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THE sun was starting its surrender into night, throwing pinks and oranges on the lake.
The water was so still it could’ve been glass, if it weren’t for our canoe and the family of Canadian geese with us, sending ripples across its surface.
“Maybe the geese want to come on board!” exclaimed Dougie, my boating buddy and four-year-old son, from the bow seat.
I wouldn’t blame them. A sunset canoe across Lake Bomoseen – with views of the Taconic Mountains beyond – is one of the finer ways to end a day in Vermont.
It was day two of our week-long family holiday at 2,400-acre Lake Bomoseen.
We’d heard rumours about this lake, with its epic views, sunsets and watersports, which in its 1920s heyday attracted big name stars from Walt Disney to Laurence Olivier.
We were staying at Lake Bomoseen Lodge on the eastern shore. It has a mix of bedrooms, apartments and cottages; some just steps from the water.
We opted for a lake-view apartment, ideal for the four of us (“us” being me, my husband Chrigl, Dougie and his one-year-old brother PJ, with two double bedrooms and a large and airy open-plan kitchen/lounge/ dining room.
Breeze
The “lake-view” part was courtesy of our balcony. The Lodge has its own private beach. Laid out on the grassy shore were free-to-use kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and life jackets.
You might have thought that after our journey (Bomoseen is a five-hour drive from New York) we’d have been a bit tired.
But the truth is, the journey was a breeze. We had stayed overnight at the Harwood Hill Motel in Bennington, an hour south.
The drive proved to be a highlight in itself, taking us through classic Vermont landscape: colonial houses and red farmhouses.
The lakeside road runs straight through Lake Bomoseen Lodge’s grounds.
It means you can hop in the car and go exploring at any time.
Some mornings we would wake early, grab breakfast and go for a drive around the lake. Other mornings we’d head for blueberry pancakes at the Birdseye Diner in nearby Castleton, before stocking up on groceries from Brown’s Orchard Farmstand.
Some days we would head further afield to Hildene, an hour’s drive south in Manchester. This 400-acre estate was built by President Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert in 1905 as a summer home for his family.
We hopped on the courtesy buggy which transports visitors between the sites.
First stop was the 1888 Pullman car – all gleaming wood and upholstered seats – which sits in a replica 19th-Century railway station. Next it was on to the goat dairy where Dougie and PJ helped feed the goats, while Chrigl and I learned about the cheesemaking process, peering through the large glass windows into the milk room, creamery and cheese-maturing cave.
Our final stop was the Georgian revival mansion. Its 24 rooms feature original furnishings and family effects. On show is one of only three known existing stovepipe hats belonging to Abraham Lincoln.
We then headed for Manchester town centre. It is a quintessential Vermont town with its main street lined with antique stores, arts and crafts shops and artisan restaurants.
The most popular hangout is the Northshire Bookstore. Opened in the 1970s, it houses a bookstore, deli and has a whole floor devoted to children with endless rows of books, free-to-use toys and puzzles.
Wherever we ventured, however, we couldn’t wait to return to Bomoseen and that lake. One afternoon we took a motor boat out with Woodard Marine.
Russ, our captain, collected us right from the dock and Chrigl and I had a go at wakeboarding, much to our sons’ delight.
Some evenings we would head for a predinner aperitif at the nearby Lake House Pub and Grill, with its terrace right on the water. The boys would dance to the music while Chrigl and I gawped at the ever-intensifying beauty of Bomoseen at sundown.
Sunset
Then we’d head back to the Lodge for dinner at the Taproom, the new on-site restaurant. It serves excellent pub fare – from burgers to fish tacos – and a wide selection of craft brews, mostly from Vermont, which rivals California for its craft beer scene.
All too soon it was our final afternoon. There was still so much to see – from horse riding at Pond Hill Ranch to the Castleton farmers’ market – but after a vote it was decided we’d kick back at Bomoseen.
As the four of us rowed a canoe to a quiet corner of the lake for a sunset swim, there was nowhere else I’d rather have been.