Beyond The Sound of Music: The Living Legacy of Vermont’s von Trapp Family

More than 80 years after fleeing Nazi-occupied Austria, the von Trapp family name lives on in a spectacular mountain retreat in Stowe, Vermont. Kristina von Trapp-Frame shares the remarkable story behind one of America’s most famous family-owned resorts – the Von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort.

For millions of people around the world, the von Trapp family exists in the hills of Salzburg, forever immortalised by The Sound of Music. Yet the real story didn’t end with the closing credits. Instead, it continued thousands of kilometres away in the mountains of Vermont, where the family created a new life and a destination that is still welcoming visitors more than seven decades later.

Today, the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort in Vermont has grown into one of New England’s most distinctive luxury mountain retreats, but for Kristina von Trapp-Frame, granddaughter of Maria and Georg von Trapp – whose story was made famous in The Sound of Music – it has always simply been home.

“I don’t think we realised there was anything unusual about our family,” she laughs. But her family was indeed unusual. Her father, Johannes, is the youngest child of Maria and Georg Von Trapp, born after the family fled Austria and ended up in Vermont.

Raised without a television, she missed the annual Christmas screenings of The Sound of Music that became tradition for so many households.

“My brother and I worked here just like everyone else growing up in Stowe. All the hotels were family-owned back then, and every kid had jobs. We didn’t think we were different.”

From Austria to Vermont: Finding a New Home

After escaping Austria in 1938, the von Trapp family initially settled in Philadelphia before discovering a hillside in Vermont that reminded them of home.

“They chose this property because it looked like Austria,” Kristina explains. “The mountains aren’t quite as high as the Alps, but the landscape is spectacular. They also loved the hardworking Vermont people and wanted land where they could farm.”

The family purchased two dairy farms in 1942, and for almost a decade the property remained simply their home.

Everything changed when Maria had an idea.

“She said, ‘This view is too beautiful to keep to ourselves.’”

As the family toured America performing concerts, visitors began asking if they could stay on the property. What started as casual hospitality gradually evolved into one of Vermont’s best-known resorts.

Building a Family Legacy

Today, the property spans an impressive 1052 hectares – more than four times its original size – and remains family-owned.

Its guiding philosophy has never changed.

“Our motto has always been ‘A little of Austria, a lot of Vermont,’” says Kristina. “We’ve always asked ourselves, ‘How would this be done in Austria?’ and then adapted it to fit Vermont.”

That philosophy extends throughout the von Trapp Family Lodge, from Alpine-inspired architecture to award-winning Austrian-style lager brewed using mountain spring water piped directly into the brewery. The brewery was also the creation of Johannes Von Trapp, the last remaining child of Maria and Georg Von Trapp, and Kristina’s father.

The family also maintains a working farm with Highland cattle, sheep, chickens and extensive vegetable gardens that continue Maria’s commitment to fresh, homegrown produce.

Long before organic food became fashionable, Maria had embraced the concept after a Swiss doctor encouraged the family to grow as much of their own food as possible.

“He was worried about pesticides back in the 1920s,” Kristina says. “He was well ahead of his time.”

You can also taste Austria in some of the dishes on the menu at the four restaurants at the Resort, including a delicious Schnitzel.

 

More Than a Winter Destination

While Vermont has plenty of ski resorts, the von Trapp resort has helped shape North American winter sports in its own right.

In 1968, Kristina’s father Johannes established the continent’s first commercial cross-country ski centre at the Von Trapp Family Lodge, complete with lessons, rentals and groomed trails.

Kristina confirmed that Maria loved to ski. “They say in the beginning, Maria was literally the first person that would go out and would break trail through the snow. She was a tough woman, strong, really complex, very gracious, but strong and up for anything.”

Rather than focusing on elite competition, he wanted skiing to be enjoyable for everyone.

“He always wanted it to be recreational and fun,” Kristina says.

One of the resort’s most memorable winter experiences remains the three-mile ski or snowshoe journey to the secluded Slayton Pasture Cabin, where visitors warm themselves beside a roaring fire while enjoying homemade soup before heading back through the forest.

The adventure doesn’t stop when the snow melts.

Mountain biking, hiking, trail running, tennis, pickleball and swimming ensure the property remains equally appealing throughout spring, summer and autumn, when Vermont’s famous foliage transforms the landscape into a blaze of colour.

Separating Hollywood from Reality

Although the resort naturally attracts fans of The Sound of Music, Kristina is quick to point out that Hollywood told only part of the story.

“I call the movie my sci-fi parallel universe family,” she jokes.

“The children had different names, they lived in different places and so many things were changed.”

Still, she appreciates what the film has done – not only for her family but also for Austria.

The decision by director Robert Wise to film on location in Salzburg created one of cinema’s most enduring travel inspirations, with visitors continuing to flock there six decades later.

In 2025, the family celebrated two significant milestones: the 60th anniversary of The Sound of Music film, with Kristina and her two daughters present –  and the 75th anniversary of their Vermont resort.

A Place to Slow Down

Despite the Hollywood connection, Kristina believes visitors remember something far more meaningful than movie nostalgia.

Instead, they leave with a sense of peace.

“Whatever season people come, they take a deep breath,” she says. “They slow down, get grounded and think about what’s important.”

“They come for our story and leave with their own.”

Perhaps that’s the true legacy of the von Trapp family.

Not simply surviving one of history’s darkest chapters or inspiring one of cinema’s most beloved musicals, but creating a place where generations of travellers continue to reconnect – with nature, with family and with themselves. The Lodge has many photos of the family from Salzburg and Vermont around the walls, along with family heirlooms including a grandfather clock from their original villa in Salzburg.

Maria von Trapp died in 1987 at the age of 82. Kristina was 17. The spirit of the young nun who won the heart of a navy Captain in Salzburg, escaped the Nazis with the children, and went to the USA. They made money through singing, and after living in Philadelphia for a while, eventually settled in Vermont.

Her spirit is felt everywhere.

You can buy a copy of her book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers in the extensive gift shop, and pay your respects to Maria, Georg, and other members of the family in the Trapp Family Cemetery, on site at the Lodge.

 

It is quite moving to be there, remembering their story, and how it still continues 76 years later, in the green hills of Vermont.

Facts and figures about von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort

*Maria and Georg bought the two farms in 1942
*In 1950 guests were welcomed to the 27-room Lodge
*The Lodge was lost to a fire in 1980, and was rebuilt, opening in 1983
*The Resort has 96 rooms and suites, along with 100 timeshare units and 46 villas
*There are four restaurants on site: the Main Dining Room, the Lounge, the Bierhall and the Kaffeehaus
*The resort is located on 1052 hectares
*There are 60 kilometres of groomed Nordic ski trails as well as access to miles of backcountry trails suitable for cross-country skiers and snowshoers of all ages and abilities.
*You can do a history tour at the Resort
* von Trapp Brewing brews 26,000 barrels of Austrian-style lagers a year
*Vermont is known as the ‘Green Mountain State’