All the resorts below welcome families as important clientele, and some go the extra mile with kids ski programs in wintertime, or water slides and other fun in summer months, or extensive kids' programs...
1. VT: Smuggler's Notch
Photo courtesy of Smugglers Notch.
This three-season resort has been voted a top family resort many times, and is especially known as a ski resort that dares to promise "the most fun your children will ever have - we guarantee it." Summer is a busy and fun season too, with ziplining, mountain biking, horse-riding, canoe trips, and lots more. And let's not forget Fall, when New England blazes with Fall Foliage and prices at Smuggs are low.
Check prices at Kayak.com
Check prices at Kayak.com
2. VT: Tyler Place
Photo courtesy of Tyler Place Resort.
Open May to September on Lake Champlain, Tyler Place has welcomed families for over 60 years, and has eight separate programs for toddlers to teens, plus infant care.* With a mile of private lakefront, families can sail, canoe, kayak, waterski, windsurf, have fun with Sunfish, paddleboats, bumper tube rides, banana boats, and lots more. On land, there's tennis, mountain biking, lawn games, ball games, indoor and outdoor pool, wading pool, and again-- lots more. Another plus (and a rare find in the US) is all inclusive pricing: for meals, snacks, lodging, housekeeping, and most activities. Family Retreats weeks in summer combine fun and learning.
Check prices
Check prices
3. VT: The Wildflower Inn
Photo courtesy of the Wildflower Inn.
Winter family fun at this outdoorsy inn includes a Winter Carnival with broom hockey, tug of war, evening bonfires, full-moon treks on snowshoes or cross-country skis, and maple sugaring weekends. The Inn is open year-round, and the emphasis is on families having fun together rather than extensive kids' programs (-- though in summer, kids four and up can participate in a two-hour children's program.*) Summer activities include batting cages, petting barn, hiking, tennis, swimming in the heated pool, soccer, basketball, mountain biking, golf nearby.
Check prices
Check prices
4. VT: Basin Harbor Club and Resort
With 700 acres On Lake Champlain, Basin Harbor has families returning for the fifth generation. The resort offers kids programs for several different age groups, including teens. Pet members of the family are welcome too. Lodgings include the Lodge "historic Homestead", or 77 cottages throughout the grounds, some with fireplaces or screened porches. Activities include boating, golf, tennis.Check prices
5. VT: Trapp Family Lodge
If the name "Trapp Family" doesn't ring a bell, you haven't watched the Sound Of Music often enough. This four-season 2700-acre resort, near Stowe VT, is run by the same Trapp family that was the real-life basis for this famous film. Activities at the Lodge include: "cross-country skiing and hiking on over 100km of trails, mountain biking, tennis, croquet, snowshoeing, sleighrides, children's programs, maple sugaring, Fitness Center, music lessons, guided nature walks, swimming, An Afternoon with the Pastry Chef, family sing-alongs" and more. Mountain Kids Club operates winter and summer. Family packages are available.Check prices
6. MA: Winnetu Oceanside Resort
Photo courtesy of Winnetu Oceanside Resort.
This "casually upscale" resort has suites, studios, and vacation home rentals on Martha's Vineyard. (This popular island -- seven miles from Cape Cod -- is wildly popular during summer, and can be reached by ferry or by air.) The resort has seasonal kids and teen programs.
Check prices
Check prices
7. VT: Green Mountain Inn
Described as an "elegant village resort in the heart of Stowe, Vermont", this is a historic, heritage inn, with 100 antique furnished rooms, fireplace suites, cozy library, afternoon tea-- you get the picture. Kids are welcome, and can enjoy a games room and a year-round heated outdoor pool (great for apres-ski). The Inn is close to cross-country skiing, alpine skiing and snowboarding, and in summer, hiking, biking, canoeing, fly-fishing and more.Check prices
8. VT: Topnotch Resort & Spa
Photo courtesy of Topnotch Resort & Spa.
With 120 acres in the Green mountains near Stowe, Vermont, Topnotch is a four-seasons property and many families visit during ski season. Tennis is also a special interest at this resort. Guests can stay in hotel rooms or suites, or vacation homes; dogs are welcome too. Kids programs are offered seasonally.
Check prices
Check prices
9. NH: Omni Mount Washington Resort
The century-old Mount Washington Hotel -- now an Omni Resort-- is located in Bretton Woods, a ski area with alpine and x-country skiing plus ice skating, family sleigh rides, and more. The hotel is a National Historic Landmark, with a 900-foot verandah, indoor pools, spa, fireplaces... Activities include golf, tennis, horseback riding, biking, hiking, fishing, etc. The resort has a seasonal kids club and an adventure center, and seasonal events such as Thanksgiving weekends.
Check prices
Check prices
10. Ocean Edge Resort on Cape Cod
About.com's Guide for New England Travel reviews this 400-acre property that's one of New England's largest resorts. Ocean Edge has a country-club style, a 700-foot private beach, and a variety of lodgings.11. NH: Indian Head Resort
For an affordable option -- "quirky", in the words of one visitor comment, meant in a good way -- consider this former campground which has 108 acres in the White Mountains, snow fun in winter and lakeside fun in summertime, and a good price point. Indian Head started off as a campground in 1917. Over the years, cottages were built, and you can still stay in some. Nowadays, Indian Head has 100 rooms and a number of refurbished cottages, (including places where you can park your Snowmobile or sled outside), indoor/outdoor pools, game room, tennis, trout fishing, paddle-boating, nature trails, and special kids' shows and activities. A package plan includes lodging and meals.12. More Vermont Inns and Resorts
Photo courtesy of Mountain Top Inn; photo by Jerry LeBlond.
Head to this page for more family-friendly options in Vermont.
*Always check resort sites for updates, and check recent visitors' comments at sites such as TripAdvisor.com.
*Always check resort sites for updates, and check recent visitors' comments at sites such as TripAdvisor.com.
