful Cheddar cheeses are Vermont staples, with apple cider the only indigenous drink.

Good dining: Millbrook Lodge (Vermont 17, Waitsfield) has an atmospheric dining room in an 1850 building crammed with antiques and original art. Just about everything is homemade here, including the breads and pastas. Many vegetables come from the inn’s garden. Millbrook does all sorts of veal dishes in marvelous ways, plus chicken, seafood and pastas. Meal prices $11 to about $17.

Beggars Banquet (Vermont 100, Waitsfield 05673) is an unpretentious place, yet has an open terrace surrounded by flower beds for summer dining. Expect good homemade soups, generous salads and hearty sandwiches. There’s a full dinner menu, and Sunday night’s specialty is Mexican food.

The dining room at Tucker Hill Lodge is small and romantic. Try the ravioli of house-made pasta filled with rabbit flavored with Pommery mustard, shallots, honey and thyme, or perhaps the Maine Spinney Creek oysters. Then select from a menu that includes fresh New England bluefish grilled and served with a saute of tomato fillets, red onion and garlic, finished with fresh-basil butter and steamed lobster claws. Or choose the farm-raised partridge grilled and served on a bed of fresh fava beans, summer cabbage and julienne of ham.

On your own: Summer activities in the Waitsfield-Sugarbush area include trout fishing, canoeing, bicycling, outdoor concerts, antique and covered-bridge stalking, folk-music festivals, horse shows and gymkhanas.

Sugarbush Village also has a sports center featuring indoor-outdoor pools, squash courts, whirlpools, indoor tennis courts, saunas, massage rooms and 20 Universal and Nautilus rigs for the really dedicated.

Or you may just sit on a mountainside, do a little bird watching and rest up for ski season.

For more information, call the Sugarbush Chamber of Commerce toll-free at (800) 828-4748, or write to Box 173, Waitsfield 05673, for a brochure on Sugarbush, another on coming events, plus other information you might need.