National Balloon Museum
The National Balloon Museum is a non-profit museum in Indianola, Iowa, United States. Add Casey's Center, 16 mi away, to a visit. Highs of 64–84°F make May, June, August, September and October the mildest time to go.
A museum inside Indianola
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 13°, with about 31" of snow a year. When to go ↓
You can stay in Indianola
National Balloon Museum is inside Indianola, which has 10 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Aug, Sep and Oct
May, June, August, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 64–84°. When to go ↓
An airport 12 miles away
Des Moines (DSM) has airline service, about 12 miles from National Balloon Museum.
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures and Wikipedia.
Month by month
A visit to National Balloon Museum can follow the seasons below.
National Balloon Museum
The National Balloon Museum is a non-profit museum in Indianola, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1975 in short term locations, later gaining a permanent location in 1988. All of the museum's exhibits are about hot air ballooning and gas ballooning. The museum is in the shape of a hot air balloon's gondola. There are only two balloon museums within the United States, the other one being the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum.
- Type
- Museum
Staying near National Balloon Museum
The nearest towns with places to stay are Indianola (10) and Des Moines (64).
- 1Casey's Center
- 2Iowa State Capitol
- 3Adventureland
- 4Blank Park Zoo
- 5Des Moines Art Center
- 6Drake Stadium
- 7Pappajohn Sculpture Park
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From National Balloon Museum | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianola | in town | — | 10 6 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 2 RV parks | 16,829 | $238K | C |
| Des Moines | 14 mi north | 20 min | 64 45 hotels · 9 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 3 lodges & cabins · 4 campgrounds | 212,086 | $195K | D |
| West Des Moines | 17 mi northwest | 25 min | 32 29 hotels · 1 motel · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 RV park | 74,224 | $309K | C+ |
| Ankeny | 25 mi north | 35 min | 30 28 hotels · 1 motel · 1 campground | 77,833 | $331K | B− |
| Urbandale | 22 mi northwest | 30 min | 17 15 hotels · 1 motel · 1 inn or B&B | 48,570 | $336K | B+ |
| Altoona | 20 mi north | 30 min | 13 10 hotels · 1 motel · 2 RV parks | 22,796 | $275K | C+ |
| Clive | 21 mi northwest | 30 min | 9 7 hotels · 1 motel · 1 lodge or cabins | 19,861 | $401K | B− |
| Knoxville | 24 mi east | 35 min | 12 4 hotels · 2 motels · 6 campgrounds | 7,469 | $160K | C− |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
What else is near National Balloon Museum
Places worth adding lie within 45 miles.
116 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center
215 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol320 mi Theme parkAdventureland
411 mi Zoo & aquariumBlank Park Zoo
516 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center
617 mi Stadium & arenaDrake Stadium
45 mi Stadium & arenaHilton Coliseum
715 mi MuseumPappajohn Sculpture ParkPhoto credits
Casey's Center: Iowahwyman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Iowa State Capitol: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Blank Park Zoo: Lawrence Lansing, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Des Moines Art Center: Nhandler at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drake Stadium: U.S. Navy photo by James Woods, Public domain · Hilton Coliseum: Johannes Cater--Jaretac (talk) 15:14, 17 June 2009 (UTC), Public domain · Pappajohn Sculpture Park: Dsmspence, CC BY-SA 3.0
Questions before you go
Is National Balloon Museum in Indianola?
Yes. It’s inside Indianola, IA.
When is the best time to visit National Balloon Museum?
May, June, August, September and October, with highs of 64–84°.
What is the closest airport to National Balloon Museum?
Des Moines (DSM), about 12 miles away.
Where should I stay near National Balloon Museum?
Des Moines (14 mi, 64 places to stay), Indianola (in town, 10 places to stay) and West Des Moines (17 mi, 32 places to stay).
Local tips in Indianola
No one has shared advice yet; Indianola’s Town Square takes questions.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.