Things To Do

Now in its 37th year, the Creston/Southwest Iowa Balloon Days festival is the second-largest of its kind in the entire state of Iowa. What started as a local celebration has grown into a regional event drawing visitors from across Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri.

The weekend features hot air balloon races, a Saturday morning parade with high school marching bands from across the region, a Flea Market and Craft Fair in and around the historic Depot, local shopping, and a popular children's Pedal Pull and Pet Show at the airport. The highlight for many is the NightGlow — held at dusk Saturday — when dozens of balloons illuminate the sky.

Creston's Independence Day celebration is legendary in southwest Iowa. Visitors from across the region — and even from northern Missouri — return year after year to enjoy the spectacle. The fireworks show is "well above standard" — a full-scale production that draws crowds rivaling much larger cities.

The celebration starts on the evening of July 3rd with a street dance, building community anticipation for the big day. July 4th brings the full celebration, with fireworks that light up the Iowa sky and an energy that fills the city.

Creston sits at the heart of one of southwest Iowa's most impressive outdoor recreation areas. Five lakes totaling over 2,100 acres of water sit within a 25-mile radius, surrounded by more than 6,000 acres of publicly owned parks, woodlands, prairie, and wetlands.

The lakes include Green Valley State Park, Three Mile Recreation Area, Twelve Mile Lake, Summit Lake, and McKinley Lake (within the city limits). Four campgrounds serve visitors across the system, offering fishing, boating, swimming, and wildlife watching unmatched in the region.

Creston's signature outdoor amenity is the nearly 9-mile paved Park-to-Park Trail that connects McKinley Park in the city to the campground at Green Valley State Park. The trail passes through beautiful southwest Iowa countryside and is open to cyclists, runners, walkers, and inline skaters.

Beyond the paved section, an additional 6 miles of grass-surface trail (suitable for walking and mountain biking) continues from the Green Valley campground around Green Valley Lake, offering a full day of outdoor adventure.

Creston's Uptown district has been transformed into one of Iowa's most distinctive public art destinations. With 50+ murals citywide — and an astonishing 30 concentrated in just a two-block stretch of Uptown — a leisurely walk through downtown Creston becomes a gallery experience.

The mural movement began in 1983, gained real momentum in 2011 when a high school art teacher began painting one mural per year with her students, and has since grown to include muralists invited from across the country and internationally through the Creston: Arts program. Local residents young and old have contributed to what is now a defining visual identity for the city.

Step back into the 1890s at the Union County Historical Village, located at the south end of McKinley Park. Walk through 15 authentic buildings depicting a rural Iowa community of the 1800s, including a one-room schoolhouse, period-furnished home, general store, printing shop, log cabin, church, blacksmith shop, depot, and a museum with rotating exhibits.

The village is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The site also includes a caboose and an 1896 barn. A great outing for families and history enthusiasts alike.

The 1899 Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern (CB&Q) Depot is one of Creston's most beloved landmarks. When the railroad cut Creston from its division in 1960, the historic building was condemned and scheduled for demolition. Citizens rallied, and the city purchased it for just $1 — saving an irreplaceable piece of Creston's identity.

Today the restored depot anchors the Creston City Center and serves as a venue for community events, including the annual Balloon Days Flea Market and Craft Fair. It stands as a monument to both Creston's railroad origins and its community determination.

Named in honor of Creston's signature Balloon Days festival, Hot Air Brewing brings craft beer culture to the heart of southwest Iowa. A recommended stop for visitors to Creston per Travel Iowa, the brewery offers locally crafted ales and lagers in a community atmosphere.

Housed in a beautifully renovated 1931 Phillips 66 gas station on Highway 34 West, the Frank Phillips Visitor Center honors Creston's most famous son. Frank Phillips started here as a barber, married a local banker's daughter, and went on to found Phillips Petroleum — becoming one of America's great entrepreneurs.

The center doubles as the Union County tourism welcome center, making it a perfect first stop for visitors to the area.