Family Fun Times at Basin Harbor Club

We recently had the opportunity to stay at Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes, Vermont for a couple of nights. The nice folks from the resort reached out about a two-night complimentary stay in exchange for a review on CNC, and we couldn’t be happier to accept! Read on to see what kinds of adventures we enjoyed there! 

After a quick pit-stop in Burlington for lunch (it’s about an hour away), we arrived at Basin Harbor Club (BHC) on beautiful Lake Champlain.

Basin Harbor Club was established more than a century ago, so, not surprisingly, it has a ton of history. It actually reminded me of a camp with regard to its layout and offerings. There are private cottages throughout, casual (and upscale) dining, and plenty of activities – everything from golf and boating to narrated cruises and scavenger hunts. It’s totally one of those places where you can sit in an Adirondack chair overlooking the lake with a glass of wine or fill your day with all sorts of fun – anything goes!

Our accommodations during our stay was a cabin located right on the lake. It was a one-bedroom with living, bathroom, small kitchenette, and a screened-in porch.

It was adorable inside!

And the view was absolutely perfect! πŸ™‚

Once we unpacked, we headed straight for the pool. After a long car ride, Qman was more than ready to swim!

And Mal and I were ready for some adult beverages! Woohoo, vacation!

After some time at the pool, we went back to our cabin to freshen up before heading over to the club’s weekly “hospitality hour” for some drinks, appetizers, and socializing. It was such a great way to kick off our visit!

After a little happy hour action, we went to dinner at the Red Mill Restaurant, which was just a short drive away. (We totally could have biked or walked there, but we figured a quick drive was probably easier.)

Side note: We didn’t realize certain events/activities only happen once a week at BHC, so we (sadly) missed a farm-to-table dinner on North Dock on Sunday night. It’s a gourmet buffet, served al fresco lakeside, with live entertainment and the whole shebang. It just sounded so awesome, we were bummed to miss it.

But we still enjoyed our dinner at the Red Mill Restaurant!

To start, we shared mozzarella sticks, served with the most amazing marinara sauce.

For my entree, I went with the Shaved Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad. It came with chickpeas, manchengo cheese, summer squash, and honey vinaigrette. Mmm!

And dessert was a lot of fun – Worms in the Dirt! It was rich chocolate pudding, Oreo crumbles, and gummy worms. Qman loved the worms! πŸ™‚

After dinner, we played on the playground right outside the restaurant. Look at that sunset. I <3 Vermont.

The next morning kicked off bright and early with breakfast at Ardelia’s, the resort’s main dining location.

Every morning, a classic buffet breakfast is served from 7:00 – 10:00 AM and, with an early-bird toddler, we arrived just minutes after it opened! πŸ™‚

Ardelia’s had so many delicious options – both healthy and decadent.

I mostly stuck with nutritious foods, but, of course, I left room for donuts!

After breakfast, a family bike ride was on our agenda.

The rental shop didn’t open for a little bit, so we kept ourselves entertained with yard games.

Photo below by Quinn!

Bike time!

BHC has all kinds of bikes available to rent and even suggests routes to explore.

We spent nearly 2 hours exploring the resort and surrounding area.

On our ride, we stumbled upon the resort’s Fitness Center, which was really nice inside!

There was all new equipment.

And a bunch of group exercise classes to chose from!

After we returned our bikes, we grabbed a quick lunch near the golf course and then explored a little more before heading back to our cabin for Quinn’s afternoon nap.

The Harbor Store was a great find!

Inside was all sorts of vacation “supplies” – wine, beer, snacks, ice cream, toys, sunblock, candy, and more!

During Quinn’s nap, Mal went paddleboarding on the lake while I did a quick (and quiet) tabata in our cabin. When Quinn woke up, we got ourselves ready for a “fancy” dinner at Ardelia’s. We really talked it up to Quinn because we wanted him to actually sit and eat. Plus, there was a “dressy casual” dress code for dinner, so we figured we should really try to encourage him to be on his best behavior.

We also made sure that Qman had plenty of time to play and run out some of his energy before dinner. More yard games!

Time for “fancy dinner”!

Qman did awesome at dinner. It was a leisurely 3-course meal, but he stayed at the table and acted liked the perfect gentleman! πŸ™‚

To start, I had the Vermont Goat Cheese & Beet Root Salad, which was so fresh and flavorful. FYI: The dinner menu changes each night of the week and with the seasons. Love that.

My entree was the Cast Ironed Chicken Breast served with quinoa, veggies, carrot pesto, and fried leeks. It was incredible, especially the chicken – so flavorful!

And, for dessert, Mal and I shared Grandma Beach’s Apple Crisp. It was served with warm caramel sauce on top. Holy yum!

Fancy dinner was a success!

After dinner, we took a stroll to explore the basin and waterfront. It was such a beautiful night, we didn’t want to go home yet!

Our stay at Basin Harbor Club was truly one for the books. I don’t think we’ll ever forget our experience. It’s a wonderful place for families – and many come back again and again, year after year. If we visit again, we’d absolutely stay for a longer period of time. There’s just so much to do, especially if you enjoy being active on your vacation. The resort is a wonderful mix of relaxation and solitude (there’s not much cell service, but there’s wifi throughout) as well as activity and adventure, so it really does combine the best of both worlds! Thanks so much for inviting us, BHC!

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