Hot Air Ballooning

Just as in Napa [1], one of the popular ways to get a great view of the Russian River Valley [2] is from the basket of a hot air balloon. Granted, you and your hangover must fall out of bed before dawn for this particular treat—so you might want to make this a first-day adventure before you start wine tasting.

Above the Wine Country [3] (meeting site at Kal’s Kaffe Mocha, 397 Aviation Blvd., Santa Rosa, 707/538-7359, www.balloontours.com [4], adults $225, children $195, flights daily) can get you up in the air to start the day high above Wine Country [3]. This big company maintains a whole fleet of balloons, which can carry 2–16 passengers. Expect your total experience time to be 3–4 hours, with 1–1.5 hours in the air.