- Hours: Open seven days a week, closed Thanksgiving Day and December 25, open late on the first Thursday of each month
- Reservations: Not required
- Cost: Admission charge, but free on the first Thursday evening of every month (after 5:00)
- Location: Off I-5 a few miles from downtown Seattle, driving directions below
- How Long: Allow at least half a day, and a full day or more if you're an aviation buff
- Best Time to Visit: Any time
Museum of Flight
The Museum of Flight holds a collection that includes 131 air- and spacecraft and over 19,000 other artifacts, including a Concorde, SR-71 Blackbird, F/A-18 Hornet, and America's first presidential jet, Air Force One.If you last visited the Museum of Flight before 2004, go again. In June, 2004, they opened a new Personal Courage wing honoring World War I and World War II aircraft and those who flew them. To top it all off, there's a retired Concorde on display at the Museum of Flight now, on loan from British Airways. It sits next to the original Air Force One presidential plane. On busy days, visitors are issued Concorde boarding passes for a specific time. Pick one up in the lobby when you first arrive.
The most spectacular display space at the Museum of Flight is the Great Gallery, a six-story, glass-and-steel structure that contains more than 30 vintage airplanes, including a 1935 DC-3 and the first Air Force F-5 supersonic fighter. The best way to enjoy this display is with a knowledgeable Museum of Flight docent. Check the tour times as you enter the gallery.
Located next to Boeing Field, and with strong ties to the Boeing Corporation (although not owned by Boeing), the Museum of Flight holds many artifacts, but the largest single one is the Red Barn, a National Register site which was the headquarters of the original Boeing Airplane Company and North America's oldest aircraft factory. Museum of Flight now houses an exhibit about the history of human flight.
For extra fun in summer, Museum of Flight visitors can relive early aviation's barnstorming days, with a biplane ride.
The Wings Cafe at the Museum of Flight is open to the public without admission charge. It's a good place to get a close-up look at Boeing Field.
Getting to the Museum of Flight
Museum of Flight9404 E Marginal Way South
Seattle, WA 98108
206-764-5700
Museum of Flight Website
Exit I-5 at Exit 158. Go west, and turn right at the first light onto E. Marginal Way S. The Museum of Flight is on the right, 1/2 mile away. Parking is free at the Museum of Flight.
Using public transportation, take METRO Bus #174 from downtown Seattle or the Sea-Tac Airport. The trip to the Museum of Flight will take over half an hour each way.
If You Liked the Museum of Flight, You May Also Like
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