- small intimate experience - fun and down to earth team members - safe - explained well the direction and the process - very understanding and flexible with everything read more

Foolish Pleasure Hot Air Balloon Rides - Get the balloon ready to fly - Hot Air Balloons Near Me

We gave our adult kids and grandkids the gift of a hot air balloon ride with foolish pleasure, with Dan the pilot, for Christmas. They absolutely loved it and highly recommend anyone go on a sunrise, hot air balloon ride. There's nothing about it. they didn't like. Including a little feast when they got to the ground again. read more

This truly was an incredible experience! My family and I went to this private hot air balloon flight and it was so much fun! The set up of the balloon provides such a cool 'insider' point of view and you get to witness every step of the process. As well as that the expertise of the pilot made us feel so secure and safe and at no point were we concerned about our safety. The celebration that they hosted for us after the flight was so welcoming and added on to the pleasure of the event! Thank you so much for the amazing service to the team and we really do recommend this to all! read more

My husband surprised me with a balloon ride with Dan and his crew. I can not say enough about this company. What an excellent service and knowledge. Such a fantastic experience. If anyone is thinking about doing a ride this company is a must! Thanks Again! read more

This was the best! My husband purchased this ride for me for Christmas and unfortunately, I got covid and we had to cancel. Dan and Lori were so understanding. I was so happy that we got to reschedule for this weekend. It was such a beautiful flight. Everyone on the crew was so kind. They were careful to make sure we understood safety procedures. We really appreciated the treats, history, and poem at the end that brought the whole experience together. It was a wonderful day. read more

Foolish Pleasure Hot Air Balloon Rides - We're up there! - Hot Air Balloons Near Me

We loved it! Highly recommend! A beautiful, peaceful, exciting experience. I loved the staff and their accommodations. Brunch was so quaint, and had the best breakfast carrot cake ever! Wouldn't change a thing about any of this experience. A perfect Christmas gift for my fiancée! Thank you for being such great hosts! read more

See all

Very well organized they and professional. We had a wonderful family trip to remember and the photos were a great touch as a keep sake. The story of the first balloon trip and the reason for the champaign toast was very interesting and the food spread was really good as well. I would highly recommend this crew to everyone and if I could I would give them another star if possible. read more

The organization is wonderful to work with. From the first contact to inquire about their balloon rides, to the scheduling and the ride itself. Very friendly, very accommodating, very safe and comfortable. The pilot was amazing and full of information and the crew was there to do all the work and make it easy for the riders. And the price was very fair. I look forward to another ride in the future! read more

We had such a great trip! Delicious brunch, friendly, professional staff. I loved it! They are very safe and knowledgeable and it was so fun to learn about the hot air balloon community. I would do it again and again if O could. read more

All I can say was WOW!!!! This was an amazing experience and Dan knows his stuff. I've lived in Tucson almost my whole life, and never seen it like I have today. Thank you for a lifetime memory. Thank you to Dan and Lorrie and their crew with Foolish Pleasure Hot Air Balloon Rides. read more

See all

My favorite part of this trip was the whole trip! Upon arrival at the meet point we were welcomed by a great group of customer oriented, sincere and helpful ground crew. They answered questions and offered tips before the journey even began. My friends and I enjoyed watching the professionalism of the crew in getting the balloon up and later putting away... truly a well trained group of people. The ride was glorious and everything I had imagined plus some. This was my 60th birthday gift and by far the best gift I have received. The landing was executed perfectly and was a grand experience!! Afterwards a short brunch to celebrated the event was a nice touch and thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you Foolish Pleasure for this truly memorable experience! read more

Foolish Pleasure Hot Air Balloon Rides - Hot Air Balloons Near Me

Was truly an amazing experience. The crew made us feel safe and they were fun to celebrate with after the flight. If you want a special lifetime memory, go on this trip! read more

