Pima Air and Space Museum is a very large complex of airplanes and information about the history of Flight. This museum reminded us of the Air and Space Museum (Udvar F. Hazy Museum) in Washington, DC. There were hundreds of airplanes to see both inside and outside.
Indoor Museums
The Pima Air and Space museum contains six separate hangars, and each is stuffed with airplanes, helicopters, space capsules, and simulators. The largest is hangar 1, which holds an SR-71 Blackbird along with dozens of other smaller planes.
Our boys enjoyed the simulators and other places that you could climb in, around, and onto some of the aircraft. They also enjoyed taking their own pictures of the planes.
Outdoor Museum
Outside was hot, and the area was large, but there were a lot of planes! There is a special section for Presidential planes, and some of the really massive planes are outside. We were free to walk amongst planes for as long as we liked.
Since it was hot, we didn’t spend a ton of time walking around outside, and our feet were tired from hiking at Saguaro in the morning.
390th Memorial Museum
Hangar 6 is operated independently of Pima Air and Space Museum, but you wouldn’t know it as there are no additional fees and the hangar is right in the center of the property. It is a non-profit with volunteers talking about the special B-17. We talked to an older gentleman who had flown bomber planes, and he obviously knew a lot about the aircraft. There was also a bomber jacket display, and, off in the corner, a section on bomber art, that you may choose to avoid if you have children.
Plan to spend around half a day at Pima Air and Space Museum. Our boys had an enjoyable time, and the hangars are a great place to get out of the sun if you’ve been hiking in nearby Saguaro National Park.
If you have a young kids, we recommend a stroller. There is a lot of walking involved in visiting this museum. For current hours and pricing, visit the Pima Air and Space Museum website.
