The people here are absolutely amazing! They're all so sweet and very professional. Going up in the…read morebasket was very easy and they made it so simple. Well up there they give you a little historical fact lesson about what you're seeing. It was so much fun and these people are absolutely amazing! I would highly recommend coming here, especially if it's your first time as they make it such an easy process.

My wife purchased two tickets for a hot air balloon flight from this company. The intention behind…read morethe purchase was meaningful--it was my elderly mother-in-law's dream, and this was a rare opportunity to fulfill it. Unfortunately, due to injury, weather, and logistical constraints, we were never able to take the flight. While I can understand that small businesses have their policies, I believe our experience highlights serious concerns that other potential customers should know before booking, particularly those who do not live near the launch site or who have caregiving or work responsibilities. We were not asking for anything unreasonable. The flights we attempted to book were never full--we confirmed this each time--so our rescheduling or cancellation would not have prevented anyone else from flying. Despite this, after four cancellations on their part due to weather and two proactive reschedulings on our part (in anticipation of poor conditions), the company refused to offer even a partial refund. This policy remained unchanged even though our cancellations were rooted in legitimate weather concerns and the need to avoid long overnight travel for my wife and elderly mother-in-law. Their refusal to acknowledge this reality, coupled with dismissive remarks such as "we don't know what weather app you're using," was frankly insulting. It's the standard weather app available on every smartphone. What compounds the problem is the rigidity of their scheduling policy. They will not confirm whether a flight is going ahead until 8:00 PM the night before a 5:15 AM departure. For anyone coming from New York City (a multi-hour journey), this is deeply impractical. We once had to cancel a trip 30 minutes before departure from our home simply because they wouldn't confirm earlier, despite clear weather warnings. This lack of flexibility and poor customer support creates a high-stakes gamble for anyone not located nearby. Add the cost of travel, overnight accommodations, and the risk of last-minute cancellations, and the actual cost of this experience balloons to $1000 or more for two people. Despite repeated attempts to make use of our tickets before expiration, we were thwarted by several company-initiated cancellations due to weather. They did offer us a one-week extension, which we appreciated. However, when we politely asked for a refund after a month of unsuccessful rescheduling, they abruptly declared our tickets expired. Only when we pushed back did they reverse that statement--something that felt more like strategic positioning than good-faith customer service. The shift in tone when they learned we intended to post a review was striking and disingenuous. It felt like damage control, not sincere effort to rectify the situation. To be clear, I don't doubt that the balloon ride itself may be beautiful. But potential customers need to know that this company is extremely inflexible, often unprofessional in tone, and not equipped to accommodate anyone traveling from outside their local area. The risks--financial and logistical--are significant. This isn't just about a missed flight; it's about a poorly designed customer experience that leaves no room for the real-life variables most people have to consider. If you don't live nearby and have no margin for disruption, I would strongly advise against booking.

