You’ll find Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa’s owner, Chuck Baraw, piloting the official Stoweflake balloon this year at the 31st Annual Stoweflake Hot Air Balloon Festival, July 7–9 in Stowe, Vt. The three-day festival offers plenty of food, beer and wine, a spa tent with chair massages and facials, and family activities such as crafts, games and face painting. Live music starts at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, followed by a sunset balloon launch around 7 p.m. On Sunday a sunrise launch is scheduled for approximately 6:30 a.m. Gates open at 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Make a weekend of it by staying at the historic resort, which features 120 well-appointed rooms and suites plus family-friendly townhouses. On-site dining includes two restaurants, and the property also provides meeting spaces and a full-service spa, The Spa at Stoweflake. Spa facilities include 30 treatment rooms, private men’s and women’s sanctuary lounges, the AquaSolarium, mineral soaking pools and tumbling waterfalls.
Guests can relax in the 10,000-square-foot meditation garden or walk the seven-circuit Zen labyrinth. The spa menu lists about 150 treatments covering Ayurvedic therapies, sound-balancing sessions, Eastern bodywork and European-style water kur treatments that combine body care with bathing rituals. One featured treatment, the Thalasso Kur, blends a spinach-and-horsetail exfoliation, applications of nettle and algae, a mineral bath and a fragrant herbal massage, creating a restorative marine-inspired experience.
Between the festival and the resort’s amenities, the weekend balances active outdoor events with restorative spa time. Families will find crafts and activities to keep children entertained while adults enjoy live music, the balloon launches and the resort’s wellness offerings. Whether you plan to float above the field at sunrise or unwind in the AquaSolarium, Stoweflake provides a convenient base for both celebration and relaxation during the balloon festival weekend.