A Family Weekend You Wont Forget.

Make Indianola Your Home Base
Staying in Indianola keeps the entire experience close. Country Inn & Suites offers a comfortable place to recharge between early flights and late-night entertainment, with an indoor pool that gives the kids another way to enjoy the trip. Booking locally also makes it easier to explore the community without treating Indianola as a quick stop on the way to the balloon field.

Ease Into the Weekend Downtown
Start with a walk around Indianola’s historic square, where local storefronts, murals and restaurants set the tone for the weekend. When everyone is ready to eat, stop at The Groggy Dog for British and American pub favorites. Fish and chips, burgers and other familiar choices make it an approachable first-night meal before an early morning at Memorial Balloon Field.

See Indianola Wake Up Beneath the Balloons
Morning competition flights offer a completely different view of the National Balloon Classic. Beginning Saturday, August 1, Memorial Balloon Field is open from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. as pilots prepare to compete in the calm morning air. Flights are weather dependent, but when conditions cooperate, the sight of balloons moving across the sunrise is worth the early alarm. Morning admission and parking are available by free-will donation.

Follow the Flight With Something Fresh
Once the balloons are down, make your way to Savor the Rise. Croissants, tarts and specialty coffee make this local bakery a natural place to compare favorite balloons and decide how to spend the rest of the morning.

Bring Home Something You Made
Turn the time between flights into part of the adventure at Indianola Glass Creations. Families can browse colorful work from glass artists or create a fused-glass or stained-glass piece using the studio’s workspace and tools. Instead of another standard souvenir, everyone leaves with something connected to the weekend that they helped create.

Save Room for a Famous Slice
A busy balloon weekend calls for a true local lunch. Crouse Café serves the kind of comforting meal that fits a small-town summer day, but its pie is the real reason to leave extra room. The cherry pie has earned attention well beyond Indianola, and the daily selection gives the family plenty of alternatives to debate.

Discover Why Ballooning Belongs in Indianola
The National Balloon Museum adds context to everything happening overhead. Exhibits trace ballooning back to 1783 and show how the sport developed over time. It is also a chance to understand Indianola’s connection to ballooning before watching modern pilots compete that evening.

Find a Piece of Indianola Downtown
Before returning to the field, leave time to wander the square. Step into Pageturners to browse books for the trip home, then visit Lula Belle Designs for gifts, décor and pieces with local personality. These stops make the afternoon feel less like waiting between flights and more like experiencing the community hosting them.

National Balloon Classic
Evening is when Memorial Balloon Field comes fully alive. Gates open at 4:00 p.m., giving families time to find a viewing spot, explore the food vendors and enjoy live entertainment before balloons are scheduled to launch at 6:30 p.m., weather permitting. Select nights add Nite Glow, Fantastic Fireworks or The Sky’s Alive Drone Show. Arriving when gates open can also reduce traffic and parking delays, especially on weekends and special-event nights.