There are two seasons in Stowe, Vermont, that offer travelers fewer crowds and more quality time with Mother Nature: "mud season," the thaw between the end of ski season and the beginning of spring, and "stick season," the roughly six-week period between late October and the start of ski season in mid-December when branches are bare.

With roughly 750,000 visitors annually, the quaint 19th-century New England village is the East's most popular mountain resort, offering fall foliage, skiing and Mount Mansfield, the state's highest peak. Those willing to visit during "stick season" are rewarded with freedom to do what you want when you want. In the words of one local blogger, "more authentic Vermont experiences with more authentic Vermonters."

So make the roughly six-hour drive from Long Is

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