Hot air balloon rides--taken one?

[nsl]

H and I are going on a weekend trip for our 10th anniversary in a few weeks and I'm looking for fun things to do while we're kid-free and in a nice resort town.  One option is hot air ballooning, which is something I've always wanted to do but never really researched before.  Holy hell, is it expensive!  I'm getting quotes of $225/person for a one-hour ride!

So my question is, if you've been on a balloon ride (or even if you haven't) is it worth this kind of money?  The weekend is already not exactly cheap, but we can swing it if it's really going to be an amazing experience.

[VillainV]

H and I went on one a few years ago. My parents had been trying to schedule one for a long time and kept having to cancel, and finally rescheduled for a time while we happened to be visiting, so they let us come along. So they paid for it.

It was really cool, and it's something I'm glad I got to do once. Having said that, I don't think it's something we'll do again (unless we get another freebie!). A lot depends on having a good balloon pilot (since they are essentially a tour guide). In a really pretty area, say, New England when the leaves change or something like that, then I think it could definitely be worth the money.

I've heard so much about balloon crashes lately that I think I'd be really hesitant to do this in any foreign country.

[darby]

I've done it twice. Loved it the first time, but not sure it was worth the price because the scenery was just so so. Last time we look off & landed in a vineyard & it was totally worth every penny.

[WOT?*]

There's an airport very near us that is used as a launch site and we see several going up at a time pretty much every weekend in the summer. It's absolutely gorgeous and I think it looks like a blast...for someone who is not me. I'd love to do it but DH is adamant that if we're up in the air it's in a metal capsule where they're serving food and beverages. And since I have a fear of falling I'll stick with him on that.

Do it, have fun and report back, with pics, so I can live vicariously through someone with more guts than I have.

[LynnWriter]

I went up in one a few years ago. It was cool, and it was something I had always, always wanted to do. But I didn't have to pay for it. If you want to do it, and if you have the money - go for it! You only celebrate your 10th anniversary once.

[nsl]

Jul 8, 2013 5:51:29 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Where would you be doing it? I have done it twice- once in Cappadocia, Turkey and once in Dubai. The Dubai one was boring because the landscape wasn't very interesting. I can't imagine anywhere in the US that would be particularly exciting, unless it was in the Grand Canyon or something.

I'd skip it oh, I'm an adrenaline junkie and have been skydiving, hang gliding and done multiple bungee jumps, so take thy into account.

We'll be in Park City, so relatively pretty scenery but nothing amazing, particularly in July.  Thanks for all the feedback!