Six weeks ago The Stone Hill Inn inaugurated Evenings! a series of packages that combine the magic of the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center with the Phoenix Table & Bar, a new restaurant in Stowe.  This pairing brings together two organizations committed, each in their own way, to performing arts excellence.  Evenings! blends Spruce with its excellent performance reputation and intimate mountain venue, with Phoenix Table & Bar with a fresh, hip, contemporary scene enhanced by the innovative offerings from chefs Jack and Josh.

Our first Evenings! – Itzhak Perlman — was wildly successful.  The theater was sold out and within a week from the time we launched our first Evenings! package three guests committed – one claimed the last two available seats!!  Swan Lake is already half sold out due to the reputation of The State Ballet Theatre of Russia and their last year’s, sold out performance of Sleeping Beauty.

January 31, 2015; 7:30pm: The State Ballet Theatre of Russia performs Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake

The Evenings! Package includes:

• A two night stay in any of our Luxury rooms (King bed with fireplace; bath with double Jacuzzi fireplace & shower).  Corner rooms, if available, are available at a premium of $20/night.
• Linda’s three-course breakfast each morning
• Two tickets to the January 31st Swan Lake Ballet performance at the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center*.
• A voucher for $50 towards dinner for two at the Phoenix Table and Bar restaurant before the performance.

Total Package cost is $875.  Please, you must call to make a reservation.  (802-253-6282)

*Tickets and seating based on availability, please hurry as this as selling out quickly. Once tickets are purchased they cannot be refunded. This package may not be combined with any other offer or promotion.

The State Ballet Theatre of Russia is composed of more than fifty dancers.  Among the new breed of Russian ballet academies and companies, the principal dancers are competition winners and trained in St. Petersburg, The Bolshoi Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, Grogorovich Ballet, Russian Ballet directed by V. Gordeyev, Cairo Ballet, and the Tchaikovsky Ballet Theatre.  This is their fourth US tour and hails from Ufa, famed dancer Rudolf Nureyev’s home town.  The company has performed in 13 countries outside of Russia since 1995.

Some consider Swan Lake the world’s most beloved Russian folk tale.   Here we find Siegfried, a young Prince, full of bright spirit and enthusiasm, but seems to have little interest in his royal role. He clearly cares more for socializing, merry events and sporting activities, as shown when he is celebrating his 21st birthday with his best friend, Benno and his tutor, Wolfgang. When his mother, the Queen tells him he must soon marry, he refuses because he has not yet found a woman of his preference. His favorite hobby is hunting, so to end his birthday celebrations, he and Benno head into the forest on a hunting expedition with their companions. However, everything takes an ironic twist on this expedition, for deep in the forest, Siegfried and his friends arrive at a lake, where Siegfried spots a beautiful swan wearing a crown. But before he can shoot it, the swan transforms into the most beautiful girl he has ever seen.  She tells him her story, explaining that she is under a spell of the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart.

Ahhhh, that is all we can reveal of the Swan Lake plot!  Some of you already know the ending, but it isn’t the ending as much as how a truly acclaimed company can bring it to life and capture minds and hearts – something at which the State Ballet of Russia excels!

The première of Swan Lake took place on Friday, 4 March 1877, as a benefit performance for the ballerina Pelageya Karpakova (also known as Polina Karpakova), who performed the role of Odette, with the Bolshoi Theatre’s Première danseur Victor Gillert as Prince Siegfried. Karpakova likely also danced the part Odile, although it is not known for certain.

The Russian ballerina Anna Sobeshchanskaya — for whom the original (1877) role of Odette was intended — was pulled from the première performance when a governing official in Moscow complained about her, stating that she had accepted several pieces of expensive jewelry from him, only to then marry a fellow danseur and sell the pieces for cash. Sobeshchanskaya was replaced by Pelageya Karpakova who danced the rôle of the Swan Queen until the former was reinstated by Petipa.  (A story within the story!)

We are very excited about Evenings! because in addition to being a unique offering within Stowe, it also represents the beginning of a new dimension in guest experience for the Stone Hill Inn.  Yum!

As many of you know our mission at Stone Hill is:  “Provide unexpected opportunities to celebrate life…together.”  In this quest we shall source, vet, and partner with a broad variety of local and regional vendors, artists, and suppliers so as to provide unique opportunities for couples to explore, learn, be challenged and make memories while here in multi-dimensional Stowe, Vermont.  Our goal?  Be the Best-in-Stowe at providing memory-making opportunities to celebrate life…together!

