Mardi Gras in New England

Decisions, decisions. Head south for Mardi Gras, or pack the skis and swing into New England for a little fun in the snow? You can combine the two - sort of, and on a smaller scale - in Vermont's Lake Champlain Valley.

OK, it might not have the pizazz and history you'll find in New Orleans, but Burlington's 12th annual Mardi Gras Weekend is a party with a parade and costumes at the right time of year.

The difference, of course, is that it's winter in New England and you're within driving distance of ski slopes. Unlike the traditional Mardi Gras celebration, this one is only on one weekend, Feb. 16-18. But if you think this is just a few bored ski bums having an extended party, check out the photos of last year's crowd. By the way, the Magic Hat emblazoned on the Web page is a local microbrewery with a sense of humor.

Unless you're driving in from one of Vermont's ski resorts, you'll need a place to stay. The Greater Burlington Region covers Burlington and surrounding towns with everything from hotels to bed & breakfast inns. And if you want to do something other than watch the parade, they provide a directory of attractions and things to do, including tours of the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory in Waterbury and the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. in Shelburne, or the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center in Burlington.

History buffs should also take time to visit the Ethan Allen Homestead the last home of the frontiersman, writer and leader of the Green Mountain Boys militia. The homestead is located just north of town.

You want skiing to go with your Mardi Gras? Look for "Skiing/Snowboarding" at the top of the Greater Burlington Web page for links to resorts and lodges in the region, including Stowe, Smugglers' Notch and the Trapp Family Lodge.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

It's been a bit of a dry winter in parts of New England, but as of mid-January Smugglers' Notch was reporting a base of 10 to 28 inches of snow, with 15 trails open and six lifts operating. Stowe listed 24 to 42 inches on its snowmaking trails, with up to 16 inches on natural trails, and nine lifts running for 16 trails.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

For daily reports on slopes all over the state, Vermont.com has entries ranging from Ascutney Mountain at Brownsville to Suicide Six at Woodstock.

Can't make it in time for the Mardi Gras? There's another party coming up in April, the 41st annual Vermont Maple Festival at St. Albans, just a short drive north of Burlington. This celebration of maple syrup is no place to start a diet.

There's plenty more to see and do, plus places to just relax, in Burlington's corner of Vermont. Stop by the regional map page of the state Department of Tourism and click on the Burlington-Shelburne area or any of the surrounding ones. Only the town names are shown on the map, but if you park your cursor over the various regions for a few seconds, a flag should pop up giving the region's name corresponding to the list on the right.