***3 1/2 stars***…read more This was my first time ziplining outside of a random high school gym class and I could tell it's something I'd love doing in the future. The problem is that the Mountain Creek setup is less than ideal and in my opinion not the best bang for your buck or time. The Millennial Chum and I attended the 10:30am session yesterday just after Mountain Creek opened. Would definitely recommend going at that time - parking in this area is a chaotic nightmare, which we experienced on our way out around 1pm, but thankfully avoided the drama coming in. If you're not familiar with the resort and the parking situation, try to allocate some additional time; there's multiple parking lots, some of them aren't open at the same times and they're not monitored particularly well by the staff so people go rogue and create a third row in the lots that there really isn't room for. I literally broke a sweat backing out of here. The staff at Zip Tours is fantastic and by far by the biggest selling point here. We had Cooper and Meg (I think?) as our guides, both of whom were super professional and personable. Cooper was blasting some Good Charlotte about halfway through on his mini speaker so now the Millennial Chum and I are officially back into turn-of-the-century pop punk. I am absolutely derp level when it comes to straps (airplane seat belts, bras, you name it), and everyone was very patient with me and basically just did all of the buckling and strapping while I just stood there like Ed from the Lion King. The instructions for the actual ziplining and positioning the body for landing at the other end were easy to understand and it didn't take long for everyone in the group to be acclimated, regardless of experience/background. The session/class was two hours long, and involved four ziplines. The first is the short training line down at the bottom of the ski lift. After that, you go up the ski lift to the top of the mountain and do the other three, which are basically crisscrossing one of the lakes at the top of Vernon Peak. After completing the four lines, you navigate across a narrow suspension bridge to an ATV/trailer/truck - I'm sure there's an obvious, much better term for it - that takes you back to the ski lift to wrap up the adventure. My favorite was the second line, which is the longest and offers the best views. I hike up mountains on a pretty regular basis so heights aren't much of a concern, but I DO get queasy on aggressive rollercoasters so that was a mild caveat in the back of my mind. This wasn't an issue at all; there's no significant dropdowns and the speed isn't that fast. I will say though that the landing can be a little abrupt/hard at the end, which they mitigate as much as they can with this cushioning spring system. Probably given the height/distance, the second line had the most intense landing, but it wasn't egregious. Would have hated to be one of the metaphorical test dummies when they were figuring that system out though. Here's the main problem - it's two hours for four ziplines, one of which is a very short training line that takes about five seconds if I had to guess. The actual ziplining is minimal (and maybe that's just the nature of the beast - it doesn't take long to zip down a line) and a huge chunk of that two hours is you just standing around waiting for other people to go down the line. Probably the best way to fix that is to either slash the class size in half (which I'm guessing they don't want to do because they'd be leaving a sizeable chunk of money on the table) or investing in adding another one or two lines at each stop to speed up the process. I have no idea how feasible that is from a financial or logistics perspective but it did look like there was room to do so if it came to it. Another issue (and I think this is more on the company overall and not the guides) is that they allowed three people who were late to join us, and they caused delays as well. The rules on the website clearly say that if you're late you're going to get slotted into the next available session, but they made an accommodation for them. It honestly wouldn't have been a big deal, but these guys were pretty disruptive and self-centered. One of them had a loud Go Pro that he kept turning on and off and he even asked one of the guides to confirm it was recording. It might be too extreme to ban those devices especially given the type of activity you're doing, but it was a definite distraction. The other two were intermittently making out and filming the rest of us; that latter part I think arguably should have been shot down by the guides or cited in the rules. You want to film yourself or the scenery? Fine, but I think it's pretty douchey to film the rest of us without permission. Your mileage may vary. I don't regret doing it, but I'd like to try this at a different venue with longer ziplines and less wait times.

I've gone zip lining at many different places and sadly have to say this was in the bottom of…read moreexperiences. First, they seem to have staffing issues. I'm not sure if that's due to staff shortage or mismanaging the staff but it was chaotic checking in. The staff that was there was doing their best and friendly but it didn't set the tone that this was going to be a smoothly executed experience which is important when doing an activity where safety is very important. Second, the amount of waiting you do verse actually zipping is way out of portion. The group moves together so you have to wait for all 15 people in your group to go before going and waiting at the next zip. There is also only 4 zips. So for a two hour tour that can tell you how long you wait for. The best thing about this tour is the basket harness you get strapped into. It made it more comfortable and less strenuous when you hit the breaks. The guides did try to make it fun and were willing to take your picture too which was very much appreciated. I do not recommend this zip tour at the end of the day however.

Mike was our guide (also the owner) and he was awesome…read more My brother and friends took me here for my bachelor weekend and had a blast flying through the air over the beautiful lake. Mike was super generous with his time-- at one point I realized my car key had gone mia and he not only helped us look for the keys (we didn't find them) but chilled with us, gave us water, let us hang out in his shop and let us eat food we had brought while he showed us cool jet boarding videos for over 2 hours while we waited for our friends to bring another set of keys. Another guy even helped us "break" into my car so we could access our food and gear. Overall the experience was awesome. The sport was thrilling and Mike helped keep it safe. Definitely recommend!