During the first five months of 2015, beginning with Swan Lake Evenings! in January, we shall introduce one new, life-celebration package each month, each tied to the appropriate season within Stowe.  Each package will, of course, be anchored by a stay at Stone Hill of at least two nights, and based upon what we have learned from a few thousand guests over our past 3+ years, we shall focus upon four categories of guest activity:

1. Romance
2. Food
3. Arts and Culture
4. Adventure

Doesn’t this sound tasty?  There will also be additional Evenings! packages throughout 2015.  Excellent.  We look forward to celebrating life with you!

For about two years (we complete our third year at Stone Hill Inn next week – Halloween), we have been trying to find a way to bring the magic of the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center to our guests.  This is a stunning facility built seven years ago that holds 420 people all of which have an excellent view and are relatively close to the stage.  Only a few years old it presents itself as a lovely, comfortable and highly functional environment for a broad selection of stage and screen performances.  While it is located adjacent to and built in the style of the large mountain lodge at the base of Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak, it is independent from the Lodge financially, so they are on their own.  As a result they have learned to provide excellent, albeit usually not headlining, stage talent to travel to the top of a mountain so they can entertain a permanent Stowe population of less than 5,000.  They are doing a wonderful job.

Recently several paths have come together to make it possible for the Stone Hill Inn to finally bring this talent to our guests on a regular basis.  This has been a journey that the management of the SPPAC fully endorsed and many times cheered from the sidelines hoping that we would emerge with a plan.  So….

Welcome to “Evenings!”

The concept is simple – even cliché – dinner and a show, but we’ve wrapped it up with a two-night stay at our Stowe bed and breakfast – the 8^th highest rated Inn or B&B among all 21,000 in the U.S. according to Trip Advisor.  We hope to have at least four of these packages each year.

Our first Evening is with Itzhak Perlman – who IS a headliner!  This is his fourth annual Stowe Fall Residency and his exceptional Perlman Music Program  (PMP) which offers unparalleled musical training to young string players of rare and special talent. With a world-class faculty led by Itzhak Perlman and vibrant programs in Shelter Island, New York City, Florida, Israel, and Vermont, PMP is developing the future leaders of classical music within a nurturing and supportive community.

The other key component of Evenings is dinner.   There is a new restaurant in Stowe: Phoenix Table & Bar.  Contemporary, fresh, hip, excellent food, and unlike most restaurants in Stowe, it serves until 10:00pm.   While the facility is new and opened less than a year ago, its owners and chefs are not.  Chefs Jack Pickett and Joshua Bard are names recognized by everyone in the Stowe hospitality business.  Their last restaurant – the very successful Frida’s Taqueria and Grill– benefitted from their ability to constantly innovate, create new tastes, and their dissatisfaction with anything ordinary.  Jack and Joshua, as you will find when you sample both their food and the restaurant’s environment, are as much in the performing arts business as the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center!  A fabulous pairing.

The first Evenings Package: Itzhak Perlman, November 8, 2014 at 7:30pm

This year’s Perlman program includes PMP alumni ensembles that perform chamber music masterworks, and, of course, Maestro Itzhak Perlman conducts the PMP String Orchestra, in a stunning Celebration Concert. Drawn from all over the world, PMP alumni are young professional artists with diverse a career, whose spirited music-making excites and inspires audiences around the globe.

Now in its fourth year, the Fall Residency in Stowe, Vermont has brought a new dimension to The Perlman Music Program. Students and faculty enjoy four days of orchestra and chamber music study in preparation for a Celebration Concert in the beautiful Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center.

The Itzhak Perlman Evenings Package includes:

• A two night stay in any of our Luxury rooms (King bed with fireplace; bath with double Jacuzzi fireplace & shower). Corner rooms are available at a premium of $25/night.
• Linda’s three-course breakfast each morning
• Two $45 tickets to the November 8^th Itzhak Perlman performance at the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center. (If $45 tickets are not available we shall substitute $38 seats.)  The concert begins at 7:30pm
• A voucher for $50 towards dinner for two at the Phoenix Table and Bar restaurant either before or after the performance.

Total Package cost is $785 not including taxes; you must call us at Stone Hill to make a reservation. (802-253-6282)

Seating is very limited at this time; we recommend booking as soon as possible.  We shall endeavor to secure your seats while you are on the phone with us. Once seats are purchased they may not be refunded. This package may not be combined with any other offer or promotion.

