The Hills are Alive- Trapp Family Lodge Experience

Day One

Travel to New England! Your frist stop in Vermont will be at Lake Champlain Chocolates. Melt in your mouth aromas will greet you at the door of the Lake Champlain Chocolate factory. You'll be able to watch the chocolates being created right before your eyes. Then travel a short distance to check into the Trapp Family Lodge for the next three nights. The trapp Family Lodge, home of the famous Trrapp Family Singers of "Sound of Music" fame. There really is a place where the grass is greener, where the snow is more pristine, and autumn is more brilliant. Where the sights of nature and the sound of music create a vivid symphony for the senses - and where vistiors come to be renewed. After settling in and freshening up dinner will be included this evening at the lodge. Amongst the other resort amentities, there will also be a nightly Feature Film viewing, before you retire for the evening.

Day Two

Enjoy the morning's breakfast in the hotel dining room before embarking on a guided 90-minute tour of the Trapp Family Lodge and grounds. You'll see a half hour documentary on "The Real Maria" and her musical family! The von Trapp family's journey is a remarkable story. In 1938, just before WWII, the Baron and Baroness von Trapp left all their prossessions and estate near Salzburg. With nine children and on on the way, they fled Austria and were granted asylum in the US. Arriving with four dollars, they setteled in Philadelphia and through their music, turned a family hobby into a profession as the Trapp Family Singers. They soon bought a small famhouse in Stowe, Vermont, because the landscape reminded them of home. Here the family lived peacefully and continued to travel the world singing. They rented out rooms at their farmhouse to skiers and ran the Trapp Family Music Camp. Maria wrote an autobiography that inspired the play and movie, "The Sound of Music" and her story became an American Legand. After the tour you will head to enjoy free time at the Church Street Marketplace in the heart of downtown Burlington, VT. Recognized as one of the "Great Places in America" the pedestrian-only section of towrn features 80 stores, including well-known chain shops and locally-owned speciality stores. Indulge your taste buds at one of 20 dining establishments ranging from pub fare to Parisian cuisine. Next you will travel to Shelburne to visit the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. These gifts are among the world's most famous toys. Here you will see how they are made and cared for. You may even buy one of your own.
After the tour you will head back to the Lodge. Dinner is included this evening in the Bierhaus. Again, a Feature Film will be shown.

Day Three

After a hearty breakfast, you'll be off to Montpelier, the largest producer of maple syrup in the U.S. where you'll stop for a tour of the beautiful gold-domed State Capitol building. Montpelier is located in a picturesque valley along the Winooski River in Central Vermont. As the nation's smallest state capital, Montpelier's intimate size and historic neighborhoods make it a wonderful city in which to visit, live, and do business. After the tour you will enjoy free time and lunch on your own in Montpelier before taking a sweet tour of the Morse Maple Farm, complete with a local treat, Sugar-On-Snow. Be sure to save a little room for this VT specialty snack. The Morses, Vermont's oldest maple family, have been serving up delicious maple syrup for friends and neighbors for EIGHT generations. This afternoon you have free time at the resort to relax and freshen up for dinner which will be served in the Dining Room. The evening's feature film will be shown.

Day Four

Enjoy breakfast before checking out and departing for the Cold Hollow Cider Mill for a tour and samples. Bakery, live beehive, fudge, world famous cider-doughnuts & New England crafts. Be sure to grab some treats and soveniers for your trip home. As we depart Vermont, we'll make a stop at the Vermont Country Store in Rockingham. Shop the barn filled with bargain items and explore the grist mill, water wheel and covered bridge here. You are sure to spot some items you haven't see in years...Like "Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific Shampoo" Try out the classic hand-push moever on the lawn or just relax on our 4-seat garden glider. Take a stroll through our Covered Bridge to find our Grist Mill and Water Wheel Museum. We wil depart the store for our return trip to Pennsylvania. Multiple extended comfort stops will be taken.

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner