Attractions

Minnesota Air National Guard Museum. Photo by minnemom on flickr.

Have you ever sat in the pilot’s seat of a military helicopter? Or seen an F-16 up close?  If these experiences appeal to you, you’ll want to find your way to St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Minnesota Air National Guard Museum.

The Minnesota Air National Guard Museum is located on the Air National Guard base, and the museum is only open to the public on certain weekends, which are listed on the museum’s website.  Many of these are “open cockpit” days, when volunteers are on hand to answer questions about the various aircraft and visitors are allowed to sit in the planes.

Admission to the Air National Guard Museum is free, although donations are accepted.  To get to the museum, you and your vehicle must undergo base security.  Directions to the museum are clearly listed on its website.

Kids are welcome at the Minnesota Air National Guard Museum, and the volunteers are friendly in explaining the aircraft to them. It was a toss-up as to whether my husband or my children enjoyed the museum more.

The museum is separated into an indoor hangar area, which includes a helicopter, ejection seat, aircraft engines, and flight simulators, and an outdoor air park of twenty aircraft.  A small museum store offers souvenirs and supports the museum’s collection.

For people interested in the military or aircraft in general, the Minnesota Air National Guard Museum is an excellent stop in St. Paul.

• Minnesota Air National Guard Museum

• ANG Base – Mpls-St. Paul International Airport
  670 General Miller Drive
  Saint Paul, MN 55111-4114

• Schedule listed on museum website
• Free; donations accepted

If vintage aircraft appeal to you, check out Are You a Snoopy or a Red Baron: Vintage Airplane Rides in Northern California.

Linda, aka “minnemom,” writes about family travel in Minnesota and beyond at Travels with Children.