Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Ascutney Mountain Resort

The Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Ascutney Mountain Resort is the perfect place to escape to for a weekend of family fun in Vermont. Their villa-style accommodations have been designed with families in mind. They are spacious and well appointed. There are lots of little touches, like nightlights in the bathrooms and tons of closet space, that make this a place for families to call home while they explore Quechee and Woodstock.

Despite having a full sized kitchen stocked with enough dinnerware and pots and pans to make brunch for 12 people, we chose to eat breakfast in the Lobby. This inexpensive option has bagels, English muffins, sausage biscuits, cereals, yogurts, fruits, and beverages. If you are looking to fill up your fridge and cook yourself, there is the Brownsville General Store right in town as well as a larger grocery store in Windsor near the Harpoon Brewery.

Holiday Inn Club Amenities

The fitness center, just a short walk car ride from the main building, houses the large indoor pool.  There is no need to bring towels as there are plenty in the bins outside the locker rooms. It is nice and toasty in there and kids will have a blast. The shallow end begins at a little over three feet. Although there are stairs for little ones to ease their way in and hang out, there is no separate kiddie pool. I would recommend bringing your own floaties, goggles, and anything else you need to make swimming fun for your kids. The Rivers Northeast Adventure Center operates out of the hotel.  They are available to set up bouldering, snowshoeing, campfires, hiking trips, bike rentals and more.

Exploring Nearby

For dinner try the Harpoon Brewery in Windsor. We enjoyed the casual, family style atmosphere at this eatery. While outside it may look just like an industrial brewery building, inside it is relatively modern, and definitely inviting with a roaring fireplace.  Families who come here during the day might pair lunch at the Brewery with a visit to the Path of Life Sculpture Garden which is located right next door.

It is a short 25-minute drive to the quaint town of Woodstock. We like the traditional country breakfast at the Mountain Creamery Restaurant. After that, stroll the along the streets where you will find stores like the Red Wagon Toy Co., the Yankee Bookshop, and Giggles, a very upscale children’s boutique.

Winding your way out of town on Route 12 pop into the Sugarbush Cheese and Maple Farm. During Maple Sugar Season in March, you can try sugar-on-snow and all year round you can sample several kinds of cheese.

Journeying on to Quechee stop into Simon Pearce. This is a serious “no touching” store. Everything is made from breakable materials. Kids will enjoy watching the staff in the workshop blowing and shaping the glass to create these magnificent dinnerware pieces. Quechee is also home to the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS). They have a wonderful raptor program as well as hiking trails. If you are hungry, we would suggest grabbing a sandwich at Sheppard’s Pie on the Green.

Next stop for families is the Montshire Museum of Science. We have visited museum many times before, but we really wanted to check out the current traveling. There is no cafe on site. Nearby options include driving across the river to Hanover, NH where you can grab an early dinner at Murphy’s.

After a day of exploring you will be glad to get back to your Holiday Inn Club villa. I am always glad to have then just one hotel room. Families need space to spread out after being in the car and touring around all day. Kids can take a break in the Sidewinder’s Arcade that has video games and two pool tables. Another on-site entertainment option for families includes the free nightly movie showing complete with popcorn.

Although our time at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Ascutney Mountain Resort was just a short weekend stay, families should consider this hotel an ideal option if they want to spend time exploring classic New England towns, enjoying multiple outdoor recreational opportunities and visiting local farms and museums.  This property is ideally situated to take advantage of nearby family fun, year-round.

Check our other suggestions for family friendly hotels in Vermont.

Disclosure: My trip was sponsored by Holiday Inn Club Vacations, who provided a two-night stay, expense credit, and attraction tickets. We paid for most of our activities outside the resort. This post is solely my opinion and based on my experience without outside influence.

Photo Credits: Holiday Inn Club Vacations & Dana Freeman