10/10 experience! My mom and I went up in a private trip, with Keith as our pilot, and it was so surreal! He helped make it such an amazing trip. He was a very fun pilot, being very knowledgeable of the area, while cracking jokes but still making sure we felt safe enough. 100% will try and book another trip! One thing to prepare for - we were informed it takes 8 times on average of scheduling your flight before actually going up - so don't be discouraged!!! Totally worth it. read more

See all

Avoid this company at all costs! I used them 20+ years ago but have no faith in them today. Initially, it took 2 weeks and 2 attempts to get a reply to a voicemail or email. I had intended to propose to my girlfriend (at 60 years of age!) up in the balloon the day before she travelled for a month. The weather was perfect but they cancelled early in the morning. There are horror stories in some reviews of 25 reservations being cancelled before finally getting a flight. Yes, they do list they don't give refunds, but now they have almost $800 of my money until a flight next year or the year after. I recommend they don't charge customers until the day of services being rendered. This is like a Ponzi scheme and if the business possibly goes bankrupt, you lose all of your money. I suspect they are sitting on tens of thousands of dollars of future flights. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! read more

Stillwater Balloon - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Lakeland, Minnesota

Perfect day for flying. Visibility is perfect. Wind is slight(well within their parameters). I think they cancelled because my wife and I are the only passengers. They probably deem the flight a poor investment. We drove 450 miles round trip. I guess it was a poor investment on our part as well read more

Stillwater Balloon - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Lakeland, Minnesota

See all

Don't do it. Many many cancelations. Have yet to experience it. Wait of your time and money since you won't get it do it. Reviews say it takes years for a ride to get accomplished. Guy I spoke to states they go up about 70x/yr. Based on my research, this seems to be incorrect. read more

If this is on your bucket list, do it here. They treat you like gold, and make you feel safe and part of their family.

Birds flying high you know how I feel... Sun in the sky you know how I feel... Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel... That pretty much sums up what a great experience hot air ballooning with Stillwater Balloon was for me and my best friend. We do something fun / unusual / adventurous for our birthday every year, this year a Groupon fell into our laps at the right time and we decided to purchase a private hot air balloon ride. Located in Lakeland, the last stop in Minnesota before you cross the river into Wisconsin, it is a bit of a drive for the west-siders (such as myself) but well worth the drive for the amazing scenery. A normal private ride is a whopping $750, complete with champagne toast when you land and get engraved champagne flutes to take home. We were able to snag the private ride for only $399 for the two of us, worth every penny. I highly recommend taking a ride someday if you can. Keep in mind that most flights are rescheduled (they say it usually takes 3-4 tries before you get to fly) but we were lucky enough to have a perfect day with perfect winds and were able to fly on our first attempt. We arrived there a few minutes early and to our surprise it was basically in someones back yard. Very easy to get to and plenty of parking, but strange to be at someones house taking off in the air. The main pilot has been flying for 25 years, that is a long time to be doing anything and our private ride pilot has been flying for 3 years, under the supervision of the 25 year veteran. So, rest assured, you are safe in their hands. The balloons were sprawled out on the ground, waiting to be inflated (that is part of the experience) and we waited in chairs set out for our scheduled flight time (pending winds, too). There were a lot of other people there at the same time, which surprised me, until I learned that there was also a semi-private flight (that basket can hold 17 people!) happening just after our departure. The balloon is filled up with fans, believe it or not, and it happens quickly! Bring a camera and take lots of pictures, but make sure it is fully charged and you have room on your memory card. The balloons are huge, I could barely fit it in my camera frame and had to stand as far back as I could get. One really cool bonus, you get to take a picture inside the balloon before it is fully inflated! Awesome memories! Once the balloon was fully inflated and standing up, we literally had moments to get into the basket before we started flying high. It was so cool to be on the ground one second and in the air the next. It was so scenic and beautiful flying over the St. Croix River Valley, crossing the river into Wisconsin, watching all the sail boats, seeing the Minneapolis and St. Paul skylines in the distance, being higher than the birds and the only noise is the occasional roar of the flames keeping the hot air balloon afloat. A peaceful and scenic 45 minute flight ended so quickly, I wish we would've stayed up longer, but the winds make the decisions for the pilot. We landed in a golf course in Wisconsin and were greeted with many onlookers and even security. Apparently people think that a balloon landing can be planned, but nope, you land where the winds take you. After assuring security we were fine and our ride home was on its way, we were left alone to pop our champagne and watch the pilot and two assistants (that followed to pick us up) deflate the balloon. Deflating is almost as cool as inflating, they actually take the top of the balloon straight off. Crazy. After the balloon was bagged up and the basket secured to the back of the van we headed back over the river to the balloon port in Lakeland. Safely back home and happy for the experience! Some random things to note: wear flat shoes as you may have to walk through a field when you land; its warmer than you think because of the flames from the burners; you don't need long sleeved shirts or hats in the summer, its quite nice up there; don't bring anything you don't need up in the basket, its a tight squeeze to fit three in the private ride; don't be afraid to ask questions, our pilot was very interesting and informative; they may market the private ride as a romantic experience, but it really isn't that romantic with a dude standing right next to you; take lots of pictures and bring a video camera; they say allow for 3 hours, but we were on our way back home in about 2 hours. Overall such a great experience, save your pennies and give it a try, you won't regret it. read more

Stillwater Balloon - Stillwater Balloon - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Lakeland, Minnesota