I did Flyboarding with Mike at club getaway in Connecticut. Such a cool experience! It was really…read moreeasy to pick up in the first lesson. Just listen to Mike's expert advice and you'll be out of the water in no time! I was able to go upwards of 20 feet high according to him, which I didn't even realize until I looked down. Of course, you don't have to go that high if you don't want to. I asked for more height as I'm very into that kind of stuff. Anyway, definitely worth the money... It's an experience you won't forget!

I love the view....it was breath taking!! Highly recommend!! Bring a strap to hold on to your…read morephone....dress for a few degrees below the weather.

Everything went well the is very good for hiking and bike riding it's amazing just grab your…read more friends and a picnic basket and go for it

We Out (Philipa) guided a 10 person group to Hudson Highlands State Park and summited Bull Hill…read morewith an elevation of 1,421 feet in Cold Spring NY. I don't know what kind of hiker I would consider myself as I regularly hike a few of the Delaware Gap Appalachian trails and recently completed Lemon Squeeze in NY. I know a good tour guide when I see one though. Philipa built a full experience for the group, from getting to the mountain (public transportation, GPS if driving), what to pack, how to dress, fitness level suggestions, snack/lunch suggestions and weather updates. Even though the weather for our trip would not qualify for a regular summer day in July I felt prepared and mentally I had a great attitude (which I contributed to the preparedness). At the mountain Philipa went through basic necessities (bathroom uses), pacing and safety precautions. She also gave us information about the mountain which is the only reason I know exactly where I hiked and how high I climbed. We stopped the amount of times the group needed to and she built connections to the mountain giving us some historical information. After the hike we stopped in town for some ice cream and snacks. Overall I feel as each activity would be different as each mountain/trail provides different experiences. But for review purposes what I want to leave you with is that Philipa will not lead the 1st timer astray, an expert will learn at least 1 new fact and she caters each experience to the area. You will not regret it!!! You will love your experience!

As far as hiking trails go in the immediate NYC-metro region, this is one of the best in terms of…read moreviews and a good choice for moderate aerobic exercise. From the hilltop peaks your sightline on a clear day follows the winding path of the Hudson River and then extends for miles along the east and west horizons. Arrival to the trail is by car or train. There's no parking lot at the main two trailhead entrance/exit points so cars park alongside the road next to these markers for about half a mile each way. Arrival by metro-north train drops you off at Breakneck Ridge station, though worthwhile to double check whether it stops here on off-peak weekdays and winter months. There are a few main options for trail difficulty and length. The short loop takes 1 hour though doesn't ascend the main peaks, the long loop takes 3 hours and involves a pretty arduous (steep rock scramble for hiking novices) climb up to reach 2 main peaks, the Break Neck to Cold Spring route includes the rock scramble portion of the long loop and the takes 4 hours. There are other combinations of trails you can take, and park services has done a good job of posting trail markers so you don't get lost. My friend and I took the long trail and on a clear fall Saturday morning tons of other hikers had the same idea. The rock scramble was about 30 minutes of continuous steep ascent, some parts of which you need to push or pull yourself over boulders so a decent level of physical fitness, a good sense of balance and shoes/boots with good traction are a must. This part of the trail is one-way meaning for ascent only--descending would be rather dangerous if other people were trying to climb up at the same time--and especially bc on certain parts there's only 1-2 routes uphill with a clear path and good grip (at least for inexperienced rock climbers like me). There are signs warning not to take this route if you have a fear of heights. The second peak along the long loop requires similar rock scaling though there's an option to go up via a side route which was still steep but involved less scrambling. The rest of the loop is mild and mostly downhill though you do need to be careful of dusty (or muddy) patches and loose rocks and pebbles causing slippery slopes. Make sure to bring enough water if you're doing the longer trails, and ideally a snack to replenish some energy part way. No rest stops or bathrooms on the trail (it is after all a hiking trail in the woods) so plan accordingly! Dogs are allowed and I saw some on and off leash.

