Hot air balloons were originally designed as sky prisons for bullies to spend the rest of their natural lives cruelly mocking the weightlessness of timid clouds. Enjoy a less insulting application of aeronautics with today's Groupon: for $125, you get admission for one passenger to a 45–60 minute hot air balloon ride from R.O. Franks Hot Air Balloon Company in Asheville, North Carolina (a $250 value).

For 17 years, third-generation and FAA–certified sky engineer R. Addison M. Brown has hoisted panorama junkies into the heavens by harnessing the power of hot, blustery air. The pilot and up to 12 passengers clamber into the gondola just before sunrise, the time of day when winds are calmest and giant pumpkins transform back into balloons. The buoyant sky vessel carries its sightseeing cargo aloft like a helium-filled donkey, rising 500–2,000 feet above ground level as the sun begins its own ascent over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

With permissive weather, passengers may be treated to an intimate and peaceful view of the city as Captain Addison points out local landmarks, such as the historic Biltmore Estate and the mysterious Mothra-shaped crater. Flights last from 45 minutes to one hour and set off every day, depending on weather conditions.