Perhaps Itzhak is not your cup of tea?  But what do you think of the Evenings concept?  We would appreciate any thoughts you have about the Evenings concept and the pairing between the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center and the Phoenix Table & Bar restaurant!  Just drop us a quick email!

Thanks ~ Linda and George

More than a romantic getaway, your Vermont honeymoon is the start of your new life together! Stowe’s charming, natural beauty is the perfect setting to create your first memories as a couple! Whether relaxing by the fire, sharing a farm-to-table meal, or hitting the slopes, Stowe has so much to offer for Winter Honeymoons.

Stowe Top 5 Activities for Winter Vermont Honeymoons

1. Hot air balloon ride with champagne at Above Reality Ballooning.  Jeff is a wonderful and very responsible Captain.  He’s also a Justice of the Peace and does weddings in the balloon! Balloons go during winter and summer.
2. Make a wish while standing next to Bingham Falls.  Winter transforms the series of five different falls into ice sculptures created by thick layers of ice that disguise the rocks that shape the falls.  Everything becomes white.  Thick Ice shapes form; mist is always rising.  Lovely, albeit slippery.  Watch where you walk!  Bring your camera.
3. Dog sledding at Edens. You get to know each dog, actually harness them, and with tails wagging and excited barks you’ll sense how anxious they are to get started! Two of you with blankets in a warm sled with your guide/musher to ferry you through the spectacular  snow country of northern Vermont!
4. Take a sleigh ride over the hills and through the woods.  Just a few minutes from Stone Hill is a comfortable horse-drawn sleigh with thick blankets and an experienced driver.  While only  a 30 minute voyage, you will feel transported to a different time and certainly to a significantly different place in comparison with the eastern cities from which you likely hail. Giddy up!
5. Share our Crème Brulee French toast made especially for you in the shape of a heart.  Crème Brulee French toast is the most requested of the sweet breakfast items that we serve. Using a porcelain, heart-shaped dish, we create this delight the night before; let cool in the refrigerator; heat it when you arrive for breakfast, and serve with warmed Vermont Maple syrup!

Why’s it called Honeymoon?

“Honeymoon”– where does the expression come from?  It appears that nobody is absolutely sure, however the Merriam-Webster dictionary reports the etymology is from “the idea that the first month of marriage is the sweetest” (1546). Of course it is a very special time when your focus is simply having fun together, and your days are filled with tenderness and pleasure for each other. Truly, a celebration of life.

Want to read even more about Vermont Honeymoons?

The strongest flavor in this distinctively tasty breakfast results from a vegetable that is related to variety of species of thistle (scolymus – commonly referred to as the golden thistle).  Now, right away, doesn’t that sound tasty?  (ugh!)  Yes, but studies have shown this vegetable to aid digestion, hepatic and gall bladder function, raise the ratio of HDL to LDL and strong in antioxidants.  (No it is not cod liver oil!)  It was also used as a food among the ancient Greeks and Romans in the 1500’s.  Native to the Mediterranean area, its initial processing includes removing all but 0.2–0.4” of the stem along with about a quarter of scales so as to delete its residual thorns.  (Fortunately when you purchase them in the store, this has already been done.)   With such a history, no wonder they have such a unique taste.  What is it?  An artichoke (Cynara scolymus)!   We love them and they have become a delicious addition to Stone Hill Inn Breakfasts!

Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata

• 10 ounces of artichoke hearts (or I 10 ounce package of frozen artichoke hearts thawed)
• 1/3 cup (about 1 ½ ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• ½ loaf country-style white bread (we like to use sourdough) cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
• ¾ cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried herbs de Provence
• 1 ¾ cups 1% low-fat milk
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• Cooking spray

Begin

Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add olive oil; swirl to coat.  Add shallots and cook for two minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in artichoke hearts and garlic; cook for eight minutes or until artichoke hearts begin to brown – stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in herbs de Province.  Cool 10 minutes.

Mix

Combine milk, black pepper, salt and eggs in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add the yummy Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bread; toss gently to combine.    Stir in artichoke mixture.  While you let this stand for 20 minutes, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

The Magic

Spoon half of bread mixture into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with half of goat cheese, and top with remaining bread mixture.  Sprinkle remaining half of goat cheese over the top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly!!

