Quick Trip Idea: National Museum of the United States Air Force

Winter months can bring forth a bit of cabin fever. An itch to get out of the house, stretch your legs and break out from the ordinary. A quick trip that my family enjoys is driving up to Dayton, Ohio to visit the National Museum of the United States Air Force. While my children range in age from 8-14, I can imagine this excursion would be a huge hit with even younger ones who love planes or playing with Army men. Here are a few reasons why we enjoy this quick trip…

First, the cost. It is free. Zero dollar admission. Parking is also free. Museum guests can choose to make a donation, and if one individual donates $50 *or a student donates $20!, they can become a member of the Air Force Historical Foundation. This comes with a fun perk of quarterly Air Force History Magazine publications mailed to you and savings at the museum store. With memberships supporting the museum, we opted to have one family representative become a member and continue to donate a little bit each time we visit. I will note that there is no pressure to donate from the workers, but they are grateful when you do so.

Second, walking this museum is bound to wear your kids out. As a boy mom of busy bodied children, this is definitely a selling point to me. Ha! The museum is vast-remember, it holds literal airplanes, so yeah, it is a big place. Various hangars hold galleries from different eras like the early years of aviation, WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War, Presidential Gallery and more. It is huge. It is open. It never feels crowded when we have visited because the place is simply huge. Kids can stretch their legs, and if you have teeny tinies, it is easy to stroll around the flat floors.

Third, the museum is immersively educational. You could choose a hangar and really deep dive into learning about history, science and the culture of the world during that timeframe. The Air Force Museum Foundation has a free app you can download which has scavenger hunts and other self-guided audio tours! The app also has a map on it, which is very helpful. Truly you could go to the museum once a month for a year and still not learn everything there is to learn.

Fourth, you get to go *inside* some actual planes. My families personal favorite exhibit is the Presidential Gallery. You get to see actual, authentic Air Force One planes and walk through them, including the plane which held President John F. Kennedy’s body for transport after he was assassinated—the very same plane which Lyndon B. Johnson was aboard while being sworn in to office. It is an eerie feeling to stand in this plane and take in the significance of where you are standing. Also, seeing how different president’s planes looked and were decorated is just neat. My teenager noted “look mom, a president probably used that toilet!”… which yeah, I guess he was right. Teenagers, *facepalm*, am I right?!

National Museum of the United States Air Force 
1100 Spaatz Street
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433
Click here to visit the National Museum of the United States Air Force website

 

Quick Need-to-Know Information
+Free admission, free parking
+Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., seven days a week
+Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day
+There is a visitor screen at the entrance, see their website for a list of prohibited items, which my family learned included an apple in our backpack-haha!
+Wheelchairs and motorized carts are available on a first-come, first-served basis for free
+A limited supply of strollers is available on a first-come, first-served basis also for free
+Download the Air Force Museum Foundation app for free to learn even more and utilize their map
+There are two restaurants located within the museum
+There are outdoor picnic areas in Memorial Park
+The museum boasts two Mamava lactation pods that are free to use
+The flight simulators and AF Museum Theatre have an additional cost
+There is a really nice gift store, and they have several pressed penny machines (in case your kid is like mine, and loves collecting those)