For our 20th wedding anniversary we wanted something romantic and unforgettable. This hot air balloon ride was the perfect thing. (I try not to overuse the word "perfect" but my goodness, in this instance, other words fail.) Early yesterday morning, we met up in a designated parking lot where my husband and I got in the truck with pilot Liana and her ground woman/daughter, Nicole, for the rest of the drive to the launch site. It's a multi generational family business; we absolutely loved the dynamic between these two. They are a delight! ... As Liana started to go over some instructions, I got butterflies realizing this is actually gonna happen! (The website explains that a significant percentage of flights are canceled due to unsuitable weather conditions, but yesterday was, well, PERFECT.) We arrived at an open field where Liana and Nicole set up a balloon called "Renaissance." It looked enormous to us but apparently it's their smallest balloon, mostly reserved for private flights like ours. We got to help a bit which was SO COOL getting to be hands on with some of it. Takeoff was absolutely smooth and beautiful. Anyone fearing heights and/or motion sickness take it from me - I experience both in every day life and neither sensation at any point on this hot air balloon flight. It's a weird disconnect, Liana is good at explaining it, but I was perfectly at ease with the heights the entire time, and never nauseous. If either of those things are holding you back don't let them! You will love being in the basket of the hot air balloon and you will feel so proud of yourself for doing it! The ride itself is almost impossible to describe. Breathtaking views of fog resting above the winding river, the sun rising over the mountains, looking down on the backs of high soaring birds, all the neighborhoods that seem like toys from that height, tiny cars moving along ribbons of highway , ... so much natural beauty it was quite overwhelming to take it all in. A highlight was when Liana brought the balloon down for a "splash and dash", letting the bottom of the basket kiss the top of the water. Our balloon cast a rainbow reflection in the water and a heart shaped shadow on the trees. GUYS!! What could be more perfectly romantic than that!? Nicole met us w the truck at the landing site and was on the ground guiding the balloon with a tether as we came in. We were warned about a potential bumpy landing but it was so gentle and quiet, like a butterfly alighting on a twig. While the balloon was deflating on the lawn, a bald eagle flew over us, as if to tip it's wing to a perfect morning in the skies. Once Renaissance was rolled up and basket & balloon put away in the truck, we headed back to the parking lot for a post-flight toast with nonalcoholic bubbly. Everything about yesterday was even more wonderful than I imagined preflight. I highly recommend this experience and specifically this company and crew to anyone interested in hot air ballooning. read more

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Liana and team made our July 3rd sunrise hot air balloon ride a fantastic experience. The night before they have a 8:30PM decision on if the weather looks like it will co-operate. They will text you (or you can contact them) to determine the tentative launch location. We were lucky and the launch was at our hotel (Boars Head Resort)...which made it easy in the early morning so that we did not have to drive to the event. One person in our private group doesn't love heights but had no issues on this trip because Liana did a wonderful job controlling the balloon. Everyone commented how smooth the take off and landing went...it was impressive. We enjoyed smooth sailing over the countryside of Charlottesville. Lots of photo opportunities! We landed in our target area (farm field) and the crew quickly packed up the balloon in the company truck. We were driven back to the hotel in the truck and enjoyed a sparkling grape juice toast (and learned a bit of history on the post-flight toast). I would highly recommend this company to check hot air balloon ride off your bucket list. read more

I chose Blue Ridge Balloon to be our first hot air balloon ride ever and used the chance to propose to my girlfriend and it was the best decision I could had made. The owners are amazing, very friendly, and entertaining. Definitely helped me out to make the occasion extra special. I've never been so at ease at almost 3,000 feet from the ground. I couldn't recommend them enough. read more

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Wow! Breathtaking views. We lifted off early in the morning, and floated for 70 minutes. We were high and low depending on the direction we needed to float. The balloon operator and operation was 100% controlled, using modern nice equipment and clear communication. My wife and I felt totally safe. Our pilot Jim was a gentleman and let us have the space we needed to enjoy the ride. We chose to go solo. Check out some of the pictures. read more

Blue Ridge Balloon - Another friend - Hot Air Balloons Near Me

My wife has always dreamed of a hot air balloon ride and I surprised her with a flight with Blue Ridge Balloon for her 40th birthday. They couldn't have been more accommodating with our scheduling needs and trying to work around the weather conditions to ensure I was able to pull this off while we were in the Charlottesville area. The private flight is a must and the owners of this company couldn't be a better choice. It was a special experience that we will never forget. read more

Highly recommend Blue Ridge Balloon! They were very responsive to our booking request. Liana was an awesome pilot. Our views were incredible. Truly exceeded our expectations! read more

