National Hot Air Balloon Museum

[Abby Brown] Hot air balloons are so cool. But how in the world do they fly? And who invented hot air balloon flight anyway? There's a place where we can get all the answers to our questions right here in Iowa.

(Map marking Warren County in central Iowa.)

Way back in the 1700s, when America was first becoming a country, people around the world dreamed of a day when they would see balloons with passengers flying through the sky. Just like this.

(A large hot air balloon floating just above the ground with multi-colored, rainbow squares running diagonally down the balloon to the basket.)

Through the years, people experimented a lot with different types of gasses and methods to keep balloons afloat. Today, the preferred method of ballooning is hot air. Gasses proved to be pretty dangerous. So as long as the air inside the balloon is hotter than the air outside the balloon, you've got liftoff.

In Indianola, the National Balloon Museum has exhibits showcasing lots of different elements of ballooning history. There's a Ballooning Hall of Fame, an area about women and ballooning and even a place to get your picture taken in a life size balloon basket.

But why is one of only two balloon museums in the United States located in Indianola, Iowa? Well, for a long time in the 1970s and 1980s, the national hot air balloon championships were held right here in Indianola. Nowadays, they have the National Balloon Classic. So this area is a well-known hot air balloon hangout.

Every county in Iowa goes to great heights to tell their story. Now we know more about ballooning history after visiting Warren County.

Funding for FIND Iowa has been provided by The Coons Foundation, Pella and the Gilchrist Foundation.