I bought a crowdcut certificate for my parents anniversary, and it ended up being a nightmare. They cancel more than they go so once the expiration of the certificate came, they said they no longer needed to honor the certificate. At that point they said the only things was to pay the difference, another $200, for them to honor it. So none the less we were out a large sum of money for the original certificate. They were terrible to work with and had the worst customer service..BEWARE!! read more

Had a fantastic time on our flight last week! I received a gift certificate for a flight two years ago for my birthday. We've been trying to schedule something ever since, but it has taken a while. We wanted to do a sunset flight, in the summer, and due to my schedule there's really only 2 days a week I could possibly go. So we scheduled, and the wait for the group flights was about 3 or 4 weeks out. You call the day of the flight to see if the weather is going to co-operate. Unfortunately for us, the weather was being temperamental. This led to rescheduling another couple weeks out - several times. In all, I think we finally were able to make this happen on our 5th reschedule (I'm told this is pretty normal - ballooning requires pretty specific conditions). We probably could have pulled it off sooner if I had a more flexible schedule, or maybe if we were willing to do a morning or afternoon flight. That would have opened up more options for us. Anyway, the long schedule time was mainly a combination of our specifics and the weather. It wasn't the fault of the company. The flight was a lot of fun, even with 17 of us in the basket. Lots of great sightseeing, lots of interesting info from the pilot/owner. The landing was really fun too. He managed to park that thing right on a little country road since there were no other clearing nearby. He's definitely a skilled pilot and had full control of his aircraft. We had champagne on the ground and got a little souvenir wine flute. That was a nice touch. Highly recommended as something everyone should try at least once! Do it with this company too. Family owned and operated, very professional, very skilled and trustworthy! read more

See all

Took a hot air balloon ride with Stillwater Balloons with Steve today (9/12) on a beautiful fall day. The view overlooking the St. Croix was really stunning, the ride was a very enjoyable experience talking with Steve and the other riders, and the logistics were very smooth throughout the entire process. Just an overview of the day Buy the certificates and get scheduled on a flight You call 2 hrs before your ride to confirm that the flight is still on (really can only fly on good weather for obvious safety reasons) Get there 30 mins before your flight, check-in Watch the balloon get inflated (which is a pretty cool thing in its own right) Hop on and fly Land Wait for the team to fold up the balloon and ride a bus from your landing spot back to the base to get some champagne (with a nice engraved flute which is yours to keep!) I definitely enjoyed the experience and will be buying two more tickets for my parents as a gift! Top-notch experience, professionalism, and very easy to relax and enjoy! 5 stars! read more

I purchased my certificates in the spring of 2019 as a bucket list birthday gift for my brother. Before ordering, I asked the owner, Steve, how many average bookings it takes to get a flight and he said around six. We scheduled 25 times in 2019, came close to flying a couple of times, but were always cancelled. I asked for a refund in October 2019 as it was very disruptive to hold our schedules open and continually be cancelled. Steve refused, but renewed the certificate through 2020. Unfortunately, my brother was fed up and did not wish to go through any more disruption. I was able to fly this summer with a friend. Upon seeing the operation in action it seems Steve may be scheduling people for group flights, but unwilling to fly unless the balloon is packed to capacity (14 or so people). While the eventual flight was incredible, the business practices felt deceptive and unfair. I would recommend ponying up for a solo flight or going with another company. read more

If you buy a Groupon beware! The rides are cancelled more often than not. If they cancel you they will not honor the Groupon unless they have cancelled you a minimum of 6 times (plus its challenging getting an appointment scheduled). This is nowhere in their Groupon policy so you are stuck paying the difference if you want to reschedule after they cancel you with a Groupon that's about to expire. Seems like a ploy to get people in, cancel them and then make them pay the difference. Disappointed! read more

1 star because you can't leave zero!!! Had thier balloon land in my side yard at 7:15 this morning!! This is in a neighborhood not some where out in the country. HELLO?!?? You can not land on private property. I went and asked if they were having technical difficulties & pilot said no, planned to land here & on the street. You can't land on a street either!! They moved the ballon & basket full of people off my lawn to the street & preceeded to block the road for about 20 minutes. Gee I guess people don't need to go work or anything. Pilot told me they land in neighborhoods all the time. I find this very hard to believe. read more

This was a great experience! The views from the air were like nothing we had seen before. My girlfriend and I were taken back at the views of the St. Croix River. We did have to reschedule once which was kind of an inconvenience, but I understand and wouldn't want to be in a hot air balloon during bad conditions. That is the only reason i didn't give them a 5. read more

The company above at the 1 star was intended for Aamodts Hot Air Balloon Ride. We thought the owners and operators worked collaboratively however Stillwater Balloon says differently read more

This place just ripped off my daughter. Bought a certificate thru Amazon for a speical price. Cancelled due to weather conditions but won't reschedule at that price because they are too booked up during the certificates expiration date. BEWARE!!!! Also letting Amazon and Groupon know that this company does not honor the Specials they are selling on their websites. read more

Do not go with this company! They constantly cancel even in perfect weather. When they do cancel and you try to get a hold of them, they simply don't answer the phone. As with the other reviewers, that happen to be hidden so check the unrecommended reviews as well, if you prepay just assume they will cancel on you until the expiration date. I would not give them money in advance. read more

Stillwater balloons will not honor groupon after the deadline EVEN if you have been cancelled based on weather! My wife and I were going to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary with a balloon ride. We got cancelled twice because of weather (understandable). What isn't understandable is that this company then would not honor the deal because we were past the deadline. VERY DISAPPOINTED! to say the least. read more