By Barry Zeger
There's no event that most families look forward to more than their annual summer escapes together. Maybe it's downtime at a glorious oceanside paradise. Or perhaps a visit to a big city, taking in the exciting sites. Even some adventure travel, with plenty of wonderful activities in the great outdoors to savor.
But for my wife Sue and I, summer vacations weren't experiences that inspired warm Kodachrome memories. Our offspring may have had a blast , but for the two adults on the team, the vibe that summed it all up was more Bananarama ("Cruel Summer") than Sly Stone ("Hot Fun In The Summertime").
Maybe it's due to the fact our 2 young'ns were such awful sleepers when they were young that Sue and I were too obliterated to enjoy any journeys other than brief visits to slumberland. It may also be the destinations that we chose: jaunts to the shore were tiring; theme park expeditions turned out to be pitiless attacks on our senses; and all the other excursions were just yecchh. With that sort of an inauspicious track record, it's understandable that we regarded summer getaways with the same level of gusto that one might have for a colonoscopy prep.
As summer 2012 neared, Sue and I felt confident, rested, and possibly loony enough to take another shot at the family vacation thing - except we had a new challenge: the age difference of our youngsters. With a 14 year-old son (Eddie) and a 10 year old girl (Lee), it was impossible for us to figure out a getaway choice that offered an experience which both youngsters would really like.
Together with finding a destination that appealed to them, we held fast that it also had to appeal to us grown-ups: we positively refused to put the time and effort into planning a summer escape that we weren't able to enjoy too. While in the past we put up with going on trips that were exclusively for the children' benefit, that type of masochism had run its course: it was either going to be fun for all or fun for none!
The Brochures - Sue had saved pamphlets that were mailed to her from Smugglers Notch in Vermont. She was familiar with "Smuggs": she had skied there while she was a student at the University of Vermont in the mid-80s, and she had a warm spot in her heart for the Green Mountain state. Now that we were on a hunt for a summer spot that would meet all our needs, she opened them up and took a look.
Sue didn't realize that Smuggs offered such all-encompassing summer options. She did some research online and found many positive reviews from satisfied warm weather travelers with similar family structures to ours. There were a considerable number of other all-inclusive family resorts and summer vacation ideas that Sue discovered - including Jay Peak Resort in Jay, VT; Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA; Orange Lake Resort in Kissimmee, FL; and Mohonk Mountain House and Rocking Horse Ranch (both in NY state) - but none of them had offerings that came close to the variety and uniqueness of what Smuggs had available.
The reconnaissance was done. The choice was made. And with some luck, Smuggs would be the summer vacation answer that our family was desperately seeking.
The Car Ride - The excursion from New Jersey to Smuggs was a little long, but the route was direct and there wasn't any traffic. Eddie was first to notice the very different landscape as we entered Vermont. The long open views revealed a wide panorama of emerald trees, fields, and mountains. The sky was filled with curiously formed, sharply detailed snow white clouds, almost vertical tubular formations that were unlike the horizontal fuzz puffs we were used to. "OK already, enough with all of this beauty!", he complained facetiously.
First Impressions - Pulling into the Smuggs parking lot, we noticed swarms of movement in all directions: families checking in/out, children shooting hoops on multiple basketball courts, young bros whizzing by on skateboards, stroller-pushing and toddler-carrying moms/dads, campers and counselors about to embark on adventurous treks, kids in swim-suits, and Frisbee dudes.
We arrived at the registration area within The Village Center, which is the centrally located heart of all Smuggs commerce (restaurants, stores, ATM, etc.). The line to check-in was long but it moved fast, and within a couple of minutes, we were unloading our gear at our spacious condo in the Slopeside neighborhood.
The well-equipped kitchen was big and clean, the view from our deck of the encircling mountains was spectacular, and there was lots of organized living space to keep us from crashing into one another. The decorative style was rustic and comfy, and the construction was solid.
To round out our first day, Lee and I checked out the 3 pool complexes on the Smuggs campus. Bonus features at the pools included elaborate waterslides; an in-pool obstacle course, basketball hoop, and water cannons; pool volleyball; and a climbing wall. Eddie and Sue hit a bucket of balls at the driving range, rallied a bit on the tennis court, and went for a short hike up one of the ski slopes. After all this activity, we met at the Morse Mountain Grille and had a laid back dinner, which was tasty, reasonably priced, and located about 100 yards from our condo.
We made it to Smuggs in one piece (OK, make that 4 pieces). We all were stoked. All the facts suggested that this excursion would be the first one that maybe/hopefully/possibly/finally might be embraced and enjoyed by each one of us.
Lee's Camps - Lee is super social. She can't get enough of physical activity, making new friends, and is open for exciting challenges and explorations. Of the many summer choices that Smuggs offered for her age group, Lee selected a water activity camp. For three days, from 9AM to 4PM, Lee was kayaking, swimming in rivers with gentle falls, canoeing, "ex-streaming" (walking through a moving stream and mini-waterfall), catching crawfish, and chasing waterbugs. She liked her counselors, met new friends, and by the end of each day, she was totally and happily exhausted.
Lee was excited by the beautiful settings of nearby lakes, rivers, and streams and the opportunity to do something new every day. Among her favorite experiences (aside from the daily fun at her camp) were tasting fresh kettlecorn for the 1st time at a Smuggs country fair, winning a three-legged race with a pal who she met in camp, watching a giant-size screening of "The Lorax" with a bunch of other children on a massive lawn behind our condo, and discovering a new fave dessert: a Mountain Cupcake at the Morse Mountain Grill.