So the novice in me (and I use that term very loosely) decided to embark on this journey without…read moreeven knowing that a scramble was. The views at every point, the nice breeze amidst the summer heat, and the friendly folks along the way made this a highlight of the summer. Oh, and hiking snacks came in clutch

I left Fantasy Balloons a voicemail on a Monday morning around 9 am and Lana returned my call by…read more12:30 the same day. She was very friendly and detailed on what I could expect. I was doing this as a surprise for my wife on our 3rd year anniversary. Lana even gave me some good suggestions on how I could throw my wife off and convince her to wake up at 4 am. Lana called me again the night before our flight to confirm all the details with me and ensure we were good to. Our flight over the Hudson Valley was great and made us feel calm and relaxed. I was able to take some great pictures of the deer prancing through the open fields as we flew over them. Ken, our pilot and Lana's husband, was great and very professional as he piloted our hot air balloon. He even gave us a tour and described some of the landscape around us. As we floated in the sky we could see Lana in hot pursuit of our balloon never missing a turn to keep up with us so she could meet us wherever we landed. When we returned to the hangar Lana had a champagne toast and crackers ready for us along with our flight certificate. We were also able to speak with some of the crew who were all friendly folks. I will definitely be recommending Fantasy Balloon Flights to my family and friends.

Today my husband and I flew for the first time in a hot air balloon with Ken and Lana of Fantasy…read moreBalloon Flights in Middletown, NY. It was such a fun time! Ken and Lana are extremely knowledgeable, super nice and fun! We couldn't have had a better team of people around us during this incredible experience. I felt safe in their hands and had a blast. I would highly recommend using their company if you're looking for a hot air balloon ride. They have over 30 years of experience in flying, and gave very good instructions about what to expect. An extra bonus was that I was worried the weather (unexpected fog) would end up canceling our flight for the day, but Ken and Lana carefully analyzed the situation and decided that we could fly today. It was such a great time, and I would totally go again! It's great to knock something off the bucket list, while also supporting a local and friendly business.

I got a rope burn open wound on my hand on the way down the rope climb. When I asked the volunteers…read moreon the course if they had any band-aids their response was "we don't do Band-Aids". I completed the rest of the race and continued to ask staff and volunteers along the way in the off chance someone had some. Nobody had them. On my way to my car when I was done, I stopped into their medical tent and when I asked why they don't have Band-Aids out on the course the medical professional said "I'm hesitant to even give you one now, they just fall off". I would love to know the reasoning behind this. A band aid would have been perfect for my wound, to stop the pain and would just be overall more hygienic. We paid a decent amount of money to do this and it felt a bit like a cost cut. Also I felt kind of judged for asking for one at all. Like I needed to tough it out or something. Overall the race is a lot of fun and run decently well, but don't skimp on the medical attention. If anything in a gruelling and challenging race you should be promoting safety and hygiene!

Absolutely LOVED my first Spartan race!…read more This years Sprint was so muddy, everyone was slipping and sliding if you didn't finish before 1pm when the rain started hitting. Regardless of the mud, the obstacles were fun (22 obstacles: monkey bars, bucket brigade, bean bag carry, wall climbs, etc.!) and the race was challenging with the hills and slopes. Went in 2 cars: 10 people in total. We were a group in the beginning, ended up dividing into 4 groups but reconnected at the end of the race. Huge parking area on the grass and was guided by workers when we arrived 1 hour earlier than the races start time, walked about 10 mins. to check-in which was a simple process by volunteers then another 5-10 min. walk to an area to drop off our bags. Afterwards, we stretched and waited for the 11:15am race! Obtained a free shirt, medal, replenishing goods & an experience at the end of the race! I recommend this mental and physical challenge to those who are up for it. You will get emails a few days after the race on pictures, timings & a video. Will be preparing for future races more better! (Ah-rooo!)