Hi guys!
We spent a long weekend on Stratton Mountain in Vermont a few weeks ago and it was the perfect fall getaway, especially if you are looking to find a relaxing spot with stunning views! We were there for a wedding and it was the prettiest location! If you have been around for awhile you probably remember us living in Boston for a couple of years.
When we lived there the timing never lined up for us to go on a fall leaf turning adventure so we were very excited to check that off of our travel bucket list! It was also the perfect time to go, the weather was a little chilly at night and just had the perfect fall vibes! Below I am going to walk through the two hotels we stayed at, the best gluten free spots to eat, and what to do during your weekend escape to Stratton Mountain!
Where to Stay: Long Trail House
We stayed at the property called Long Trail House and we really liked it! It had a full kitchen, a fireplace and a living room with comfortable couches! As you can see it is more of a rustic vibe but that would be perfect for all of the activities that the mountain had to offer. It was right across the street from all of the restaurants and shopping that was on the mountain and we really liked our stay here. It was also nice because we were on the first floor and we could hang out on our balcony. The only thing we wish that was different about the room was that the bedroom needed a ceiling fan! But other than that we definitely recommend staying here.
Where to Eat on Stratton Mountain, Vermont:
Benedicts - We ate here for breakfast one morning and it tasted really good, they were knowledgable about my gluten allergy and we liked the atmosphere. We sat at the bar because they were really busy and the bartender kept apologizing for the delay because they were training a new cook. We both ordered The Basic Breakfast which was 2 eggs, bacon, toast and breakfast potatoes and it took about 45 minutes for our food to come out. I do think it was a fluke or something though because everyone around us who ordered about the same time as we did got their food way before us. So it might have been a delay for my allergy which does happen at a lot of places! I would definitely give this spot a try if you are visiting!! I linked the menu here so you can check it out before you go!
Upper Standard Coffee - We grabbed coffee here three of the mornings that we were on the mountain and I think we were learning as we went because the coffee got better each morning. The first morning was VERY sweet, so if that’s not your thing then I would ask for fewer pumps of syrup! I got an iced latte with white chocolate and peppermint syrup and Dustin got the same thing but hot! Definitely check it out, just keep in mind the sweetness levels if you aren’t into coffee that is super sweet! Here is the menu for you to check out!
Bar 802 - We actually spent a lot of time here at this restaurant just hanging out! It was a little bit more low-key and we loved sitting outside by the fire listening to live music. We did eat here a couple of times but the gluten free options were limited so it was more like snacky foods that we got but the BRUSSEL SPROUTS were SO GOOD. That sounds dramatic but we got an order of them three different times in the three days that we were there haha another thing that we got was the chips and guac one night and that was also good! I did like that the GF options were labeled on the menu though, that made things easy to navigate in terms of eating. Here is the menu for you to check it out before you go visit.
Fire Tower Restaurant and Tavern - We went to dinner here one night and it was pretty good! The gluten free options were a bit limited and I wasn’t able to eat their fries because they were in a shared fryer so that was a bummer. But we actually both got the American Wagyu Burger that had cheddar cheese, arugula, a roasted garlic aioli and shallots on top, it was really good! Dustin got a side of fries and liked them a lot and I was underwhelmed with my side salad but it wasn’t bad! Another night that we were here we ordered a pizza to take back to our room from Fire Tower and it was pretty good, it was called The Bianco. The pizza was able to be made with a gluten free crust and had garlic oil, mozzarella, ricotta, goat cheese, parmesan, hot honey and toasted pistachios on it. We liked it but if I were to order pizza from here again I would get The Nepoli! Here is a link to the menu to check out before you go!
Green Door Pub - This bar is under the restaurant called Mulligans and it was a bar that was opened a lot later than the other spots around Stratton Mountain. We only went there for about an hour one night but it was fun! They have pool and spots to sit and hang out. If you are wanting somewhere to go after dinner for a couple more drinks this is the place to do it! I will link the page again here so you know where to go and how to get to it because it isn’t an obvious spot!
Grocery Stores
Shaw’s - We went to this grocery store that was about 30 minutes away from Stratton Mountain beuacase we wanted to get somethings for the hotel room that didn’t cost an arm and a leg from the grocery store that is in the village on Stratton Mountain. Shaw’s was nice and we were glad to find this spot because we ended up spending the afternoon in Manchester, VT and I will share more about that below! But the grocery store had everything we needed with gluten free options and reasonably priced for being the only grocery store nearby us!
The Market in Main Base Lodge - This was the little market/grocery store that was actually on the mountain and surprisingly they had many options for us to choose from. We went here after we found out our second hotel had a full kitchen to get some things for breakfasts and a frozen pizza to have after a night of drinking. Like I said, they did have a lot of options but as we expected it was pretty pricey for basic items. I would use this store as a “I forgot milk” type of thing if you have the option to stop at a grocery store before you get to the mountain! Also, they had weird hours and were usually closed after 2pm but we were there in October so it very well could be open longer when they are in their busy season!
What to Do in Manchester, Vermont:
I think I should preface this list by saying this trip was very casual and leisurely for us and we didn’t do a ton of planning before getting there because we wanted to have a low-key go-with-the-flow getaway trip. Keeping that in mind, there will be things missing from this list that are major activities that didn’t get to see, all the more reason to go back!
Dana L. Thompson Memorial Park - On the Friday that we were there we didn’t really have anything on the agenda! We had driven about 30 minutes to go to a grocery store to get some things for the hotel room and we ended up having a little picnic lunch and walked around this park for a few hours and it was so nice! I’m sure we loved it even more because of the leaves that were changing but it was just so nice out and it was easy to walk the trails and wander around! They also had a dog park here so we people/dog watched for awhile as well!
Northshire Bookstore - This was also in Manchester and we went in to just check it out and WOW, this book store was absolutely huge and had SO many books! They had a huge gift section, huge kids section and upstairs they also had second hand books that were priced really well and in great condition! I actually can’t believe I walked out of that store empty handed but I can’t recommend going in here enough!
Things to do in Stratton Mountain, Vermont:
There are also SO SO SO many activities that were on the mountain and we didn’t really do any of them! But I will link the page that has all of the “Things To Do in Stratton Mountain” right here! Like I mentioned, we went for a wedding so we did things for that and then we were also not there during the busy season so we kept our activities pretty low key so maybe next time we will do some of these things!
Shopping
We didn’t do any shopping really while we were there but there were many stores so I wanted to list those for you guys just so you know what to look forward to when you are there visiting! Lots of winter gear and gifts!
Ever since we lived in Boston we had always wanted to go a little fall leaves getaway to somewhere in New England and it just never lined up season wise when we lived there. I am so happy that we got to spend the weekend there, it was low key, go with the flow and seriously stunning. I kept saying the whole trip that the pictures I was taking weren’t doing the colors of New England justice AT ALL! I would absolutely add Vermont in the fall to your bucket list of travel destinations! If you have any questions at all or have something to add to the list of must dos while visiting the Vermont area, I would love to add it to the list so please comment below or send me an email at tarynintotravel@gmail.com and I will get back to you asap!
Much Love,
Emma
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