The World's Largest Balloon Festival Is A One-Of-A-Kind Outdoor Experience In This US City

Like UFOs in Roswell, hot-air balloons are not an uncommon sight in the skies over Albuquerque, New Mexico. Agencies like Fly Albuquerque and Four Corners Balloon Rides offer regular sunrise tours where they'll send you up in one for about $200 per person. The city takes things to the next level every October, however, with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. During this spectacular nine-day event, over 500 colorful balloons take off from a launch site bigger than 50 football fields. The festival's organizers tout it as the world's largest balloon event and the most photographed event of any kind on earth.

With almost a million visitors in attendance annually, the festival has come a long way from its modest beginnings as a 13-balloon event based out of a shopping mall parking lot in 1972. It's now a major tourist draw that bolsters Albuquerque's reputation as the "Hot Air Balloon Capital of the World." For that, you can also credit the ideal weather and the "Albuquerque Box" phenomenon, which keeps the winds blowing north at one altitude and south at another, so balloons can fly out and back on a natural return course.

New Mexico's biggest city is already an incredible fall foodie destination, with the chili pepper harvest happening around the same time as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Visit in October, and you'll see more than just traditional, teardrop-shaped balloons in Albuquerque. If the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade had wings, this is what it would look like.

In Albuquerque, the weather for ballooning is usually best in the morning, which is why the festival schedules events like the Mass Ascension and the Special Shape Rodeo for 7 a.m. sharp. The Mass Ascension is where every participating balloon in the festival takes off in two waves from Balloon Fiesta Park. You can be part of the ascension with Rainbow Ryders, the only commercial hot-air balloon company allowed to operate out of the park. Being able to board a balloon and achieve liftoff yourself is something that sets Albuquerque's festival apart from others globally, such as the Saga International Balloon Fiesta in Japan. That said, the experience doesn't come cheap, and ascension rides do sell out despite costing $600 or more depending on the day.

Even if you just watch from the ground (where it's $15 general admission), the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta can be a breathtaking spectacle. In the Special Shape Rodeo, you'll see balloons shaped like animals, clowns, and recognizable characters from pop culture. The giant balloon heads of Yoda and Darth Vader from "Star Wars" have made appearances, along with Tweety Bird and the full cartoon body of the Tasmanian Devil from the Looney Tunes.

Balloon Fiesta Park opens at 4:30 a.m., so plan to wake up bright and early to navigate the crowd for these events. Another option for late risers would be an event like the Balloon Glow, Twilight Twinkle Glow, or Night Magic Glow. In these flashlight events, stationary balloons are lit from within by their burners after sunset. There's also a Special Shape Glowdeo and the AfterGlow Fireworks Show.

Flights with Rainbow Ryders aren't the only interactive component of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. At the Balloon Discovery Center in Fiesta Park, you can get hands-on experience with different balloon parts and practice wicker weaving for a gondola. One reason why the festival inspires an estimated 25 million pictures per year may be because it also has a photo contest that anyone can enter for a $1,000 grand prize.

While it's not usually a good idea to mix balloons and chainsaws, the festival does feature chainsaw carving as a sideshow. Artists fire up their power tools to produce wooden sculptures, which are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Look at it this way: Creating art is more constructive than reenacting "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre." Having said that, if you follow Albuquerque with Texas on a road trip through the Southwest, you could spend the night in a spooky cabin behind the gas station from that movie.

Outside the balloon festival, Albuquerque has some unique sightseeing spots like the Rattlesnake Museum and Petroglyph National Monument, where Native American symbols remained carved into the rocks after hundreds of years. Don't forget the food, as New Mexico is a must for spice lovers. Fans of the Emmy-winning "Breaking Bad" might want to look into one of the local tours of the show's filming locations. If you don't have a "Bad"-style RV and you need a place to stay, there's a tent village for glamping at Balloon Fiesta Park. From there, you'll be ideally positioned to see pilots take to the skies at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.