We went on a sunrise flight as an early birthday present and I have to say, it was AMAZING! Liana and Nicole were very friendly and did a great job explaining the process and I love that we were able to assist with set up and take down. Liana is a very experienced and knowledgeable pilot who set me at ease. It was breathtaking to see the sunrise from up in the air! Everything was just perfect, we were able to see the sunrise, clouds, mountains, farm lands, the river and even other hot air balloons. I took over 100 photos and Nicole took awesome photos of us throughout our trip, from the ground. It was better than I could have imagined, so beautiful and peaceful. Highly recommend! read more

We had a kid's event and they did a fabulous job! Liana and her staff came out and gave a demonstration to our group of 70+ kids, and did a great job keeping their attention and making things fun! read more

Seriously, this is as good as it gets. Cannot recommend highly enough. The balloon is beautiful and the owners are very laid back, friendly and thoughtful. We drank champagne together after the ride and had a ton of fun throughout. The pilot allowed my girlfriend and I to soak in the utter serenity of the ride, and was available and knowledgeable if we had any questions along the way. Perfect hosts - cannot wait to receive the pictures in the mail. read more

For my fellow Marines who are looking for a honest to God pure experience to share with your love, or simply to see the world from a more transcendent place, you have to fly with Liana. From the start email, Liana, owner, was capable, courteous, friendly, prompt, all the things you'd expect of a professional in the field. Liana is a second generation pilot, and you'll know it! Confidence from the start in the parking lot meet up, to the transport to the lift off field, to lift off, absolute command of the balloon at 2100 feet, to the softest landing. I think honestly, I'd feel a more abrupt step down on my home's stairs than the pillow soft landing we had, unbelievable, dreamy, like "Wow, did this just happen" experience. Absolutely peaceful, her daughter was a riot and hand great hand at helping with liftoff and pickup. Meeting at 0 dark thirty in a parking lot added the right amount of mission excitement and interest; the whole we're off to do something good vibe. The view, wow, it really was awesome. The meeting with a local farmer and fellow balloon pilot on his farm for lift off; excellent, rich, investment vibe. Being able to help inflate the balloon and seeing and feeling the heat on a crisp fall morning from the very flames that would keep us afloat, and alive for an hour and across many miles; absolutely priceless experience. This trip righted a crazy start to our wedding honeymoon with a B&B that was suffering from COVID management...we waited a couple days after to ensure weather was accommodating to flight at Liana's suggestion. Liana, is top notch. She's family 100%, is making her father, a pilot instructor in the field, proud. I hope her daughter learns and follows her lead...she has awesome parents and a remarkable Mom. This is a fantastic, beautiful approach to the world, a dream. Please live it with Liana and Blue Ridge Balloon. Semper Fidelis! read more

There are several hot air balloon companies that operate out of Charlottesville, a place that offers the same incredible views no matter whose balloon you're in. The distinguishing factor between balloon rides, then, pretty much comes down to the personality (and skill) of your pilot. In this sense, we can't imagine a better hot air balloon experience than the one offered by Jim and Liana of Blue Ridge Balloon. They were accommodating and communicative throughout the scheduling (and rescheduling, due to weather) process. During the flight, Liana answered all of our questions and was relaxingly conversational while simultaneously making my girlfriend and I feel like we were the only two in the basket. All in all it was an awesome time and worth every penny. I've never written a Yelp review before and probably won't again but felt compelled to do so for Liana and Jim. Hopefully we'll be back for another flight soon! read more

An amazing experience made possible by owners, Liana and Jim! Our first balloon ride and certainly not our last. Liana was incredibly gracious when we had to re-schedule 3 times because of weather and then an unexpected problem on our end. As for the flight, Jim was our pilot for the day and we were so pleased with his obvious skill. Incredibly enjoyable! Well worth your time and an experience you won't soon forget. The Charlottesville area and views of the Blue Ridge mountains are stunning! No better way to see the sights than by the gentle flight of a hot air balloon! Well done, guys! read more

My husband and I went on a sunset balloon ride with Blue Ridge and had an amazing time. The owners were so friendly and I felt at ease even at 2,500 feet in the air. I have already passed the word on to my friends to give it a try. read more

Absolutely delighted with my whole experience with Blue Ridge Ballooning. They cancelled my first reservation for weather, and we (6 novices) took off with them early the next morning. You WANT your balloon company to put safety first, be absolutely professional about the technology, and on top of that, be friendly and make you feel great about the whole experience. They're firing on all cylinders, and I'm sure you'll be delighted with all of them, including the ground crew/chase team, pilots, pictures, picnic, .... whole package. They love doing this, and you'll love experiencing it. read more

This balloon company was a dream find. I had been looking for a birthday present for my husband and when I happened upon this company, my search was over. the owners are very responsible, attune to safety, and fun to fly with. They answered all my questions very honestly, they followed up on every question and concern, all with a great attitude. The flight itself was great! The pilots are very safe and take their business very seriously and put us all at ease very quickly. From the initial call to the post-flight toast, the experience was stellar. I would highly recommend this compnay. read more