As one of the world’s most loved films, The Sound of Music, turns 50 years old this year travellers are being invited to tour, taste, ski, get active and follow in the footsteps of the real von Trapp family to the charming New England lodge where they eventually settled.
Today, the lodge’s 2,500 acres offer visitors the chance to mark this anniversary with a range of exciting activities including history tours focusing on the von Trapp family’s incredible life story.
In 1938, just before the Second World War, the von Trapp family fled Austria from Nazi Germany and eventually made it to America where they were granted asylum before touring as the Von Trapp Family Singers throughout the 1940s.
Eventually, the von Trapps made their home in the Vermont village of Stowe, in the foothills of the Green Mountains, as its breath-taking valleys and vistas reminded the family of their beloved Austria. It was here that Maria wrote an autobiography which inspired the much loved film, The Sound of Music, which was first released in 1965.
Today, the lodge is owned and operated by Johannes von Trapp, the eldest son of Maria and Georg Johannes von Trapp. Guests at the Trapp Family Lodge can explore the site of the family’s home and take tours exploring the journey of the Trapp family, the lodge’s history, and year-round maple syrup and wine tasting tours for foodies.
Visitors can also explore its brewery and enjoy horse drawn carriage rides, cross-country and back-country skiing, snowshoeing and active pursuits such as mountain hiking and biking. To help guests get in the spirit, The Sound of Music is also screened in the lodge every Thursday!
Nearby Smuggler’s Notch State Park offers scenic walking trails, and other attractions around Stowe include Mount Mansfield (the highest peak in Vermont) and the Vermont Ski Museum.
A short 45 minute drive south from the lodge, foodies will also find the Von Trapp Farmstead cheese shop, which sells a plethora of artisan cheese and is owned by Sebastian and Dan Von Trapp, relatives of the Von Trapp family.
Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3859; www.virginholidays.co.uk) is offering seven nights at the Trapp Family Lodge from £1,419 per person. Price includes scheduled flights from London Heathrow direct to Boston, accommodation at the 4V Trapp Family Lodge and car hire. Price is per person based on two adults sharing a delxue room and includes all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges which are subject to change. Price is based on a departure on April 23 2015.
To find out more about the Trapp Family Lodge, visit www.trappfamily.com
To learn more about New England, visit www.discovernewengland.co.uk
Editor’s Note:
Discover New England represents the six American states of Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont to promote international visitation.
For more information and/or high resolution images please contact: David Ezra or David Wilson at KBC PR & Marketing on 01825 763636 or email david.ezra@kbctravelgroup.com / david.wilson@kbctravelgroup.com