Dover sits along the Green Mountains, home to Mount Snow Resort
Primely situated along South Vermont’s Green Mountains, Dover is primarily a ski resort town with an abundance of outdoor recreation. Mount Snow Resort offers both wintertime and summertime activities, bringing in more than 600,000 visitors each year. Of the town’s 1,800 residents, most are second homeowners. “More often than not, the people who are moving here want to live at a ski resort part-time,” says Patrice Schneider, a local Realtor with Southern Vermont Realty Group. “But they are really embedded in the community and want to be involved with the local newsletters and town hall meetings. You don’t see that at a lot of resorts, but the people here seem to use their properties even when it’s not ski season. Maybe it’s because of how gorgeous Vermont is during the summer.”
Mount Snow Resort comes alive in the winter for skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing, and in the summer, the recreational facility hosts a summer crowd. Mount Snow Golf Course offers 18 holes with mountain views, Bike Park has different terrains and surfaces for mountain bikers and the Bluebird Express provides scenic chairlift rides to Mount Snow’s summit. The warmer months usher in a live music concert series, held each Saturday night at the Snow Barn. Dover residents can also become members of The Hermitage Club, another smaller and more exclusive ski resort atop Haystack Mountain.
Walk the Valley Trail or witness fall foliage atop Green Mountain
When Dover locals want to take a break from Snow Mountain, there are several others to hike and admire. “There is a vast trail system here, where people can snow mobile, cross-country ski and snowshoe. Nearby Lake Whitingham freezes in the winter, so you have ice fishing,” Schneider says. “And in the fall, people will come look at our beautiful foliage.” Schneider also mentions the Valley Trail, a 12-mile walking and bicycling pathway that connects the small town of Wilmington to Mount Snow. The trail also branches off to dirt mountain biking trails. Residents and visitors alike can hike the 20 miles through Green Mountain National Forest, leading to panoramic summit views of the tree-filled and mountainous landscape. Centrally located in town, Dover Park has a small playground and a gazebo that hosts frequent live music.
Home styles in Dover vary from high-end chalets to quaint condos
Dover offers a blend of spacious single-family Mountain Modern chalets and quaint cabins and condominiums. “There’s a significant inventory of high-end timber-frame homes and historical farmhouses, built in the 1900s when the valley started,” says Betsy Wadsworth, an associate broker with Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty. “There are ski chalets from the 1950s and 1960s, and then the condos were built up in the ‘80s.” New England Colonial styles and contemporary log cabins offer from three bedrooms and two bathrooms to six bedrooms and five bathrooms, many with detached garages. These homes often provide mountain views, while others might be tucked deep into the woods on multiple acres. Price tags generally range between $385,000 for a 1,200-square-foot cabin to $2 million for a 5,000-square-foot chalet. Dover also features mountain-style townhomes and condominiums, many with resort amenities and convenient slope locale. Buyers can find a 400-square-foot studio for around $20,000, a 3,500-square-foot unit for $950,000, and anything in between. Many second-home residents choose to rent out their townhomes or condos to seasonal visitors.
Local bars and grills line the highway, and Wilmington is nearby
Deerfield River cuts through the west side of Dover, creating a valley. Vermont Route 100 winds through this valley, lined with quaint ski and gift shops, local markets and eateries. Snow Mountain Market is a go-to stop for meats, veggies, baked goods and other grocery items before a long stay at the resort. Next door, Dover Bar & Grill is an eclectic country bar with cocktails, beer and a pub menu. Half a mile south on the highway, The Last Chair Bar & Grill offers a cozy cabin atmosphere with seafood and arcade games. About a mile further south of there, TC’s Family Restaurant is a popular American diner in a Victorian-era ski chalet. “It’s common for Dover residents to go south to Wilmington to shop at bigger supermarkets and go to the pharmacy,” Schneider adds. “It’s a little bigger with a small walkable downtown, and our Chamber of Commerce includes both towns.”
Mount Snow and Wilmington host annual festivals all year
Mount Snow Resort hosts several community events throughout the year, including Brewers Fest at the end of the summer. Locals can also look forward to block parties, complete with live music and food trucks. And in the fall, residents can taste different wines during Wine Harvest. “The town of Wilmington piggybacks off the wine event with their own Wine and Soup event, where you can walk around tasting wines and soups and then vote on your favorite,” Schneider says. “They also do a similar beer and chili event in the winter.”
Students attend The Dover School and choose their high school
Students living in Dover can begin at The Dover School, an International Baccalaureate World School for kindergarten through six-grade learners that receives a B rating from Niche. Students can then advance to Twin Valley Middle High School, a sixth through twelfth grade school with a C rating. “The boys’ basketball and soccer teams traditionally do really well, frequently getting to the championships and winning for their divisions,” Schneider says. “But since Dover doesn’t have a high school, there are other schools that kids can choose to attend, like Leland & Gray or Brattleboro. They can even get a stipend if they want to go to a private school or academy.”
Vermont Route 100 serves Dover, a low-crime community
Vermont Route 100 runs north-south through town as Dover’s main artery, connecting residents to the surrounding New England cities. The MOOver, a free bus shuttle that services South Vermont, makes stops along the highway. For further destinations, Albany International Airport is about 65 west, and Bradley International Airport is 90 miles south. Locals have a 140-mile drive to Boston and a 215-mile drive to New York City.
Dover’s resort-like atmosphere lends itself to a low crime rate. According to data submitted to the FBI, in general, Dover reports less crime than both the state and national averages. There was a slight increase in crimes related to theft in the last three years, but the rates have since decreased.
Written By
Mary Beth Greene