My 17 yo son and I visited Tucson to tour the University of Arizona campus. We also wanted to experience Tucson and get the overall vibe. When I saw that we could see Tucson from such a unique perspective, flying above it in a hot air balloon, I was all in. Foolish Pleasure is top-notch. From start to finish, everything flowed. Communication was excellent. The team is authentic and so expert at what they do that I never felt nervous once. I was completely in the moment. The picnic after and shared ballooning history and stories added to the fun. Plus, photos of the ride were taken from the chase car below and emailed to us. They are fantastic!!! My son loved everything. He smiles when we talk about it. This was an experience that will be a special memory between my son and I for the rest of our lives. I am grateful. I recommend a hot air balloon ride with Foolish Pleasure 100%. read more

It was a great experience all around! Dan and lorrie were very kind and professional ! Everyone felt safe and enjoyed every minute of their balloon ride ! Highly recommend this company to go hot air ballooning with!it was a great morning ! read more

I went on a balloon ride for the first time. I thought it was going to be scary but it was beautiful and calming. The crew was amazing and showed you how the balloon worked from the set up of the balloon to the Champaign toast at the end. It was on my bucket list for a long time and was worth it. When it was over they tell you the story of ballooning over mimosas and a breakfast spread. It will be a memory I will never forget. Thank you for the experience. read more

This experience was worth every penny. I highly recommend Foolish Pleasure's for those who are frequent flyers or brand new gliders. Dan and Lori are extremely friendly, helpful, and carry and great sense of humor. For what you pay, the sights alone are worth it. Oro Valley and Northwest Tucson are exceptionally lovely from the sky year-around. The trip starts out somewhere west of Ina and I-10 and ends somewhere north of the Marana area. Mimosas' and breakfast is provided afterwards at a local park. We would go again, and again, and again. Ballooning is the most exciting way to travel! read more

After looking over several websites for Hot Air Balloon rides around Tucson area, I decided on Foolish Pleasures and booked a trip for my Husband and I as a surprise for his birthday. He was a little wary because he has severe motion sickness but I had read the reviews and assured him that he would be fine... and he was. There is little motion when you are floating in the sky and Dan is a very skilled pilot and seemed to know how to find the "right air". This company is very professional and obviously safety comes first. Lorrie will call the night before to confirm the meeting time and that the conditions will be good for the flight. We were shuttled to a spot where the crew unloaded the basket and unfolded the balloon. The process of blowing the balloon up provided us with ample photography shots as the sun was rising behind us. And then just as fast as Dorothy was whisked away in her balloon, we were off too. The scenery over the Tucson Mountains was incredible as we passed by Sombrero and Safford Peaks... The flight is just like a massage - the fastest hour ever.. Before you know it, Dan was putting us down gently as the ground crew welcomed us. Then we were loaded back into the truck and taken to a local park where they laid out a spread of bagels, danishes, cheeses, crackers, peanuts, and of course, champagne and Mimosas. Lorrie even pulled out a small birthday cake, complete with a candle for my husband and another passenger who was also celebrating her birthday. We also enjoyed Dan's story of the origin of ballooning and the significance of a post landing Champagne toast. Finally, we had mentioned to Dan that we had already made reservations to attend the 2013 Albuquerque Balloon Festival next October and Dan invited us to find him and his crew since they always compete there. Even after just a few hours with Dan and Lorrie and the crew, we felt like we would be welcome hanging with them in Albuquerque. That is just the kind of people they are. On the way home, my husband said it was a great birthday present and thanks to Foolish Pleasures, I can check this one off of MY Bucket List!! read more

Awesome experience. Wonderful 360 degree visuals and very entertaining and informative pilot. Our private couple flight with champagne brunch was totally worth the price of admission! read more

Amazing experience! Apparently my Mom has always wanted to do this, but never mentioned it! Well, it's her 78th birthday and my Dad told me that she always wanted to take a hot air balloon ride but he wouldn't do it with her. So, trying to be a good daughter, this was her present. Lori was great making the reservation and answering any questions, Dan was an amazing pilot. The ride was amazing, and my Dad had a blast riding along in the chase vehicle. The food was great (according to my parents, I didn't have any because of allergies and other issues). read more