To the Tables

Our breakfast service usually lasts for about two hours, and guests often arrive depending upon the activities in Stowe they have planned for the day.  Thus everyone is rarely available when the strata initially comes out of the oven.  So we remove the strata from the oven to avoid its drying out, and we warm a piece when requested by the guest.  We plate the strata with a small mixture of fresh lettuce and cherry tomatoes flavored with a light oil dressing – adding toast and meat accompaniment, as requested.

How we pitch it

Our breakfast this morning includes a wonderful combination of flavors – an artichoke/goat cheese strata.  We form a base of sourdough bread in a baking dish and add a mixture of artichoke hearts, goat cheese, and some additional herbs so as to enhance its naturally Mediterranean flavor.  We bake that in the oven until browned and serve warm with along with a small salad.

It was Christmas 15 years ago.  We had just purchased a new home within the past year, everyone was employed, and we were looking forward to its second Christmas.  Our current car was seriously old and becoming more expensive with each 1000 miles.  Somehow a picture of a new car that we had never seen slipped across Linda’s desk producing an immediate plea from Linda to swap old for new!  Of course the price was problematic.

The car was absolutely lovely. Even I liked it (all except the price.) Christmas was coming so I, like all males, continued to protest the price and the frivolousness of such a purchase while quietly considering the possibility and looking for a solution.   So, Christmas morning Linda’s brother – on cue – drove the new car down our driveway wrapped with a huge red ribbon and bow on top.  Linda vaulted out the front door in robe and slippers to view the car you see below – a 2000 Jaguar S Type – the first of its kind in the US.  Built in Birmingham, England and designed by Geoff Lawson, the key designer for Jaguar.  We still have this car and Linda still drives it to Shaw’s grocery store to get Yogurt, fresh fruit, and dozens of other ingredients for those fabulous breakfasts she designs at our charming Stowe bed and breakfast.

So, this September 19-21, 2014, you are likely to find us attending and reviewing many of the entries into the 24^th annual Stowe British Invasion car show.  This is North America’s largest British Classic Sports Car and Motorcycle Event!  Its mission is to provide a “Three Day Celebration and Salutation to the Great British Motorcar and all manner of other things British.”  It includes participants primarily from the US and Canada with over 600 cars on field, and approximately 1000 total.

The 24^th annual Stowe British Invasion Car Show:

Registrant’s Reception– Friday 5-7pm
The official kick-off reception for this year’s British Invasion is to be held under the tent at the STOWE EVENTS FIELD. This event is open to all Pre-Registered participants in the British Invasion Weekend, Car owners and Vendors alike.

Stowe Main Street Party– Friday 6:30-9:30pm
Come and join the celebration of things British as Main Street will be awash with people in a festive mood and, of course, lots of British Motorcars.  Enjoy live music, food, and beverage service.  The local shops and restaurants will also remain open.  Main Street will be closed to through traffic and reserved for British Motorcar parking on Friday evening.

Concours d’Elegance– Judging on Saturday
The Concours d’Elegance is a “Judged” competition that attracts exceptional show cars.  Requirements: must be British, over 15 years old, and may NOT be replicas. Judging of entrants in the Concours d’Elegance competition will be based on a 100-point system, similar to the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) judging rules. Criteria for judging includes mechanical operation, paint, interior, woodworking, undercarriage, chrome, engine compartment, and authenticity. A minimum of 90 points is required for 1st place, 85 for 2nd place and 75 for 3rd place. In case of a tie score, multiple awards will be presented. All entrants will receive participation ribbons.The Concours d’Elegance is a pre-registered ONLY event.

British Pub Saturday & Sunday

Our British Pub will be open to present fine English ales, wine and perhaps a mixed drink or two.

Tailgate Picnic Competition- Sunday

A display of creativity, good food, and things British. This event has become a “Classic” and perhaps one of the best Tailgate Competitions on the East Coast! Awards will be given for “Most Elegant”, “Most Creative”, “Most British”, “Best Costume”, “Best Tasting”, and “Most Humorous”.

British Market Place & Auto Jumble– Friday noon to Sunday
A collection of British Companies and vendors selling British, and British like products and services. Hard to find car spares, motoring accessories, motoring teddy bears, British candy, Regalia, Barbour jackets, and more.

British Car Corral – Friday noon to Sunday
An opportunity to buy or sell a British Motor Car or Motorcycle.

Come join us at the show.  One of the judges of the Concours d’Elegance will be staying at the Stone Hill Inn with us!

