Submitted by: Rockin’ Ron Carter, Smugglers’ Notch Resort
Smugglers’ Notch Resort just won a slew of awards from the readers of Ski Magazine. One of the awards was for Local Flavor. This is of course applicable to the culture and character of the mountain, but it also takes in the great offerings of Cambridge and Jeffersonville.
In Cambridge Junction, near the Poland Covered Bridge, there is a trailhead for the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. The LVRT goes from Cambridge to Morrisville and will eventually cover the northern part of Vermont. In the non-winter seasons, it is used for biking, running, and walking. In the winter it is used by snowmobile riders (many of them members of the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers aka VAST) as well as cross-country skiers and those on snowshoes. Thanks to the Smugglers’ Notch Snowmobile Club for doing much of the winter trail maintenance and grooming!
On the last Saturday of January, Cambridge Area Rotary puts on WinterFest. This full day community celebration of winter includes Pie for Breakfast, Mini-Snowmobile Rides, Hot Cider Stories, Cambridge Rescue’s Lasagna Dinner, Community Bonfire, Hot Air Balloon Glow, fireworks and more!
Some off-slope activities in Cambridge and Jeffersonville include dining and live music at Martell’s at the Red Fox, socializing and excellent pub food at the Village Tavern, sampling spirits at Smugglers’ Notch Distillery (Top 10 in USA Today), wine and cider tasting at Boyden Valley Winery & Spirits, and appreciating art at Bryan Memorial Gallery and Visions of Vermont Gallery.
Meanwhile Smugglers’ Notch Resort is celebrating the 2020 Awards from the readers of Ski Magazine: Service (No. 1), Families (No. 1), Terrain (No. 2), Snow (No. 3), Challenge (No. 3), Lodging (No. 2), Charm (No. 3), and the aforementioned Local Flavor (No. 1) for an overall ranking of Number 2 in Eastern North America! In addition to downhill skiing and snowboarding, there’s cross country and snowshoeing, tubing, and snowmobile rides, not to mention zip-lining at nearby Arbortrek. Off-slope at the resort there’s the FunZone 2.0 with climbing walls, warrior course, laser tag, arcade, obstacle course, and bouncy house. But wait… guests can also dine and shop, listen to live music, play bingo, enjoy karaoke, and MORE FLAVOR!