The Stowe area is a major outdoor tourist destination. Most definitely not in the middle of nowhere and there is plenty of civilization all around it. From route 89 North you get off at route 100 and for the next 22 miles through Waterbury (home of Ben and Jerry's ice cream) all the way through Stowe and into Smugglers Notch there are many dozens of hotels, resorts, restaurants, shops, etc all nestled in the Green Mountains of VT, including Mt Mansfield, the tallest mountain in Vt. The Coolidge Homestead is in a very rural area in Vermont which is far south of Stowe.

The area around Stowe is a Mecca in the winter for skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports, and in the summer for hiking, biking and ziplining, kayaking, etc. Going from Stowe through Smugglers Notch (which is a driving experience in itself) you are about a 45 minute drive to Burlington, the largest city in Vermont, located right on the edge of spectacular Lake Champlain. You can live a traditional rustic life up there if you wish, but the area has all the same trappings of modern life you will find anywhere including wineries, fine dining, nice shops, great cell phone and internet access, hotels and resorts at every price range from ultra luxurious to inexpensive, and some concerts and live performances. UPS and Amazon delivery trucks are a fairly common sight. It is an area with a focus on outdoor activities.

Burlington, less than an hour away, a sophisticated and cosmopolitan small city, is the home of a huge University of Vermont campus as well as other colleges. Although its population is only around 42 thousand, the Burlington metro area increases that to 215,000! Vermont's sleepy little capital, Montpelier, is only 22 miles from Stowe. Montreal Canada is less than 2 hours away and is great for day trips. Smuggler's Notch Resort, on the other side of the Notch, just 20 minutes north of Stowe has been our summer and winter destination for the last 25 years. To see and do everything within a 50 mile radius of Stowe would take many years of vacations. And one will never get tired of the spectacular views.

Huh? The middle of nowhere? Little civilization elsewhere nearby? Is that what you're agreeing to?Have you actually ever been to the Stowe area? What is your basis for saying that? Unless you're compariing Stowe and the surrounding area with life in middle of a major city it makes little sense. The area around Stowe is a vibrant exciting place to visit with lots to do in the middle of beautiful vistas both in summer and winter.

If you are a couch potato interested in unlimited shopping and dining and with little interest in outdoor activities in a beautiful setting, and have the need to be in close proximity to a half million people at all times I can understand why Stowe might seem remote to you.