Having survived Minnesota for 23 years, I promised myself when we moved back to PA that I would avoid residences with climates that dominate your life; i.e. a six-month winter.  Besides the emotional “stir-craziness,” they impose upon its denizens, they are especially hard on the golf game.  Not that golf needs to be the center of existence, but when you visit old friends that live in Florida or San Diego and try to compete with their year-round play, you often come out on the short end of the contest.

Today, I still enjoy golf, but two things have changed:  (1)Despite my promise, I have returned to a very NORTHERN climate, so I’m back on the six-month program; and (2) in my aging years I’ve found something I enjoy as much and often more than golf:  gardening.  Having passed the Penn State gardening course back in 2007, a little knowledge has encouraged me to literally ‘dig in,’ such that I often find myself losing track of time while getting my hands dirty!  I love it!  That’s what this note is about.  So, let’s talk gardening.

Stowe, Vermont –  Zone 4.  This is a definite contrast to PA — Zone 6 — where a mild climate allows you to grow darn near anything. After almost three years I’m still learning Vermont plants, and surprising to me, (given 20 below winters with six to ten feet of snow each year) many are striking.  As an example, this plant (pictured), is one that I find to be exquisite – one of the most spectacular that I’ve ever seen (short of some of the Longwood Garden orchids located just outside of Philly).

This is currently blooming in our gardens.   Each of our guest rooms has a sliding glass door that allows them to walk directly into the back yard and explore the perennial gardens along with the man-made, 80’ path of streaming water lined by blooming flowers that ends with a three foot drop into a small pond.  

The objective of these gardens is to mirror the luxury found throughout the inn and its guest rooms.  Plus, the gardens provide locations where beauty overcomes everyday concerns, thus, naturally encouraging romance!  Yea!

Do you know this plant?  Isn’t it beautiful?  It is part of a small genus of flowering plants in the Iris family, Iridaceae. It is native to the grasslands of the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. They can be evergreen or deciduous perennials that grow from basal underground corms.  Ours are deciduous.  Do you know its name?  Let me know if you think you can identify it.

We have many noteworthy plants in the gardens.  Gooseneck Loosestife (white) is very stunning but it is nearly invasive (the purple version of Loosestrife had been declared an outlaw in MN because it is so invasive and loves water — MN has 10,000 lakes!)  Because their blooms last a long time we will occasionally use the white Loosestrife among the daily flowers that adorn the dining room tables for breakfast.  However, because it’s so aggressive and has taken over too much territory, this Fall I will dig several hundred of these plants.  Hopefully some will find a home with other gardeners.

No doubt you’re aware of Heliopsis helianthoides?  Me neither.  Stone Hill was the first time I had ever seen them.  Early bloomers, they light up the garden with a blanket of at least a hundred square feet with brilliant yellow flowers.  They last for about two weeks and when not blooming are comfortable taking over new territory in the garden via rhizomes.   They aren’t cutting flowers.

Rudbeckia looks like daisies; also called coneflowers or black-eyed-susans.  We’ve got a bunch of them – and in groups of several hundred they are impressive – a sea of joy and energy.  About 2-3 feet in height, yellow-gold and they last for weeks.  We often use them in the dining room.

There’s tons more, but you get the idea.  Try to imagine the luxury of enjoying Baptisa, Euporbia, Lysimachia,  Weigela  and a dozen other species that make the gardens at Stone Hill Inn a delightful romantic encounter!   Oh you can bring your gloves if you want!

August 8-10, 2014

As a young lad in college I had a small picture of a 1964 Corvette convertible hanging on my dorm room wall, just above the army barracks bed that I had fortified with a piece of ¾” plywood to prevent the cushy 4” mattress from sagging. 

Corvettes during those hormone-driven days, especially romantic convertibles, often held my attention longer than polysci or english lit.  The 1964 Corvette was both luxurious and beyond cool.  It came with a standard three-speed manual transmission, a 327 engine, which when fuel injected generated 360 HP – and fuel mileage probably less than 20?

However, as I look back on Corvettes, I like the 1967 version best – the one pictured above.  In mid-March of 1965, Chevrolet’s Mark IV big-block was first offered in the C2, displacing 396 cubic inches and rated at 425hp. For 1966, the thundering 427 was released in 390hp and 425hp varieties. In 1967, the 427 was offered with 390, 400 or 435hp.  (Feb 2010 Hemmings Motor News.)  You can only imagine the tasty fuel mileage from this rocket!

