National Balloon Museum, Inc

05/21/2026

We are so excited for this event in a couple weeks! We'll be there, and hope to see you too.

05/20/2026

We are excited for this to movie to come out!

05/07/2026

On this day in 1937, the Hindenburg airship crashed in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Following the crash, the catastrophe immediately ended commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship operations and transatlantic service. While the era of giant passenger zeppelins ended, smaller, non-rigid airships (blimps) continued to fly, and modernized, small luxury Zeppelins exist today.

Did you know the museum has a piece of metal from the Hindenburg? We are dedicating a significant space in the museum to airships and their place in ballooning history. We are getting closer every day to our grand reopening and are so excited to debut all the exciting artifacts!

05/04/2026

We wanted to wish our Operations Manager Kendra Minks a very Happy Birthday!!
She means so much to us and is key to our reopening!!

05/04/2026

Calling all photographers! 📸 We’re looking for a stunning Night Glow photo from The National Balloon Classic to feature on a custom-designed puzzle in our gift shop.

Have a shot you’d love to see showcased? In exchange, we’ll include your name or logo on the finished product! Send me a message to submit. The deadline is this week, so don’t wait!

05/02/2026

Today I had the pleasure of hosting 19 energetic volunteers from the Human Resources team at LCS for their annual Day of Service! There was plenty of laughter, great camaraderie, and, best of all, 19 first-time visitors to the museum.

As a fun May Day bonus, everyone left with a cup of goodies 🍬🍭

Want to bring your team out for a meaningful (and genuinely fun) volunteer experience? We’d love to have you. It’s a great way to connect as a group while helping the museum move one step closer to reopening.

If your organization offers service days, let’s put it to good use! Send me a message and I’ll take care of the rest!

04/27/2026

Help us wish a very happy birthday to Denise Day, Operations Manager for the BFA! 🎉

While Denise isn’t a board member of the museum, she plays an important role in our operations by attending monthly meetings and serving as a key liaison between our two organizations. She’s a strategic, creative thinker, and we’re lucky to have her office located right here in the museum.

We’re grateful for all she does. Happy birthday, Denise! 🎂

04/24/2026

Happy Friday! The scheduled workday of this Sunday, April 26 is cancelled. We've accomplished a lot and need to reset on our priorities. The next scheduled day is Wednesday, May 6 and Friday, May 8; the next weekend date is Saturday, May 16. I hope to see you then! Here is the sign-up link:

We are making a big push for the next three months to get the National Balloon Museum reopen in time for The Classic, beginning July 31. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. We have two weekdays a month, and two weekend days a month from now through June. We ha...

04/21/2026

Good morning! I am looking for volunteers who like to paint, starting at 10:00 am tomorrow morning. We are priming the newly built bookcases and could use some extra hands. If you are free, message me for details!

04/14/2026

On April 13, 1963, ballooning history was rewritten when Ed Yost and Don Piccard launched the Channel Champ, a hot air balloon that would go on to accomplish something no one had ever done before.

In a flight that lasted approximately 3 hours, Yost and Piccard crossed the English Channel, beginning in Rye, England and carried them across the Channel into France, ultimately landing near Gravelines, France.

What made the Channel Champ flight so significant wasn’t just the distance or duration; it was the innovation. Yost, often called the “father of modern hot air ballooning,” used experiences like this to refine designs that would soon lead to the first successful modern hot air balloon flight.

Here at the National Balloon Museum, we’re proud to preserve this legacy. Our exhibit features the original basket used in the Channel Champ flight, along with the balloon envelope itself, giving visitors a direct connection to this groundbreaking moment in aviation history.

Fun fact: The basket Ed and Don used wasn’t purpose-built at all. It started its life as a stone boat, a piece of farm equipment pulled by horses to clear rocks from fields. A true example of ingenuity and resourcefulness!

History doesn’t just live in books - it lives here. Come see it for yourself when the museum reopens in July 2026.

More about the exhibit can be found here: https://www.nationalballoonmuseum.com/channel-champ/.