Second homes: Year-round fun at its peak and its valley in Stowe, Vt.

— -- Despite being arguably the best-known ski town in the eastern USA, Stowe is one of the few such towns that is busier the rest of the year than in wintertime. It's been that way since about 1870, when it became an acclaimed summer resort, thanks to a toll road built up Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak.

Skiing didn't arrive until Swedish immigrants showed up in 1913. After World War I and World War II, an influx of newcomers from alpine regions throughout Europe made Stowe one of the earliest great ski destinations in North America and gave it an intercontinental flair that continues to this day. Town roads are lined with maple syrup stands, along with Swiss, German, Austrian and French eateries.

The ski resort, at the top of a 6-mile mountain road connecting it with the village of Stowe, is composed of two mountains, Mansfield and Spruce Peak. Mansfield has long been the "big" mountain, with the main base area and amenities as well as an infamous set of double-black-diamond expert trails visible down its steep face, known as the "Front Four." Spruce, conversely, has been a family-friendly, learners' mountain with few facilities.

Getting from one mountain to the other was difficult until about five years ago, when the resort launched a $400 million expansion that included a new gondola to link the two and create a vast new base village at Spruce Peak with a luxury hotel, homes, condos, a golf course, retail and dining, a spa and a wellness center. The last phase, a performing arts center, is expected to be completed next spring.

"There hasn't been anything like this built in New England in the last 50 years," resort spokesman Jeff Wise says.

Much of Stowe, which includes Mount Mansfield and its state park, is protected land, adding to the rural feel.

"It is quintessential Vermont," says Paul Spera, partner at realtor Lang McLaughry Spera. "There are lots of parts that are wooded and bucolic, but there are cultural events, festivals almost every weekend, shopping, endless summer and winter sports. And dining also seems to be a sport here."