Florida
Every flight here is a sunrise flight, because afternoon sea breezes and summer storms rule out later launches. Shared seats cost $250 to $275, and Big Red Balloon's fare includes a sit-down breakfast after landing.
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Weight limit | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shared Adventure Balloon Flight |
$250 per person |
About 1 hour in the air (typically 45 to 75 minutes), about 3.5 hours total |
4 to 5 passengers plus the pilot |
No children under 5 | 750 lbs total | 48 hours notice required before the flight. Flies only in calm winds and clear skies. | Check dates | |
The AdventureIncludes Ground transportation to the launch and from the landing site, Champagne toast, Sit-down breakfast at a local restaurant |
$275 per adult |
About 1 hour in the air; plan on 4 to 5 hours total |
Maximum 4 people per flight |
Ideally no more than 375 lbs combined per couple or 750 lbs per group of 4 | Free changes over 72 hours out; $75 charge within 72 hours; full fare under 24 hours or no-show. Weather cancellations free. | Check dates | ||
Private Adventure for Two |
$750 per group |
About 1 hour in the air, about 3.5 hours total |
Exactly 2 passengers plus the pilot |
No children under 5 | 750 lbs total | 48 hours notice required before the flight. | Check dates | |
The Sweetheart (Private) FlightIncludes Ground transportation to the launch and from the landing site, Champagne toast, Sit-down breakfast at a local restaurant |
$850 per group |
About 1 hour in the air; plan on 4 to 5 hours total |
The couple and the pilot only |
Couples over 400 lbs combined must book this flight | Free changes over 72 hours out; $75 charge within 72 hours; full fare under 24 hours or no-show. Weather cancellations free. | Check dates | ||
Personal Adventure for Three |
$850 per group |
About 1 hour in the air, about 3.5 hours total |
Exactly 3 passengers plus the pilot |
No children under 5 | 750 lbs total | 48 hours notice required before the flight. | Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 21, 2026. How we compare.
Big Red Balloon meets passengers at a Bob Evans restaurant in Temple Terrace, which it puts about 12 miles north of downtown Tampa. From there the pilot drives everyone to one of more than ten launch fields across southern Pasco County and the northeast corner of Hillsborough County. Wind direction and the pilot's judgment pick the field each morning. All Fired Up Ballooning meets at the Race Track station at 27140 SR-56 in Wesley Chapel and launches mostly around New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.
On a clear morning, Big Red Balloon says passengers can pick out the Tampa skyline and Tampa Bay, often the Gulf of Mexico, and now and then downtown St. Petersburg. Closer in are forests, lakes and ponds, ranch and pasture land and suburbs, with deer, turkeys, foxes, ducks, alligators and turtles easiest to spot on low passes. Big Red flies from treetop height to about 1,000 feet. All Fired Up quotes the surface to 1,200 feet, a few miles to more than 10 miles of travel, and the odd "splash-n-dash" over a lake.
Big Red Balloon wants passengers at Bob Evans about an hour before sunrise, roughly 5:30 to 6:30 am depending on the season, and confirms the time when it calls the night before. It tells passengers to set aside 4 to 5 hours, sometimes more, for about an hour in the air. Its 118,000-cubic-foot balloon rises about six stories once inflated, a job of 15 to 20 minutes that passengers may help with. The chase crew tracks the flight by radio and usually beats the balloon to the landing field.
Landings rarely happen at the launch field, since the balloon goes where the wind takes it. Big Red Balloon then pours a champagne toast, with a short history of ballooning, and drives the group back to Bob Evans for a sit-down breakfast, brunch or lunch. Anyone who cannot stay keeps a gift card for later. All Fired Up quotes about 3.5 hours in total and 45 to 75 minutes aloft. Before launch its crew lets go of a toy helium balloon to read the wind, and its pages list no toast or meal.
Late May to early October is Tampa's rainy season. Afternoon thunderstorms build regularly as sea breezes off the Gulf and the Atlantic meet, and the area is known as the Lightning Capital of North America. That is why both operators fly only at sunrise: Big Red Balloon says flights must be down before thermals build two to three hours after sunrise, and All Fired Up cites afternoon thermals and storms. Winters are drier and cooler, and November is usually Tampa's driest month.
Big Red Balloon needs surface winds of about 7 mph or less at launch, no showers or fog, and a cloud ceiling of at least 500 feet; it says temperature is not a factor. The office calls passengers with the decision the night before, normally between 8:00 and 8:30 pm. A weather cancellation costs nothing, but rebooking is first come, first served, and Big Red says flights are often booked weeks or months out. All Fired Up also cancels for strong winds or thunderstorms nearby.
Both companies fly small baskets. All Fired Up Ballooning charges $250 per person with no sales tax added and pairs singles and couples with other parties until a basket holds four or five, under a 750-pound total. Big Red Balloon charges $275 per adult and $195 for children 6 to 10, carries at most four, and folds ground transport, a champagne toast and breakfast into the fare. Big Red says it has flown continuously since 1992; All Fired Up says its chief pilot has flown around Tampa Bay for 35 years.
Private flights cost $750 for two or $850 for three with All Fired Up, and $850 per couple with Big Red, plus $275 for each added passenger. Big Red asks couples to stay near 375 pounds combined and requires couples over 400 pounds to book its private Sweetheart flight. All Fired Up flies no children under 5 and discourages pregnant passengers. Big Red lists no minimum age and lets infants ride in a worn carrier.
Big Red takes no deposit. A credit card (not a debit card) holds the booking and is not charged until flight day, with a small discount for paying cash. Changes are free more than 72 hours out and cost $75 inside 72 hours, and the full fare is due for cancellations inside 24 hours or no-shows. All Fired Up asks for 48 hours' notice to cancel and publishes no refund terms.
from $250 per person
Shared Adventure Balloon Flight and 2 more options
Established 1988; pilots Fred and Marissa Vereb
from $275 per adult
The Adventure and 1 more option
Flying continuously since 1992, per its FAQ
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.