Alas, I never bought a corvette; only drove one once (1964 with the 327 engine).  Today I require much more practicality in my transportation (2008 used Honda Pilot), but if I can finish my Stone Hill Inn chores early, I might slip down to see what the corvettes look like in the Stowe, VT., 57^th Annual Antique and Classic Car Show.  August 8-10.

After 56 years, this Stowe car show has gotten pretty good at capturing some of the most interesting Antique cars from all over the U.S. while making the show quite charming.  After a restorative night’s sleep and healthy breakfast at our Stowe inn, you are ready for a full day of Stowe and the Antique car show!  Here’s the line-up for the event (only cars 1989 and earlier may enter the judging):

Friday, August 8:

7 am to 6 pm – eats!  Food concessions.

8 am to 6 pm – vehicle registration

8 am to sunset – flea market open (non-automotive items not permitted – of course!!)

Saturday, August 9:

7 am to 6 pm – eats!  Food concessions.

8 am to 3:30 pm – vehicle registration

8 am to 5:00 pm – flea market open (non-automotive items not permitted – of course!!

10:30 Fashion show judging at Nichols field (costumes must be of the same era as the year of your vehicle – sort of!)

11:00 Hot Wheels racing.

1:00 pm – Senior class judging and youth judging

3:30 pm  Parade leaves the field on the parade route – past the review stand and down to Main street Stowe. 

7:00 pm  10 pm – Street dance in Stowe village. (We’ll show you the back way into Stowe if you’re dining at one of the local restaurants.)

Sunday, August 10:

7 am to 4 pm – eats!  Food concessions.

8 am to 4:00 pm – flea market and car corral

9:00 – technical judging begins

11:00 – valve cover racing

Early afternoon:  Awards ceremony; three awards per class

Well, I’m not sure if the 1967 Vette, pictured above, will be part of this year’s Stowe car show.  But if so, that’s where you will likely find me!!

Another classic Stone Hill Inn breakfast

Perhaps you have noted among the recent reviews for the Stone Hill Inn, the mention of one breakfast dish that seems to claim particular favor.  While many guests have generally praised Linda’s breakfast creations, this devilishly tasty entre is often mentioned by name.  Such distinction requires, of course, exceptional taste, but one wonders if the name itself plays a role, for how could you say Baked Crème Brulee French Toast without causing a sly smile to adorn the face?   Now a favorite at our Stowe bed and breakfast, especially among returning guests who quickly intercept Linda to request this bewitching  meal  soon after they arrive!  As said in A Real American Breakfast Cookbook:  “A true luxury, this is worth every last calorie.” Read the rest of this entry »

After a Spring of wonderful weather we head into Summer and the many festivals that dot the Stowe calendar. First up – the 28th annual hot-air balloon festival held less than a mile from our Stowe bed and breakfast –  the Stone Hill Inn. Over 25 of these beautiful creatures will paint the sky with vibrant colors from July 11-13. A wonderful photography venue but better yet – you can go for a ride!

Ballooning, as you probably know, is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. The first flight was a two-person journey on November 21, 1783 from Paris, France! (Wikipedia)

We’ve arranged for several of our guests to go hot-air ballooning this Spring using our local balloon provider Jeff Snyder and his Above Reality balloon company. A recent couple celebrated their honeymoon by ascending 1,600 feet and traveling over 11 miles. Weather is always a factor and Jeff, designer and builder of balloons, is very conservative. He suggests not betting on only ONE day, but have at least two or three days from which to choose in order to be more assured of getting weather needed for a flight.

According to Jeff, very few say that they are afraid once they are in the air. He says that it’s because unlike a cliff, there are no edges to look over when you are in a balloon. We had a chance to experience a taste of ballooning two weeks ago – 75 feet up from in one of Jeff’s tethered balloons. Quiet, soft, fresh perspective. Looking for a great way to celebrate life together! Come!

MAY 2014 – At Stone Hill Inn we love celebrating special occasions! Pictured below are Annabel and Jamie, who arrived Friday, May 16 to celebrate their honeymoon in Vermont. Dominic and Stephanie from Ottawa enjoyed their honeymoon at Stone Hill Inn just a few days earlier.

Jamie is in the retail business and loves animals. Annabel loves to paint and is also an actress and will be in two pictures soon to be released. The first picture stars Cameron Diaz; the second stars Denzel Washington!

These bring the total number of honeymoons celebrated so far at Stone Hill Inn in 2014 to eight! If you are considering a honeymoon in Vermont, be sure to check out our Vermont Honeymoon Package, which can be customized to your wishes.

Best wishes to all our newlyweds!