The Balloon Museum in Austin was a decent experience, but it didn't leave a huge impression on me. Some of the art installations were creative and visually striking, and it's definitely a great spot for families. There were a lot of interactive exhibits that kids seemed to love. The museum spans a couple of stories, starting on the upper level, with plenty of colorful and immersive spaces that make for great Instagram photos. It's very hands-on, though, so if germs are a concern, this might not be the best pick. Parking was somewhat limited. There's a small one-level garage and some outdoor parking behind the building. The staff were friendly and welcoming, which I appreciated. Admission felt a bit pricey for what you get. It might have been worth it to me if I had children in my group. read more

Balloon Museum - Amusement Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Overall good experience. Parking is limited however seems like spots open pretty frequently. Just give yourself extra time. Entry is kept to the time listed on your ticket. Bought mine online and they do sell them at the venue as well. Once inside there are three maybe four flights of stairs (elevator available too) as you start on the top floor then walk back down. The museum provided some interactive picture spots and stuff for kids. The main ball pit with the light show was pretty fun too. Be careful as the shoe covers make it slippery! They do have traction strips, just take large strides. The VR was my favorite thing, with the last part with the bubbles as second. Took me about 50 minutes to go through and again helped spend the day out of the house. I could see if you had kiddos this would be gunner. read more

Balloon Museum - Amusement Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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. read more

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Pros: there's a few parts of the exhibit that I really enjoyed but it's very minimal compared to the majority of the rest of the museum that I wasn't satisfied with Cons: the ticket price being over $50 seems a bit high for the quality of exhibits that is offered. I would say it's worth closer to $35 pp with taxes and fees included. Some parts of the building are outdated and felt somewhat unclean or isolate. There needs to be more going on than just the pieces whether it's music or photo booths. You pretty much need to create the fun everywhere you go and the employee don't look the happiest to be there read more

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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. read more

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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. read more

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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. read more

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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. read more

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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 read more

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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. read more

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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. read more

Balloon Museum - Amusement Parks Near Me - Austin, Texas

The advertisements were better than the experience. Whole place had terrible lighting. Felt dirty. Only a few exhibits actually were worth it. If this place was half the cost, then maybe worth the trip. Museum of ice cream was a better experience for the money and pictures. read more

The online advertising got me interested so I went to check it out. Tickets are pricey but I thought maybe it is worth it. They have parking on site as part of the building which I missed at first because it didn't seem possible. It is in an empty furniture building so don't get confused and think you are at the wrong place. There are different exhibits and it is interactive in that you can touch the ballons, inflatables, bubbles and balls. A lot of people are working at the museum who just watch and it would be nice if they talked more about the exhibit and how you can interact with it. This is a different idea and probably best for tweens and their friends. If you are planning a date beware of kids and them injecting themselves into your space and photos. There is also a VR headset exhibit. Overall, not worth the price but a different, modern exhibit. read more

Buyer Beware: Childs Playground, Not a Museum Me and my husband came with high hopes. We expected a fascinating museum on Balloons. Instead we were met with a blowup playground for kids. It is just a walking path of "art", random blow up figures, and strollers everywhere. We walked out half way. The staff was very pleasant and nice. The manger was useless and not understanding. He had no solution to offer us after expressing our frustrations. The building rented is old and needs a lot of updating. It really killed any vibe this "museum" had. The majority of the "museum" is walking around sad, huge outdated rooms. You buy tickets online with a time frame, that doesn't matter. It's a free for all. No one checked or cared. Photos are very miss-leading!! 0/10 wouldn't waste $100. read more

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So you definitely need to be aware that you can't bring strollers, so if you have a young child, there will be walking and stairs. We saw a lot of parents who were a bit frustrated once finding out. HOWEVER, if you can get past that or you don't need to worry about it, I thought this was actually a super cool and fun exhibit. Incredibly hands on, arguably a little too fun for some kids got super excited in one of the exhibits and were tackling stuff that would knock over into you if you're not watching out. Fun concepts, great variety, and appreciated by all ages! The only downside to me was the kinda crappy parking situation, but that really wasn't enough to take away from the overall experience. Glad we checked it out!! read more

I never leave bad reviews b/c I don't want to sound like a Karen, but I am now wary of these traveling art installation pop ups. This is a complete scam and is nothing like the website. It's mostly little inflated shapes made out of PVC vinyl (same material used to make bouncy houses for kids' parties). Everything looks like it was purchased from a Spirit Halloween on final sale, and everything was filthy. We were expecting bright colors and Instagramable photo opps, like the Museum of Ice Cream, but it just felt like we were in an empty furniture store. The attached video was the cleanest, most colorful part of the exhibit. Pretty lackluster. A basic carnival funhouse is cooler than this place. read more

The Balloon Museum was an incredible experience! My whole family had a blast exploring the interactive exhibits and vibrant balloon displays. Highly recommend it for all ages! read more

The balloon museum was really neat. I wasn't sure how it would be going into it but I was impressed in the end. It's not just some balloons to look at - there is music, lighting, interactive parts, other displays, and over all it's a good experience. It's pretty big too. I think the negative reviews here sound like people who had decided they didn't like it before they went in. If you go in with an open mind and a good attitude you'll probably have a good time, especially if you have kids. Also LOL at the person who thought the Ginjo part was disturbing. Can't imagine how scary the real world is if you think that is disturbing. read more

My grandson didn't care for it he's under 4 and didn't like the moving balloons and so I couldn't go through. I pray I get my refund I left my details with the manager. read more

Beautiful and highly interactive museum! You can really tell how much work and passion went into every detail. I left feeling thrilled by the experience -- it's absolutely worth it! It's also wonderful to see an old, unused building brought back to life and modernized in such a creative way. read more

I have been several times. It is lots of fun for all three of my grandchildren, ages 3, 7 and 11. It is beautiful and smells clean. It is huge. We may go again! read more