She was disappointed when we told her that we couldn't move to Smuggs, but we promised that we would figure out a way to bring her back again so she could do the activities and camps that she did not have a chance to try in this visit. Lee's rating of her week at Smuggs: "AWESOME!"
Eddie's Explorations - In new surroundings, Eddie is quiet and guarded. He is not into crowds, unless they're at concerts of his top indie bands (like Animal Collective, Wild Flag, Grizzly Bear, and The Black Keys). An ideal day for Eddie would be scouring through the bins of hole-in-the-wall CD stores in Greenwich Village, eating at a vegetarian falafel restaurant, shopping at a vintage clothing shop, and standing in the front row at a Celebrate Brooklyn show in Prospect Park.
Except for catching a few concerts in Manhattan, Eddie's summer had been uneventful: two members of his band were away, so there wasn't much to fill his days till our Smuggs trip. Sue and I were surprised that he was looking forward to checking out some of Smuggs' many activities, and we hoped that he'd find something that he enjoyed doing.
He did. And not just something, a lot of stuff - including tennis, golfing, ziplining (which he described as a "badass rush"), a Segway tour, kayaking, paddle boarding, and canoeing. All were completely new experiences for him that were easy and convenient to try.
Eddie tried hanging out in the Smuggs Teen Center at night, but it wasn't really his scene. The majority of the kids knew each other from doing activities together throughout the day, and Eddie's not one to roll up and hop into an unfamiliar mix. Their lifestyle tastes also failed to quite mesh with his: they were into Nicki Minaj and Abercrombie & Fitch - while Eddie is more Kurt Vile and Ben Sherman. Overall though, Eddie gave an emphatic thumbs up to his Smuggs getaway. Sue and I were ecstatic (and relieved) that he had such a superb time.
Sue's Nirvana - This was Sue's first trip back to Vermont in 20 years. After we were unpacked and unwound, she immediately realized that she needed to make the pilgrimage back on a more consistent basis. The colors of the country, the views of the mountains, the low-key pace, and the fresh air were all things that she really missed.
An element of the Smuggs culture that Sue truly appreciated was the attire, which for most female guests involved cargo shorts, t-shirts, and sneakers or hiking sandals. Make-up was rarely worn during the day when the potential for sweat-inducing outdoor activity was high. This relaxed, friendly, and unpretentious vibe was a mega plus for her. Sue also had the rare opportunity to bond with Eddie in activities that both enjoyed. Together with teaching him some tennis basics (she had played on UVM's women's tennis team) and driving golf balls together, they also went on an early morning lake adventure that included canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boarding.
Other things which Sue enjoyed doing at Smuggs were long, uninterrupted sessions of Qigong (she only has little pockets of time to do it at home), naps, playing basketball, and going on long walks around the Smuggs campus. One of her most enjoyable times of the day was waking up before the rest of us, sipping her coffee while looking out our balcony window, and gazing at the grassy green mountains. Sue's summation of her Smuggs trip: "I got precisely what I wanted!"
My Chilltime and Me-time - The one to-do that I had locked in stone at Smuggs was a zipline tour with Eddie at the nearby Arbortrek Canopy Tour facility. Neither of us had ziplined before, and it was an exciting and beautiful experience.
The rush came from being 80 feet above the ground on a thrilling course that had been created by Arbortrek's co-founder Michael Smith, an enthusiastic outdoorsman and entrepreneur. Traveling up to 40 miles per hour in tree-to-tree course segments measuring from 200 feet to 1,000 feet long, the zipline was as fast as a rollercoaster and actually felt much safer (though the snugness of the harness took a bit of getting used to).
The beauty was all around and well below us: we brushed along the tops of trees and even saw a hawk's nest. It would be impossible to gain such a staggering P.O.V. of a forest habitat via hiking alone. The way-up-there perspective of ziplining truly offered a whole new way of experiencing at nature.
Along with my taste of zipline "badass"-ness, I also enjoyed going on a long run up the Smuggs' slopes and around the whole property; getting quiet time to myself in our condo to read and relax; and seeing the satisfied smiles on my family's faces at the end of the day.
The Big Takeaway - Aside from the endless activities that are offered, the lush locale, and the superb accommodations, the number one benefit of being at Smuggs is that it's a solution.
It's a solution for families that have kids of different ages and interests; are looking for a large selection of well-run on-premises activity options that offer high levels of action as well as quiet relaxation; need personal space from each other; want a creative and exciting break from their at-home routine; demand vacation facilities with excellent customer service that eliminates stress; wish to economize by preparing meals in their condo's well-equipped kitchen; need to pack light and do their own laundry using their condo's washer/dryer; have a wealth of local sightseeing, tourist destinations, and restaurant options to choose from if they'd like to venture off of the Smuggs campus; and want to take advantage of the natural beauty and vast outdoor activities the green mountains have to offer
We weren't sure if we might ever find such a comprehensive solution to address our family's difficult summer escape challenges, but Smuggs completely surpassed our expectations. While each of our previous attempts at warm weather fun ended up being a painful "Wipe Out", we were overjoyed to discover that Smuggs is a fantastic way to prevent a case of the "Summertime Blues".