My boyfriend bought me a hot air balloon ride for my birthday! How awesome is that!?! He got a Groupon deal for the ride for us through Foolish Pleasures Hot Air Balloon Rides. It took us a while to call and make the reservation, but when he did call, he was able to schedule us pretty soon after. Because I have dietary restrictions and breakfast (and a traditional champagne or sparkling cider toast) is part of the deal, he also contacted them about my diet, and they couldn't have been more accommodating. Because of weather and wind conditions, you find out the evening before where the site will be where you'll meet the crew. In this case, we met on the northeast side of town to park, then loaded in with the two other passengers, crew and equipment for the short ride to the launch site at the north end of the Tucson mountains. We were given the option to help with the balloon as much or as little as we wanted. We felt it was all part of the fun and helped unload and unroll the balloon, then watched as the magic happened as the balloon started to inflate along with the sunrise. Two other balloon companies (with much bigger balloons, i.e. more passengers) were also launching right nearby, which seems to be the usual case, and this made for some great photos. We climbed aboard and off we went! Being in a hot air balloon is hard to describe, and really should be experienced anyway, but I think most important to say is how safe I felt. There is nothing rickety or insecure feeling about the basket, and no bumpiness or turbulence like you feel in winged aircraft. I'm not exactly scared of heights, but even the nervousness that I think is natural when looking down from aloft was just absent. Hot air balloons are only controlled in terms of their height: air currents control your direction, so the crew follows along to meet you at the end, which is determined by the pilot when he sees a good place to land along the trajectory. Our flight was probably a little over an hour, and we were all enthralled at the truly unique perspective you get from the balloon that you simply cannot get in any other way (my boyfriend likens it to the way you experience flying in dreams, and I think that's really the closest you can get to a description). The landing was fun, even deflation had some excitement, and we again helped with the pack up before we were shuttled to our picnic breakfast and champagne toast. I was sent home with the last of the chocolate covered strawberries (twist my arm!) after gorging on a delicious array of champagne (or cider), juice, fruit, cheese, pastries and crackers (including some gluten-free selections they found just for me). Dan, the pilot, regaled us with a lovely story of the origin of the hot air balloon and the history of the champagne toast that is traditional. Dan is quite clearly a highly skilled pilot, and oriented us throughout the flight, pointed out wildlife if we'd missed it, and spun a yarn or two, all while leaving space for us to be awed by the experience. In addition to being highly experienced and passionate about ballooning, he's also an instructor (so, if you get really hooked, there's always that...). The crew were all great and it felt like such a family operation that by the end had stretched to make us feel like a part of it. A hot air balloon ride is one of those bucket list types of things, but now that I've done it once, I hate the idea that that'll be the only time... I'll most certainly be a repeat customer of Dan and Lorrie's when it happens. read more

This was one of the most memorable amazing experiences we have ever had. The balloon ride was breathtaking and something we will never forget. Thanks for everything!!!! read more

My boyfriend and I went on our first hot air balloon ride this morning and had a wonderful time. I enjoyed how relaxing it was, the friendly staff, and the delicious snacks and mimosas they provided after ward! I will recommend this to all my family and friends! I had a great time and I cant wait to do it again! Thank you Dan and Lorrie for such an amazing experience this morning! read more

This will be my first yelp review to share what a wonderful experience I had with Foolish Pleasure Hot Air Balloon Rides. After checking multiple services, I decided on FP primarily because of the personal experience (basket holds 6 max compared to 8-10 at other companies). From start to finish my girlfriend and I were treated with the highest level of service. The balloon ride was more than I could've imagined. Beautiful scenery and Dan, the pilot, is great at pointing out fun and interesting facts while still allowing the riders to enjoy the experience on a personal level. After the ride, Lorrie provides a beautiful spread of snacks and champagne accompanied by an interesting story of how hot air balloons got started. Did you know the word "pilot" originates from hot air balloons, well I didn't either! Also, FP provides pictures of your ride from the ground and a pin with your actual balloon. The pictures were in my inbox before I arrived back home that day. Fantastic trip all around and highly recommended. read more

Beautiful trip and wonderful people to work with!! Couldn't be happier with the experience.

