Exceptional. There aren’t any other Vermont ski areas that offer the same level of ski-on ski-off opportunities as Okemo Mountain Resort. The band of condominiums across the mountain belly strike you immediately when you look up at Okemo Mountain Peak for the first time. Then, as you ascend the lifts, you can’t miss all the ski homes straddling the mountain access roads right underneath you at trails’ edge. If you’re looking for a ski crib to purchase on a great mountain where you can drop into your bindings outside your front door, Okemo rocks.
Ludlow was named after Ludlow, MA and is in Windsor County, the north eastern of the four southern Vermont counties with Woodstock the shire town (county seat). Formerly a mill town, General Electric had a plant in Ludlow until 1977. Routes 100 and 103 pass through and 180 acre Lake Rescue, fed by the Black River which starts in Plymouth, is about three miles north of town. If you can score a surf and turf getaway on the lake you’d have the best of both worlds and a four season paradise.
Route 100, known as Vermont’s Skier’s Highway, connects 12 ski areas from Mount Snow near the Mass border all the way up to Jay Peak close to the Canadian border. Less than an hour south of Okemo is the Bromley/Magic/Stratton triumvirate and if you’re looking for a little more vertical, scoot less than half an hour north to The Beast, Killington. Nearby towns include Chester, Windsor, Mount Holly, Proctorsville, Plymouth Notch, Grafton (pick up some scrumptious cheddar at the Grafton Cheese Company) and Weston where you can crash @ The Weston.
Being just under three hours from Boston and a hair over four and half to New York, Ludlow is action packed over the winter but less insanely than Killington. The Fall into Winter Celebration is in mid-October is in the Jackson Gore Courtyard. Jackson Gore is the northern peak and ski area with the Jackson Gore Village easy pool access for the kids at the Spring House Pool & Fitness Center. Adams and more upscale Bixby House are the newest condos on the mountain and you can explore the Okemo Signature Properties across the resort. Kids aged 4-12 might enjoy summer Camp Gokemo and Okemo State Forest is offers great hiking and back country skiing including the Terrible Mountain Natural Area. Need some gear to stay warm or fly down the trails in more style? Seasonal ski shop Mountain Outfitters is right in Jackson Gore village. Get the Epic Pass and ski all over the world as well as @ Okemo.
On the culinary track, Ludlow runs the gamut from wood fired pizza at Goodman’s American Pie, breakfast and lunch at the Hatchery, grab and go mexican @ Tacos Tacos, cocktals @ Main & Mountain to upper crust cuisine at the Downtown Grocery or the chic Homestyle and live tunes @ Off the Rails.
Did you fall in love at the bar last night? Yes, you can get married at Okemo though it may be prudent to carefully think it over first. On the other hand… you better rush over to Evan James in Brattleboro and buy that three carat diamond before it’s too late.
RESTAURANTS
- 3 Squares Cafe
- Butcher & Pantry
- Calcuttas
- Castle Hill
- Chef Mei
- Coffee Bar
- Coleman Brook Tavern
- Cookster
- Country Girl Diner
- DJ’s
- Downtown Grocery
- Echo Lake
- Eight Oh Brew
- Epic at Solitude
- Four Square Hospitality
- Goodman’s American Pie
- Harpoon Brewery
- Hatchery
- Homestyle
- Java Baba’s Slow Food Cafe
- Johnny’s Kitchen
- Lazy Cow Ice Cream Truck
- Left Bank
- Little Mexico
- Loft Tavern
- Ludlow Village Pizza
- Main & Mountain
- Mojo Cafe
- Mr. Darcy’s
- Murdock’s on the Green
- Off the Rails
- Rustic Rooster
- Spicy Spoke
- Stemwinder
- Tacos Tacos
- Terra Italian Steakhouse
- The Hub
- The Killarney
- Vermont Apple Pie Bakery
- Vermont Bliss Catering
LODGING
- Best Western Ludlow Colonial Motel
- Castle Hill Resort & Spa
- Coho Inn
- Echo Lake Inn
- Fat Sheep Farm
- Fullerton Inn
- Golden Stage Inn
- Governor’s Inn
- Grafton Inn
- Inn at Water’s Edge
- Inn Between
- Jackson Gore Village
- Main & Mountain
- Okemo Resort Lodging
- Pointe at Caste Hill
- Revival Resort
- The Weston
- Winterplace
RECREATION
- Best of Vermont Summer Festival
- Black River Academy Museum
- Blake Hill Preserves
- Blue Sky Trading Company
- Book Nook
- Buttermilk Falls
- Calm Moments Massage
- Calvin Coolidge Historic Site
- Camp Gokemo
- Camp Plymouth State Park
- Castle Hill Spa
- Catamount Trail
- Cross Country Skiing
- Crowley Cheese
- Davallia Gallery
- Depot Street Gallery
- Disc Golf
- Fall into Winter Celebration
- Farmers Market
- Fat Biking
- Fire On the Mountain
- Fox Run Golf Club
- Grafton Cheese Company
- Green Mountain Sugar House
- Great River Outfitters
- Harpoon Brewery
- Haulback Challenge Course
- Healdville Trail
- Ice House Skating
- Lake Rescue
- Long Trail Brewing Company
- Ludlow Parks & Recreation
- Mini Golf
- Mount Holly Cider Days
- Mountain Bike Rentals
- Okemo Bike Park
- Okemo Ski & Snowboard Swap
- Okemo State Forest
- Outerlimits Brewery & Taproom
- Papa John’s Sugar Shack
- Path of Life Sculpture Garden
- Plymouth Artisan Cheese
- Shackleton Thomas
- Silo Distillery
- Ski Highway to Heaven
- Snowmobile Vermont
- Snow Tubing
- Spring House Pool & Fitness Center
- Stump Jumper Bungee Trampoline
- Terrible Mountain Natural Area
- Timber Ripper Mountain Coaster
- Uphill New England Megapass
- VAST Snowmobile Trails
- Vermont Country Store
- Vermont Farmstead Cheese Co Market
- Weston Historical Society & Museums
- Weston Priory Benedictine Monks
- Weston Theater Company
- Weston Village Store
- Williams Woods
- Wine & Cheese Depot
- Woods Cider Mill
HOSPITALS
- Central Vermont Medical Center
- Dartmouth Hitchcock
- Ludlow Health Center
- Riverside Veterinary Care & Dental
- Rutland Regional Medical Center
- Springfield Hospital
- University of Vermont Medical Center
- Valley Regional Hospital