Up! Up! And Away in my Beautiful my Beautiful Balloon! These are notes Thomas Jefferson might have sung if only he had the chance. He was close! And while TJ never personally ascended into the skies, he was alongside George Washington, James Madison, and James Monroe and other colonial luminaries to witness the first hot air balloon exhibition over Philadelphia in 1793.
Now you can enjoy what TJ only imagined — an exciting flight with Thomas Jefferson Hot Air Balloon Company. Join master pilot and story-teller, J.R. Wingfield, on a flight high above Charlottesville. A 5th-generation native of Albemarle County with 40 years of flight experience, J.R. is a flying historian of our countryside. A flight with Thomas Jefferson Hot Air Ballooning is one of the most exciting ways to experience the beauty of Virginia.