20 Things To Do at Balloon Fiesta (That Aren't Hot Air Balloons)

Updated for 2023

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, a 9-day hot air balloon festival that takes places every October in the state of New Mexico, has become our family's permanent annual vacation. After attending 12 of the past 13, years we've learned some tips and tricks and also figured out how to make the most of the multi-day event.

The obvious #1 activity at Balloon Fiesta is watching hot air balloons day and night. They even have remote control balloons on the field now. But there is so much more! Let's focus here on all the many other ways to keep the family entertained on and around the Balloon Fiesta Park...

Why We Love Junior Ranger Programs (And Think You Will Too)

I discovered last fall that I'm a little bit skeptical of our federal government.  I honestly had no idea until B & P were finishing their first National Parks Junior Ranger program and the park ranger handed them a very nice, high quality patch to commemorate their day of learning.  With all the talk of debt ceilings and excessive borrowing and financial cut-backs we hear about in the news, I was caught a little bit off-guard at the quality of a program we'd participated in for free.  We couldn't wait to visit our next park and get started on another one!

That first Junior Ranger program we did was at the Capulin Volcano National Monument in northeastern New Mexico.  I'll share more about that visit in the near future, but today want to tell you the two reasons we've fallen in love with the Junior Ranger programs.

1.  I already mentioned it, they're GOOD QUALITY learning programs.  I'm sure that would be important to anyone, but as a homeschool parent I tend to be a little critical of children's educational resources.  Too many times they're full of cartoon characters or pop culture references and not a lot of learning takes place in what's left of the blank space on a page.  

To become a Junior Ranger, kids have to complete worksheets and tasks.  Both the programs we've done so far have had an option for younger and older kids.  Usually the younger kids are required to complete 3-4 pages/tasks, while the older kids maybe have to complete 5-7.  At Capulin Volcano pages included learning about how a volcano works, the geology of northern New Mexico, the flora and fauna of the area, and more.  A lot of them involve reading signs throughout the park and finding the information.  At that park they could receive an extra reward for completing the entire hike around the rim of the volcano.

Seriously, what can be better than seeing kids out in nature actively and excitedly learning about their surroundings?

Working on their Junior Ranger at Lake Mead

2.  The Junior Ranger programs make kids feel special.  During our trip to Lake Mead last month, we stopped into the visitor's center to pick up our Junior Ranger books.  The retired volunteer park ranger almost jumped out of his skin with enthusiasm.  Both times we've done the program the rangers have given full attention to our boys while they explained the program and the requirements and got them excited for a day of learning.  

Why does it seem like adults don't do that anymore...make time for kids?  Such a spirit-lifting experience for me to have someone else telling my kids how cool science and the outdoors can be! That volunteer ranger answered every single one of their questions and quizzed them and made sure they had not taken it lightly.  B & P just ate it up!  

So what happens when kids have completed their activities and worksheets?  The ranger administers the Junior Park Ranger pledge.  Each kid repeats something like this, 

"As a Junior Ranger, I promise to teach others about what I learned today, 

explore other parks and historic sites, 

and help preserve and protect these places so future generations can enjoy them."

Then they receive their badge and their patches and go on their merry little way...

 

Do you have Junior Rangers at home?

Which park programs have been your favorite?

More information:

Junior Ranger programs are available at

200+ national parks.

The program is free to participate-just ask a ranger at the park visitor center for information.

Many of the booklets and other information are available online

and are great resources for homeschool unit studies.

Your local state parks may have junior ranger programs as well.  

Ask the next time you're there!

A Trip To Albuquerque Is More Than Just Balloon Fiesta

Dragging the family out of bed hours before the sun comes up seems counter-intuitive to the rest and relaxation that vacation is supposed to bring. After a magical early morning at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, a short rest will definitely be in order. The upside to attending an event that is over by noon? There are still plenty of daylight hours to spend exploring in and around a great southwestern city.

If Your Family Likes To Be Outdoors...

Petroglyph National Monument offers an overload of opportunities to view Native American petroglyphs and ancient volcano fields without having to leave the city. Stop first at the visitor center and then choose between one and six trails that you’d like to adventure on. The National Park Service does not charge an entrance fee, but the city of Albuquerque does charge a small parking fee at one of the trailheads.

Sandia Peak Ski & Tramway Take the family to the top of the Sandia Mountain Range by way of aerial tram and then enjoy time together eating and hiking around while looking out over the valley. If your family wants even more adventure, try mountain biking as well. Bike rentals and lift-serve close for summer on Labor Day, but are available again for the duration of Balloon Fiesta.

No petroglyphs were touched in the taking of this picture-but look what he is learning!

If You Prefer Looking Up History...

Take a stroll through Old Town and see elements of the way Albuquerque has looked for nearly 300 years. Adobe buildings with native decor line the streets. You can visit one of New Mexico’s oldest churches, learn about the people who settled New Mexico at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, and shop for authentic gifts to take to everyone back home. 

