Summary

  • National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL offers free admission and over 150 restored aircraft, including Navy Blue Angels’ planes.
  • Seattle’s Museum of Flight houses historic and modern aircraft, and Boeing Future of Flight in Everett offers factory tours.
  • The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, and Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, AZ, showcase extensive aircraft collections.

Are you an aviation enthusiast? Do you always look for aviation sites to visit? Simple Flying has compiled a list of cities in the United States Aviation that feature some of the world’s best aviation museums and sites. These sites are sure to please aviators across multiple spectrums.

5

Pensacola, Florida

National Naval Aviation Museum

  • Free entrance
  • More than 150 restored aircraft
  • Aircraft from the US Navy Blue Angels team
  • Flight simulators

The National Naval Aviation Museum attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, making it another popular attraction in Florida. With a free public admission, this museum features over 150 aircraft, including some famously used by the Navy’s Blue Angels demonstration team.

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According to the National Aviation Museum,

“Located aboard historic Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, and offering free admission, the National Naval Aviation Museum is one of the largest aviation museums in the world. With the mission to “select, collect, preserve and display historic artifacts related to the history of Naval Aviation,” you will enjoy an inspiring journey through history and much more.”

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4

Seattle, Washington

Home to the largest aircraft manufacturer in North America

  • The Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA
  • Boeing Future of Flight, Everett, WA
  • Annual Boeing Seafair Air Show (August 2-4, 2024)

Whether you are a military aviation enthusiast or an aviation enthusiast in general, Seattle and its surrounding areas have plenty of things for you to see. Not only does the city entertain aviators with its museums, but annual air shows are some of the highly anticipated events.

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Photo: Museum of Flight

Seattle’s Museum of Flight has an impressive collection of historic and modern aircraft, including a Concorde, Boeing 707 Air Force One (used by presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon), the first-built Boeing 747, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, and the B-17 Flying Fortress.

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Boeing’s heavy presence in the area is evident from the museum collection. Boeing also offers a tour to its factory in Everett, which includes a museum. An aviation enthusiast should not miss the Greater Seattle Area.

3

Washington, DC

Free admission to both museums

  • Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, downtown Washington DC
  • Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington Dulles Airport, Chantilly, Virginia

The national capital of the United States is home to some of the largest museums in the country. The central mall features the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, a must-see site for aviation enthusiasts. Thousands of people visit the site each day, making it one of the busiest attractions in the National Mall.

A Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Photo: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

A second and significantly different facility is located just outside Washington DC, at Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Chantilly, VA. According to Shea Oakley, an aviation historian and the executive director emeritus at the Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of New Jersey, as reported by Travel + Leisure,

“From the original Wright Flyer, to the Concorde, to the Space Shuttle, these two buildingshouse perhaps the most famous and significant air and spacecraft collection on the planet.”

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2

Tucson, Arizona

Pima Air & Space Museum

  • Spanned across 400 acres (including outdoors)
  • More than 400 aircraft
  • Tram tours to visit approximately 150 aircraft outdoors
  • Pima is home to the world’s largest aircraft boneyard

Tucson, Arizona, is home to Pima Air & Space Museum, another must-visit site of aviation enthusiasts. Whether you’re interested in World War II aviation, military aviation in general, commercial aviation, or the world’s largest aviation retirement home (not part of the museum), Pima is the place to be.

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Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

The museum features over 400 aircraft, mostly on display outdoors, covering a 400-acre space. From the Wright Flyer to the most modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner and everything in between, the museum has lots to offer. Special tram tours take visitors to the outdoor display areas, where experienced tour guides share insights.

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1

Riverside, Ohio

Free admission to the world’s largest aviation museum

  • Home to the National Museum of the United States Air Force
  • Over 20 acres of indoor space
  • Over 350 aircraft are on display
  • A wide range of missiles are on display
  • Thousands of aviation artifacts

Riverside is a suburban city in the Greater Dayton Area just outside of Dayton, Ohio. It is home to the second-largest Air Force base and features the National Museum. Established in 1923, the museum offers numerous display galleries, including early aviation, World War I galleries, Cold War galleries, and Presidential aircraft galleries.

Republic XF-84H in the Research & Development Gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Dayton, Ohio

The museum has over 350 aircraft and a wide range of missiles. According to the Air Force Museum,

“The museum is home to countless one-of-a-kind objects. Our once small engine collection now includes more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles, thousands of artifacts, and spans 20 indoor acres with additional outdoor Air and Memorial Parks that continue to grow every year.”

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What are your thoughts on the top cities in the United States for aviation enthusiasts? Have you visited any of these sites? Share your experience in the comments section.

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