
I always love visiting the Tulsa Air and Space Museum. It is small enough to be easy but big enough to be an event and the staff is very proud of the history they are holding in the museum. It is a tucked away behind the airport, near the zoo. With an American Airlines MD-80 aircraft out front, it feels almost like an extension of the hangers nearby.
The staff of volunteers there are mostly retired pilots and air enthusiasts who are eager to share what they know about the exhibits and a little about their own air stories as well. If you go with children, I suggest engaging a guide right away, as they can be a bit strict with little ones who are on their own, but quite welcoming when they are allowed to do the guiding.
The first thing we played with at the museum was the flight simulator games at the front. They have a whole classroom set up with them, and everybody was really into it. I had to pry them off to actually go inside the hanger.
Inside the main room of the museum are several vintage aircrafts, some just to look at and some you can climb in, and lots of aviation memorabilia and information all around. I love looking at the old flight attendants uniforms. So cute!
Hello there, Will. The kids recognized this Oklahoma aviation fan right away.
The boys having fun with Bernoulli’s principle.
The upstairs of the museum is set up with a little library and play area. It’s fun and my kids would have probably stayed there for an hour if we hadn’t had to head out to catch the MD-80 tour.
Inside the MD-80 we watched a video on the history of flight, which I thought was interesting, but the kids were too pumped up on the things inside the museum to sit though the whole thing!
If you exit the front of the museum, to your left is the planetarium which has showings every hour and is usually running several options of films for different age groups and interests. You can find out more information on what is showing and also teaching resources related to the films on their website.