Wisconsin
Shared flights cost $380 to $389, launching outside the city at Huntley or around Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, 75 miles northwest of Chicago. Lake Geneva Balloon Company says afternoon flights cancel more often than mornings because of Lake Michigan breezes.
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Weight limit | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shared FlightIncludes About one hour of flight time, Flight photos and videos, Post-flight toast with non-alcoholic drinks, Personalized flight completion certificate |
$380 per person |
3 to 3.5 hours total, about 1 hour in the air |
4 to 10 passengers; typically 8 guests plus the pilot |
8+ and at least 56 inches tall | 275 lb maximum per adult | Weather cancellations get priority rebooking; cancel or reschedule 72+ hours ahead; deposit refundable within 30 days of purchase, later at management's discretion. | Check dates | |
Sunset Flight (Huntley) |
$389 per person |
About 4 hours total, 45 to 60 minutes in the air |
up to 6 guests |
8+ and tall enough to see over the basket | A limit applies; figure not published | Pilots cancel for rain, wind, low visibility or heat index over 95°F; cancelled flights are rescheduled, sometimes more than once. | Check dates | |
Sunrise Private Flight for Two (Joliet) |
$1,050 per group |
About 4 hours total, 45 to 60 minutes in the air |
2 passengers |
8+ and tall enough to see over the basket | A limit applies; figure not published | Pilots cancel for rain, wind, low visibility or heat index over 95°F; cancelled flights are rescheduled, sometimes more than once. | Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 21, 2026. How we compare.
None of the scheduled flights here leaves from Chicago itself. Midwest Ballooning Adventures, a family-owned Chicagoland company, flies its shared sunset flights from Huntley, a village in McHenry and Kane counties with its own I-90 interchange at Illinois Route 47. Private sunrise flights for two go from Joliet. Passengers gather at a central meeting spot, and the launch field shifts from flight to flight with the wind. The company will also launch a private group from a backyard or other chosen site with a clear area of 250 by 250 feet.
Lake Geneva Balloon Company meets in the Veterans Park lot in Lake Geneva, across the street from Mashtun Brewing on Veterans Parkway. Most flights then launch from one of several sites around the Geneva Lakes, picked for that day's wind and weather, and only occasionally from the park. The company says a flight covers about 8 to 10 miles over lakes, farmland and woods in southeastern Wisconsin, anywhere between the treetops and roughly 2,500 feet. The city itself sits on a bay at the northeast end of Geneva Lake.
Lake Geneva Balloon Company asks morning passengers to meet roughly 1 hour 15 minutes ahead of official sunrise, and evening passengers roughly 2 hours 30 minutes ahead of sunset. Arriving more than 10 minutes early is discouraged. The pilot phones at about 7 pm the night before a morning flight, or about 1 pm on the day of an evening one. The outing runs 3 to 3.5 hours with about an hour aloft, and the company's terms count 45 minutes in the air as a complete flight.
Guests may help inflate and pack the balloon if they want to. The crew follows by road, helps pick a landing site and later drives everyone back to the meeting place. The post-flight celebration includes non-alcoholic drinks, a short history of ballooning and a personalized Flight Completion Certificate, which the company points out is not an FAA license. A host photographs the group before and after the flight, and those photos and videos come with the shared-flight price.
Midwest Ballooning Adventures says Chicagoland winds tend to be best at sunrise and shortly before sunset, and its shared flights go in the evening. Set aside about 4 hours for setup, an average of 45 to 60 minutes aloft, packing up and the drive back to the meeting spot. Passengers can help hold the envelope open while a fan fills it with cold air. The chase crew meets the balloon wherever the wind sets it down, and refreshments are served after sunset flights.
Lake Geneva Balloon Company opened its 2026 season on May 3 and has not published a closing date. In late October 2026 its office was on off-season hours (Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 am to 4 pm). Flights leave shortly after sunrise or a few hours before sunset, never at midday. The company says afternoon flights are cancelled more often than morning ones because of breezes off Lake Michigan, and that hot, humid afternoons can also stop a flight. It recommends mornings for the calmest air.
Midwest Ballooning Adventures says balloons fly best in steady winds of 4 to 6 mph, with 8 to 10 mph as the safe maximum at the surface. Winds near 20 mph aloft can cancel a flight even when the field is calm. It does not fly in rain or storms, and as a rule it cancels when the heat index is above 95°F. Under local airspace rules, pilots need visibility of more than 3 miles, and they release a small test balloon (a pibal) to read the winds before launch.
Both companies treat rescheduling as routine. Lake Geneva Balloon Company says some guests fly on their first date while others need several tries, and a flight can be scrubbed even after everyone reaches the launch site. Midwest Ballooning Adventures aims to fly each passenger within the season the ticket was bought and suggests keeping a backup plan. Older listings for Lisle's Eyes to the Skies Festival, a DuPage County balloon event, are out of date: it announced in September 2021 that it would not return.
Midwest Ballooning Adventures charges $389 a seat on its shared sunset flights from Huntley, with up to 6 passengers plus the pilot, and $1,050 per couple for a private sunrise flight from Joliet. Groups of 6 or 7 can ask for a private quote. Its Express Pass is fully refundable if the weather does not cooperate. It is usually a sunrise flight for 4 to 6 or 7 passengers, can include pickup from a local hotel and has no posted price. Children fly from age 8 if they can see over the basket, and pregnant passengers cannot fly.
Lake Geneva Balloon Company charges $380, takes half as a down payment and collects the balance after the flight. Its balloon, the Geneva Jester, is a 2021 Cameron A-210 certified for 10 passengers, though it usually flies 8 plus the pilot. Children must be 8 or older and at least 56 inches tall, adults may weigh no more than 275 lb, and pregnant passengers cannot fly. Waivers are e-signed at least 24 hours ahead. Its $1,200 private flight for two is off sale in 2026, and the company expects to bring it back in 2027.
Lake Geneva Balloon Company asks for 72 hours' notice to cancel or move a flight, and a no-show forfeits the booking and deposit. The deposit is fully refundable for 30 days after purchase; later refunds are at management's discretion and cost $50. Guests who live more than two hours away can ask for the deposit back if weather cancels them repeatedly and rebooking becomes impractical. A purchase stays valid as long as it has been used to make a reservation within the past 12 months, and it can be transferred to someone else.
from $380 per person
Shared Flight
Owner and pilot John Trione made his first balloon flight in 1997
from $389 per person
Sunset Flight (Huntley) and 1 more option
Family-owned company based in Chicagoland
Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 21, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.