Work and personal life collided in a beautiful way last month.
While I live in Virginia, I actually work for a University in Massachusetts. It is quite rare that I travel to MA for work (in fact, this was the first time) but last month I had a few work-related obligations in MA and we decided to combine that trip with a visit to my family in Massachusetts and a ski trip to Vermont.
It was technically pre-ski season in Vermont, with snow and fantastic conditions for all winter activities just around the corner. While our options were limited due to the lack of natural snow on the ground, we took full advantage of everything Vermont had to offer during our brief stay. Whether you are visiting in the Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, I highly recommend this beautiful brand new Airbnb in Johnson, Vermont.
Where We Stayed
A newly renovated 1800’s barn featuring gorgeous 16 foot-wide glass sliding doors that overlook the stunning Green Mountains. The Barn has a reverse floor plan, maximizing the view from the 2nd floor living space, and allowing for quiet, comfortable and private sleeping arrangements on the first floor. The electric fireplace and Christmas dĂ©cor (including a REAL Christmas tree) made for an exceptionally cozy environment.
The details – the floors are absolutely stunning, and the kitchen is large, with high quality appliances, and it is fully equipped. Truly, this was the most equipped Airbnb we have ever stayed in – they thought of everything. Traveling with a toddler we were so pleased to find a high chair, crib, children’s toys, and baby gate / baby proofing equipment all on hand. Additionally, traveling with our dogs we were blown away to find dog beds, and food / water bowls for our pups. The bathroom is quite large with a beautiful shower and heated floors – so dreamy.
The Barn is just so beautifully made, and has everything you could need for your vacation. Not to mention the hosts are incredibly kind people. While Travis lives out of state, his mother is right next door and she welcomed us with a beautiful story about the how the property came to be, and was available to assist with any needs we had, including coming over to bring us sleds after we got a couple of inches of snow!
The town of Johnson is small but has everything you need. We spent most of our time in Stowe, which is only 25 minutes away. Smugglers Notch is also only 25 minutes away!
(they still have limited availability for January and February)
Settling In
We spent our first day in Johnson enjoying the property and relaxing. We had a busy week leading up to this trip so it was a perfect day for rest and relaxation, and no better place to enjoy it. We got some groceries, cooked our own food, played outside, and took a long nap.
Visiting Stowe
For our second day in town, my mom, dad and brother visited from MA to do a bit of skiing. Unfortunately the Nordic center wasn’t open yet, which was what we were all betting against for cross-country skiing and snow shoeing, BUT we split up and explored Stowe nonetheless.
My husband and my brother got ski rentals and day passes and spent all day downhill skiing, while my mom, dad, Ash and I went to Stowe Resort Village and downtown Stowe to explore, do some shopping and eating! We had lunch at The Bench and dinner at Idletyme Brewing Company – both of which I would recommend.
I believe a 1 day ski pass is $169, with rentals costing around $93 for the day. They do offer military discounts! Learn more and book here.
SNOW DAY
Our last day in Vermont brought fresh SNOW! It was only a couple of inches but that didn’t stop us from using the big hill and open green space in the back of the house to sled! While Ash saw snow last year as a 2 month old, this was a very new experience for him and we had a TON of fun sledding down the hill over and over and over again. Even the dogs got in on the action!
We spent all day in the snow, and then drove back to Virginia overnight (that trip was a disaster due to a flat tire only 2.5 hours into our drive, but let’s not focus on the negatives, haha).
A Blonde Escapes 