For any parent who’s ever returned from a getaway with kids more exhausted and stressed than before, here’s some welcome news: The phrase “family vacation” doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. Proof positive can be found in the northwestern corner of Vermont, where one of America’s most acclaimed family resorts is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Every summer since 1934, the has welcomed families to the shores of Lake Champlain with an understanding that parents need a vacation as much—or perhaps more—than their kids do. Along the way, the resort become the gold standard of family vacations (see ) and gained a legion of loyal guests who return year after year.
Individualism is every bit as fundamental to Vermont's personality as steepled churches, maple trees, and Ben & Jerry's. And from the beginning, the Tylers did things differently. “My mother never wanted to be in the hospitality business and she never approached this as a business. It was just a hobby that got out of hand,” says Ted Tyler, who co-directs the resort with his sister, Pixley Tyler Hill.
Their mother was Judy Tyler, affectionately remembered as “Mrs. T.,” who founded The Tyler Place with her husband and two relatives and then headed up operations until her death in 1996. Judy had a Masters in Education from Cornell and knew a thing or two about how to keep kids happy and engaged. But she also had a crazy notion that parents need their own downtime. “Most of all, my mother loved romance,” says Pixley. “She wanted to have a martini with her husband in the evenings. Making sure the kids were having fun was a way to have time to connect as a couple at the end of the day.”
It was Judy who created the resort’s acclaimed and award-winning children’s program, in which kids are separated into nine age-staggered groups. Each group has its own clubhouse and follows its own schedule of activities, doing new and exciting things every day. Kids learn to play classics like Capture the Flag and Kick the Can, swim in the lake, bounce on the giant water trampoline, catch frogs, and go fishing. There are crafts and nature hikes and silly camp songs, including one about a sticky moose and some juice. As children move up from one group to the next, more challenging activities are added to the line-up. While a 4-year-old might watch puppet shows, cool off at the Splash Pad, and enjoy pontoon boat rides, her 12-year-old brother could be kayaking, going on banana boat rides, and ziplining across the meadow.
This year, as part of the 75th anniversary celebration, new activities have been added to the roster. “We’re creating events to take you back in time,” says Ted’s son Chad, who heads up the resort’s entertainment. “For example, kids are getting to do some ice-cream making, and we’re taking kids out on homemade rafts so they can pole around the bay.”
Guests arrive at The Tyler Place on Saturday and stay for an entire week. In the mornings, kids meet in their groups while their parents can hike, kayak, take a yoga or pottery class, or join in a dozen other workshops or activities. Families reunite in the afternoon for several hours of downtime at the pool, trips to a local farm, or watersports on the lake. And then come early evening, the kids return to their groups for movie nights and pizza parties, while their parents head up to the inn for cocktails and dinner. For Tyler Place devotees, this schedule creates the perfect balance of family time, alone time, couple time, and social time. “Parents truly get a vacation here, and I think that’s huge,” says Roberta Hefferman of Lexington, Mass., who has been coming to the Tyler Place for seven years. “You not only get some time to yourself, but you get to take amazing classes and do new things. And there’s never any parental guilt, because your kids are having way too much fun.”
“Kids are social animals,” says Chad matter-of-factly. “So when you take away the crutches and electronic devices, they get to interact.” For their part, parents love seeing their kids enjoying the sense of freedom they remember from childhood. “My kids do not mention TV or video games for the entire week, and I just love that,” says Hefferman.
For grown-ups, a week at The Tyler Place means experiencing a genuine slice of Vermont. Guests stay at the inn or in charmingly rustic cottages, enjoy meals elevated by local farmhouse cheeses and homemade maple-balsamic salad dressing, and spend mornings in workshops run by local crafters, outdoor enthusiasts, and naturalists.
Perhaps the resort’s best measure of success is that nearly 90 percent of guests are repeat visitors. Impressively, the Tylers have garnered their following the old-fashioned way, one recommendation at a time. “Word of mouth has always been extraordinarily important to us,” says Ted. “All our guests seem to be on the same page. They hear about us from friends, so when they arrive at the Tyler Place for the first time, they already know what it’s all about. They know that kids have a fabulous time here, and their parents also have a very great time.” First-timers are welcomed warmly and helped to fit in. “We all like to play and have fun,” says Chad. “And we have wonderful, wonderful guests. We introduce people, and then away they go. It’s what makes it all work.”
Something else that’s always worked for the Tylers is not being overly focused on the bottom line. Who else would open a summer resort just for families during the Great Depression? Who else would insist on a seven-day Saturday-to-Saturday schedule? “That wasn’t an economic decision,” insists Pixley. “We do that because we have an understanding of children. It’s so much easier for kids to enter a group when everyone is new at once. And the truth is, the parents feel the same way. Nobody likes coming into a group cold.”
The resort has been kept small on purpose, accommodating about 65 families at a time, yet with staff of 200 that underpins an exceptional level of service. The Tylers were pioneers in offering an all-inclusive pricing that’s now common among family resorts. “We did that because nobody wanted to have to follow the chits,” laughs Pixley. “But our guests like it too, because they don’t have to keep reaching for their wallets all the time. Besides, tipping changes the relationship between the staff and the guests.”
Indeed, at a time when families have grown weary of being nickel and dimed on vacation, the Tylers’ spirit of generosity can come as a revelation. Case in point: Every guest, no matter the age, gets free use of a bike and a helmet for his entire stay. Families simply head to the bike shed on their first day and pick out wheels they like. There are infant and toddler seats, trail-a-bikes, and bikes with training wheels. Nobody is asked to leave a deposit or even a name. Don’t the Tylers ever worry about theft? “Well, I suppose someone could conceivably take a bike,” admits Pixley, before adding, “but surely nobody ever would.”
One of the best reasons to visit the Tyler Place is that it’s a dyed-in-the-wool family-run place. This summer, 16 Tylers, spanning three generations, will be managing reservations, pouring drinks, running the kids’ program, and making countless other contributions. “I grew up here and remember my childhood with great pleasure. It’s a wonderful life,” says Ted. “I love talking to people who have been coming here for years and hearing them say that it’s like a return to their youth.”
And what would Mrs. T. say about the 75th anniversary celebration? “Oh, she’d be thrilled beyond belief,” says Pixley. “And she’d have another martini for sure.”
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