5 Ohio Museums that Celebrate Aviation and Space Exploration

MAPS Air Museum, North Canton: This museum focuses on local men and women who made history, including those who flew the rare aircraft in its massive collection spanning from the early 1900s through the present day. Visitors can sit inside a Goodyear Blimp gondola and see a B-26 bomber — one of six remaining in the world. Among the artifacts on display are a piece of the U.S.S. Arizona, which was sunk at Pearl Harbor, and exhibits feature 15 Medal of Honor recipients from Ohio dating to the Civil War. Visitors can get a guided tour at no additional charge. mapsairmuseum.org

Champaign Aviation Museum, Urbana: When local aviation enthusiasts sought volunteers to help rebuild a World War II B-17 bomber, the response was so overwhelming that the project led to the creation of this aviation museum. Visitors can see the B-17, Champaign Lady, as it’s being restored and talk with volunteers as they work. The experience offers insight into the manufacturing of such bombers and teaches visitors about the men and women who flew and built them. A functional B-25 bomber and other WWII aircraft are also on display with veterans’ stories. champaignaviationmuseum.org

Liberty Aviation Museum, Port Clinton: A pristine B-25 bomber named Georgie’s Gal is the centerpiece of this museum, which opened in 2012. The museum features a restored Ford Tri-Motor airplane (a type of craft lovingly known as the “Tin Goose”) as well as other military planes, vehicles and watercraft. Exhibits are a delightful mix of national and local aviation history and popular culture, including displays with artifacts from the TV show “Hogan’s Heroes” and a baseball uniform from the film “Major League.” The Tin Goose Diner, an authentic relocated 1950s diner, adjoins the museum. libertyaviationmuseum.org

National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton: The world’s largest military aviation museum has more than 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles on display throughout its four buildings and outdoor Air Park, offering hours of immersion in more than a century of flight, from the Wright brothers to women in the Air Force to space travel. A bicycle from the Wright Brothers’ shop in Dayton, the Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle and the Apollo 15 Command Module used in the fourth moon landing in July 1971 are among the thousands of artifacts on display. nationalmuseum.af.mil

Armstrong Air & Space Museum, Wapakoneta: On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong took humanity’s first step onto the moon, a monumental moment that the hometown museum dedicated to the astronaut’s career describes as “one of the most significant and unifying achievements in human history.” From Armstrong’s spacecraft to his space suits to the moon rock on display, this museum tells the story of that achievement, the international race to the moon that captivated the world and space-travel advances in the years since the moon landing. The exterior of the museum, which opened in 1972, was even designed to resemble a futuristic moon base. armstrongmuseum.org

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