Mini Getaway to Vermont: Review of Bromley Mountain Adventure Park

In early June, we did a mini getaway to Vermont where we stayed with my in-laws Friday night through Sunday morning. In addition to visiting and spending time with family, which was the real purpose behind going up, we also visited Bromley Mountain Adventure Park.

We arrived in Brattleboro, VT on Friday night, inevitably later than we intended to be. It was close to bedtime for our kids when we arrived, but we let them stay up a bit extra late to get some quality time in with their grandparents. I believe that my mother-in-law fed us when we got there, but I can't remember right now what we had to eat. I do remember delicious vodka drinks with fresh strawberries that we all indulged in. After the kids went to bed, we watched a couple of episodes of the second season of Orange is the New Black, one of the few shows that I think we all love. Season 2 had just come out on Netflix. Love how they release everything all at once.

We headed out to Bromley on Saturday. During the winter, Bromley is a moderately popular ski area, but it has done what other ski areas have tried and not always succeeded in by finding a way to make money in the summer. When I was a kid growing up in the area, I loved going to the Alpine slide at Bromley. The park has grown considerably since then, adding several fun attractions that the kids and adults enjoyed. For me, the slide is still the star of the show.

View from chairlifts on the ride up the mountain.

Pricing works a few different ways.You can buy in advance online for a reduced price, but you commit to which day you are going, which can be easily foiled by bad weather. You can buy a wristband in advance that allows you unlimited access to different parts of the park.  There are three different types of activities and wristbands allow you access to one, two, or all three areas, depending on what you want. Activities can also be purchased a la carte, and for an adult who is planning to ride the slides a couple of time, that might be the way to go. For example, my in laws rode the slide twice, so their wristband was probably not a great deal. The kids, however, indulged in several activities numerous times, which definitely made the wristbands worthwhile.

We started with the slide. You begin by taking a very long chairlift ride up the mountain. The view is incredible, and we happened to go on a perfect day with a cobalt blue sky and perfect puffy clouds.

The chairlift ride is long. The kids needed an adult with them. If you have never ridden on a chairlift before, the only tricky parts are getting on and off. As my mother-in-law learned, getting off can be a bit dangerous - she slipped and fell and was hit with the chair as it went past her. Although more embarrassing than anything, it definitely illustrated that you do not want to mess around while getting on and off. Luckily, they have attendants to help with that.

On the lifts

Once at the top, and safely disembarked, you grab a "sled" and bring it to the start of the track. The sled is sort of shaped like a winter sled, but with wheels that you push down to go faster with a handle that sits between your legs. You pull up to brake. There are three track to choose from, one slower, one medium, and one faster. We all started on the slower track to just test things out. Also, anyone riding double had to go on the slow track, and my daughter was too small to ride alone.

End of my son's first ride

My daughter and husband finishing up a ride

One frustration that may occur on the Alpine slide is that although they wait a minute or so between riders, if you are going fast and the person in front of you is not, you catch up to them pretty quickly. This happened on more than one of my rides. This would be very annoying if I had only purchased tickets for one or two ride instead of the all day wristband. Though it was not a very busy day, it was a steady stream of people. On the other hand, if you are the one who wants to go slow, use the slow track and by all means, enjoy yourself and take your time.

We all pretty much loved it, though I think that my in-laws were a bit less enthusiastic as they did not run over to ride again like we did. After our second run, the kids wanted to try out a few of the other activities. Their favorites were the trampolines and the zip line. The trampolines involved getting into a harness and being attached to poles with bungee cords. As a result of the bungees, the kids were able to easily get lift off to do tons of tricks and somersaults.

The kids did this particular activity probably twenty times each, or more.

Other activities included a climbing wall that both kids and my husband did, a zip line only my son did (but he did it at least ten times or more), bumper boats that only my daughter did because she was the only one short enough, a bouncy slide that no one did, a water slide that my husband and father in law did, a mini golf course that my son did alone, and a couple of other weird rides that I have pictures of but that are hard to describe.

Son attempting rock wall. 

Daughter's rock wall attempt.

This contraption required the kids to pump a bar which caused them to spin in a circle rapidly. 

This was a weird chair that with a harness that pulled you back and then let go, letting you swing into oblivion. The real fun was in the view, but when it released us, it made my head go slamming back into the hard chair. Only my husband and I rode this.

One of my favorite activities was a basketball game where you had about 30 seconds to score as many baskets as possible. The side that scored the fewest got sprayed either when the other person got to ten or at the end of the 30 seconds, whichever came first. Just good wholesome fun.

The overall vibe at this place was very 1950s Adirondack family summer camp. The signage is colorful and fun, but definitely hand painted. Most things did not have long waits, except the water slide which seemed to be the location of a birthday party. My husband and father-in-law enjoyed it but got very wet with cold water. For food, I would highly recommend that you plan to bring a picnic. Although they do have food and drinks, including beer and wine, for sale, the selection is somewhat limited and highly over priced. You would be much better off to pack up a cooler with drinks, sandwiches, and snacks to enjoy while you are there. We did not do that, but also did not want to buy an all out meal at the little snack bar they had, so we were all pretty hungry by the time we left.

On the way back to my in laws house, we made a couple of fun stops. Lunch/dinner was at a small spot called the Newfane Creamery. It's not really an ice cream spot, but they had awesome sandwiches and other deli-style food options. A great place to get your lunch to go on the way to Bromley, maybe. We also swung into a large nursery/garden place. Can't recall the name of it, but there are a few likely spots along the way. If you are traveling without kids, this is a wonderful drive along route 30 that offers lots of eateries, antique shops, and other local establishments catering to the "flatlanders," the less than endearing name given to out of staters, like we are now. The locals never like the tourists, even though their economy depends on them. 

I definitely recommend Bromley as either a fun stop to take a quick ride on the Alpine slide while traveling through the area, or a fun spot for an all day family outing. Definitely not a spot for a rainy day, so make sure to wait until you have good weather in the forecast before buying your tickets in advance online. 

If you go for no other reason, go for the spectacular view of the Green Mountains of beautiful Vermont.

Sunday morning we had a leisurely morning with French toast and a visit with a dear friend. The kids and grandparents took a long walk around their spacious property, while the bug and snake adverse mother relaxed with a book. We set out by mid-afternoon, stopping before getting on the highway at the over-priced but insanely delicious Vermont Country Deli. Everyone in Connecticut knows this place, particularly for the pulled pork and mac and cheese that they make fresh on the premises. It's amazing and well worth a stop if you're in the area, but don't expect to get out of there cheaply. I got some mac and cheese, basically my favorite meal, and got some baked goods as treats for everyone else. And then we headed home, a nice 1.5 hour drive that went quite quickly, despite having forgotten our kids' DVD player!