I wouldn't recommend Stowe for zero experience skiers; you'll be paying a premium just to ski on the bunny hill. Stowe is oversold and it will be stressful and time-consuming trying to get there/get situated. I'm not a downhill skier, so I don't know firsthand, but as a local I think you will have a much nicer experience at Smuggs.

Route 100 is fairly flat and well maintained in wintertime, so no worries about getting between the towns. If you find an airbnb in the Morrisville/Morristown area, you'll be in between both resorts and out of the traffic of Stowe.

If you do want to drive into Stowe, pick an afternoon and do it then. The town is basically stretched out over the seven miles between the Village and the Resort, it's a nice drive and worth going up for a peek at the crazy development that's happened up there. But the Mountain Road is a huge bottleneck so I'd avoid mornings or late afternoons when the ski traffic is at a standstill. Just sneak in for lunch somewhere and then do some shopping in the Village so you can get back out easily.