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    Balloon Museum

    3.6 (22 reviews)

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    Edward G.

    5 stars, but with some asterisks. The Balloon Museum is one of those pop-up experiences like the Museum of Ice Cream that is more a collection of inflatable art installations than a traditional museum. There are no paintings or marble sculptures, no history of balloon flight, and definitely no hot air balloons. Instead, it's a walk-through playground of oversized inflatables you can sometimes play with and sometimes just pose next to. There's a ball pit with a synchronized light show, plenty of clearly staged Instagram spots, near the end, a VR headset experience. If you've been to Meow Wolf or Architects of Air, temper your expectations. This is not nearly as immersive, mostly because it's housed in the old Louis Shanks building, a former high-end furniture store. At times you're reminded of that fact: drop ceilings overhead, doors to what were probably employee break rooms, and a floor plan with empty corners that feel like they're waiting for the next attraction. The vibe here leans toward kids and families. While an adult group could have fun, there is not much depth or challenge to walking through the different rooms. One piece that did stand out was a massive disco ball that slowly inflated and deflated while an audio loop repeated the words "her joy" over and over. It was oddly solemn, almost meditative, and felt completely different in tone from the rest of the space. I couldn't tell if it was aiming for something deeper or just landed in an uncanny spot. All that said, if you go in knowing it's more playful pop-up than full-blown immersive art world, it's easy to enjoy. Families in particular will get the most out of it, but I can see where the price could scare folks away or knock off a star for some.

    Art has no limits sign leading into neon tunnel - A woman with blonde hair, wearing a floral top and black shorts, poses in front of a vibrant, illuminated display at the Balloon Museum in Austin, TX.
    Lorelei W.

    This was such a cool experience! I know it is called museum but I did not expect it to be the art exhibit that it was. There are plenty of photo opportunities, interactive art, and a mesmerizing room. This can be a date, or a friends trip! Casually paced, I think we spent a little under two hours there.

    Balloon museum.
    Wendy K.

    The floors were cool. I really like the butterfly exit and the bubble exhibit. I lost my phone and tried for over an hour to find it. It was in the bubble pit. My husband and I went back after 8:30 pm and the lady found it right away . I want to thank the young lady and the manager for helping us out.

    Amy S.

    This experience is so amazing. We came here last night and I love art of every kind. The venue is large and there's free parking The venue has a map and ushers who assist with the experience along the way . Each art piece has an explanation about the art and the artist They have a spot where you can buy food and drinks if you'd like a nibble. I felt like a kid again because the art is interactive which I loved. EVERYONE SHOULD DO THIS I HAD A BLAST and the photos show it.

    A butterfly-shaped light sculpture with striped wings is displayed against a dark background, creating a glowing effect.
    Kaffy Z.

    We were worried because of the negative reviews...but we went during the week and it was amazing. Interactive and super cool! We truly appreciated it and interacted with all of the art. Our family and our kids in their 20's absolutely loved it! They do have a gift shop which sold some cool stuff and a small area for drinks and baked items. The VR at the end is really cool too. There are plenty of things to see and do (more than I pictured) and every one of them is interactive and not still art. Plenty of photos opps and make you have space on your phone to take videos. We highly recommend going but during the day. Save the weekends for kids and small kids. The balloon room was our favorite! I left out some photos and videos so you can really enjoy it! We were there for almost 2 hours At the beginning of each exhibit there is a back ground story about it. Again every exhibit is interactive....move the eye balls, build a display, experience it all. Hands on.

    Anastasia M.

    I wasn't sure what to expect when we first walked into Austin's Balloon Museum--I'll admit, I was a little worried it might be underwhelming. But wow... was I wrong! It turned out to be a visual playground packed with color, light, creativity, and just pure fun. Every room was a new experience. From psychedelic tunnels and glow-in-the-dark sculptures to immersive illusions and clever installations, the whole space felt like walking through a dream. Just when I thought we'd seen it all, we met George on the way out--super friendly, great energy, and we had the best chat swapping our favorite rooms. He totally made the ending even more memorable. Great dude! Definitely worth the visit whether you're local or just in town for a few days. Bring your camera

    Water - A reflective glass sculpture with tentacle-like extensions is displayed inside a building, illuminated with purple lighting and surrounded by a barrier.
    Anastasia S.

    It was easy to pay with a credit card and nice customer service and they will take a picture of you and they don't mind it. They even offered it at times and every room has different rules and different music and some rooms. You can touch a lot of things in some rooms you cannot There is public restrooms available hand sanitizer available with paper towels for some of the rooms because you can touch things and then your hands get dirty so it's available for you to clean your hands right there outside the room you can take pictures and videos of each room. There is one room that has a light show and you cannot take the shoes off it's not recommended because one child Took his shoes off and his mom was started to throw a fit in front of me and he had to go swimming inside the black pool of balls, trying to find shoes which can take a long time and also it's very dark inside that specific room and the rules are verbally been told to you by staff. There is a food court area for sweets and sandwiches and drinks and sodas and tables and chairs are available for you to sit at and there's a gift shop available and the prices are labeled for most things for you. The gift shop checkout is very fast and easy three different floors and on each floor. It tells you what you're going to see you can take the elevator you can take the staircase Parking lot inside. The garage is free and it's available. If you have a seizure, I would not recommend going to those type of places because you might have a problem with the lights and music watch your step in every room because the floor or the carpet is very different Wear comfortable shoes I was wearing a dress and one of the rooms had mirrors and you can see up my dress so just be cautious about that. Ticket prices is different based on your age and if you're an adult or a child.

    Two large bean bag chairs with cartoon eyes are in a dimly lit room with blue lighting, surrounded by people.
    Kayla H.

    My group (3 adults) were extremely disappointed in this event. I reached out to the event host privately and received no response. We found the event to be highly misrepresented. The exhibits themselves were akin to a parody of an art show - suited for very young children at best. The materials were cheap and dirty. I'm not sure how a balloon arch is something worth paying to see. The room with the inflatable googly-eyed things and techno music was disturbing and the inflatables were dirty. The soap balloon room floor was filthy and covered our shoes in wet muck. I understand that art is subjective - there were also several concerning logistical aspects to the event. There was not adequate parking - we were instructed to go "park by the Starbucks" because the garage was full - this parking was not overflow reserved for the event, rather a suggestion. For $50 a ticket, parking should be ensured for a non-downtown event location. The "iconic" host structure had poor ventilation, a bad smell, dirty carpets, stained walls and water damaged ceilings. I'm not sure if the AC was working as it was hot and stuffy. The nature of several of the exhibits are interactive in nature and not at all sanitary, which is fine if you can skip them (i.e. the ball pit room) - but the layout of this tour did not afford that in majority of the cases (particularly the bubble room - which you're literally forced to walk through in order to exit the building). My friend was so grossed out by what she say she had to use the staff exit to leave.

    Inflatable sculptures with bright colors and patterns are displayed in a room with striped flooring and geometric wall art.

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