Great time with this company for a scenic hot air balloon ride. Highly recommend! A lot of extras that we really appreciated. If you are considering this once in a lifetime experience you've got the best place here! read more

This was one amazing trip! I searched around and when I saw all the great reviews Foolish Pleasures had I knew this was the best one, and it was!! From the moment I booked the ride till after the ride was over everyone was absolutely amazing and made sure that this was the best experience! Dan, Lorrie and the crew were a delight and I can't wait to go on another ride with them!! If you are looking for a great hot air balloon experience look no more and book with Foolish Pleasures! read more

This was our 3rd try for a balloon ride and lucked out that Dan had a spot open after a previously schedule flight was cancelled due to weather. We're so glad it worked out for us! Dan and his crew are very friendly and made sure everyone was comfortable. Gliding over the desert was a great 15th anniversary memory! read more

We had our wedding ceremony during our flight and enjoyed every minute of this experience. The crew was down to earth, friendly, and professional. I totally recommend Foolish Pleasure! Thank you so much for the experience! read more

I highly recommend Foolish Pleasure Hot Air Balloon Rides in AZ to anyone. This was my first hot air balloon ride. Safety and integrity was important for me when searching for a company. We considered companies throughout various areas of AZ and settled on this one after researching the company, reading reviews, and conversing with staff. Dan and Lorie and also their staff and family were awesome! They were professional, accommodating, warm, and humorous. They accommodated us with our request for a balloon ride on the day after their standard cut off time for balloon rides (once it was deemed safe and weather appropriate). I loved their attention to detail with safety and take off location, lunch/mimosas, and with story telling and historical information. They truly made my best friend's very special celebration one to remember. Communication was good, price reasonable, and the experience was positively unforgettable. Foolish Pleasures Hot Air Balloon Rides has my highest recommendation. Thanks Dan and Lorie and team! read more

Wow ! I'm sorry that I waited until my 68th birthday to do this. My daughter tried to set up a ride for me at the Albuquerque Balloon Fest and it didn't work out, so I was very pleased to be offered a Groupon on line in September and finally used it to celebrate in May. I can't believe how much fun it was to see my Arizona neighborhood by air. This is a very professional operation -- Dan and his crew set up and inflated the balloon very quickly, we received very comprehensive safety instructions, and we were in the air before we knew it. It was a hot day and we were not able to get up to a high elevation, but it was fun to check out the desert wildlife (javelinas, foxes, rabbits) from close above -- and, of course, we could wave at people on the ground. The ride was over an hour long and the landing was very smooth. The ground crew followed our progress and was right there to pack up the balloon and take us to a nearby park for our champagne breakfast. When the ground crew found out it was my birthday, they even provided a cake and turned it into a party for me. I had a great time !!! Thank you to Dan and all the Foolish Pleasure crew. When my grandchildren get old enough, I'd like to take them all. Sandy Oro Valley, AZ read more

Great outing! A fun trip with a great crew. They even gave us a nice continental breakfast and discussed the history of ballooning after we landed. read more

I surprised my husband with a hot air balloon ride for our anniversary. Earlier that week I got a call saying they needed to change our flight day, I insisted on our anniversary date that I was promised. That morning, we were so excited, but after an hour of trying to get the balloon set up, they canceled the ride, said it was too windy. We did however see another balloon in the air that morning...?? Needless to say, we were disappointed and my surprise flopped. When I rescheduled a few months later, I was told a time and date. I scheduled a sitter (not so easy to find one for 6 am). Again, days before another call that I needed to reschedule. No thanks, my husband rearranged his schedule already and my sitter was set. They called me the day before to confirm we would be there at 5 something... What?? Not the time I was told. I checked and it was impossible for my sitter to be there that early. I had no option but to cancel. Since I didn't give them 72 hrs advance, they still charged me for the ride. All that and I paid them hundreds of dollars. Too bad they didn't work with me, I would have paid extra for a private ride. read more