Those clinics are supplemented by some kind of optional social event every evening, which may be anything from an exhibition or round robin to a lobster bake or excursion to a pub in town. Overview Topnotch itself is a rambling 120-acre estate on a rise 5 miles from the village of Stowe. Rather than a lobby, it has a spacious living room dominated by a central fireplace, a moose head, and walls of glass framing the ski slopes of Mount Mansfield. From there, branching hallways lead to some 100 rooms and suites, no two of them exactly alike except in their fondness for antiques, well-chosen country furnishings, and shelves of books. That style and intimacy aside, the wonder of Topnotch is the breadth of its facilities.
Tennis is only the beginning.
Several things set Topnotch apart. It is one of the few New England inns to run a full-fledged tennis program, and one of the few in the Northeast to do so year round. Its commitment to tennis shows in its court complex. There are also five outdoor hard courts in the trees behind the inn and an additional four in a barnlike building across the road near the equestrian center. The main outdoor season runs from mid May to mid October, weather permitting.