For a real look at New Mexico’s nuclear science history that will capture the attention of everyone in the family, a visit to The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is definitely in order. Exhibits cover everything from the smallest atom all the way up to the atomic bomb. Everywhere you look there are odd tools and gadgets from times past, as well as antiquated weapons, missiles, and even a bomb-shelter to pretend in. The museum includes an interactive children’s area and a large outdoor yard with planes and equipment familiar to anyone who remembers the Nuclear Age.

Have Fun With An Educational Opportunity...

Explora is Albuquerque’s rendition of science center and children’s museum and is as fun for Mom and Dad as it is for their kids. You’ll know you’re close when the kids start pointing excitedly at the colorful domed building. Weaving through the exhibits inside they’ll stay busy with hands-on activities teaching about gravity, sound, air, water, and more. 

Located nearby, The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science takes visitors back in time through ancient New Mexico geology, biology, and cultures. Walk into the time of the dinosaurs and decide for yourselves what caused their extinction. The museum also provides an interesting look at plants and wildlife native to the southwest region of the United States.

For an outing that will cover the interests of every member in the family, check out the ABQ BioPark. Located near the Rio Grande River, the BioPark encompasses the city’s zoo, aquarium, botanical gardens, and outdoor recreation and picnic areas. Take a round-the-world tour while watching land animals and underwater creatures from across the globe. Then do the same while wandering through exotic gardens representing places far, far away. Choose one or all of these attractions to fill your day and be sure to spend time on the riverbank walking or fishing as well. 

Leave Time For Something A Little Quirky...

No visit to Albuquerque should be complete without a stop at the Tinkertown Museum. Go with very low expectations, but definitely go! A culmination of one man’s decades of collecting, items are packed into cluttered displays of oddity and disarray. The path through the museum winds in and out of rooms in a hodge-podge house. The displays originated with the owner’s wood carvings and grew to include miniature dollhouses, circus freak show memorabilia, ragtime music boxes that still play for a quarter, and a once-operable sailboat that has seen many worldly destinations. Go with the guarantee that you will not know what to think when you arrive, and won’t be able to stop talking about it after you leave.

A visit to Albuquerque during Balloon Fiesta can be as fun-filled and adventuresome as you’d like it to be. Greet the sun as it rises and spend the rest of the day exploring whatever way your family likes to do!

Have you been to Albuquerque?

What was your favorite thing to do?

Looking for other things to do with the kids

while you're in New Mexico?

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What In The World Is A Tent Rock?

The power and creativity of Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me. Living in the American west, it is impossible to deny the landscape-changing ability of the simple elements of wind and water. At Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument a millennium of geologic activity has left behind a panorama of childhood fantasy in immovable hard rock form...

In this instance, volcanoes were the geologic phenomena responsible for these larger-than-life cone-shaped rock formations.  Softer pumice lays protected underneath hard rock caps and makes and while there is a lot of scientific exploration going on there, the tent rocks may really be there just to provide an idyllic hiking background.  

The trail up is quite sandy, starts out wide and then narrows.  There are obstacles to maneuver around (and through).  Start off with a peaceful feeling of patience as there are coves and side turns that kids crawl into and then find themselves transported into other imaginary worlds.  As a parent, how you can we deny them that?  

Eventually the trail does begin to climb and rocky stairs are carved into a series of switchbacks. It does get steeper in elevation, but, again, give yourself plenty of time (and take plenty of water) and you'll make it where you want to go.  

The view from the top is incredible! Looking down over the path you've taken will feel momentous and the fairytale landscape stretching out in front of you will bring a child-like smile to your face.  The trip back down is always easier, but take a moment to look out over this New Mexican vista and appreciate it's diversity.  All too soon you'll be back down in the dry brown and green, but for this moment, let your eyes take in a panoramic treat.  

Visited a place as idyllic and fairy-tale like as the Tent Rocks?  

Tell us about it in a comment below!

More information

The tent rocks are about 1 hour

north of Albuquerque.

Find directions here

The trail does level and widen into a plateau at the top.

There is plenty of room to rest, look around, and marvel.

There is, however, no guard rail, 

so just be mindful of where your children are wandering.

Watch for interesting wildlife along the way-

we spotted an enormous hairy spider in the middle of the road

1/4 mile before we slowly rolled alongside it

White Sands National Monument

Every year in October my family makes a 9-hour trek south for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  We try to explore at least one other area in New Mexico while we're there and three years ago we drove 3.5 hours further south for a laid back day of fun at...

Tinkertown Museum: Ultimate List Of The Oddest Things Collected All In One Place

Think for a minute about the oddest place you have ever happened upon (because we all know the oddest ones are places you just happen upon). What about it burrowed itself into the back of your brain to be remembered at the most unusual times?  When trying to explain the quirkiness of it to your pals back at home, what part is so unbelievable that you exasperatedly exclaim, "You'll just have to see it"? Where is that place?

These 10 oddities make Albuquerque's Tinkertown Museum that place for me...

White Sands National Monument: New Mexico's White Wonderland

Every year my family makes makes the trek to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the International Balloon Fiesta.  We're fortunate to have family there who lets our 4 boys completely take over their house for 5 days.  Each year between mornings and evenings of magical flying we pick a new part of New Mexico to explore.  Over the past five years we've been enchanted by a good portion of the Land of Enchantment and this week it's time to share some of those adventures with you!

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