With a name like ‘Air Zoo’, you can immediately tell that it’s more than just your ordinary museum. Founded under the name of ‘Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum’ by Sue and Pete Parish in 1977, the museum has grown and evolved to become something truly spectacular. Today the Air Zoo contains a collection of more than 50 different aircraft, a number of exhibits, murals, flight simulators, and so much more! As if all this wasn’t enough, the museum is also right next to the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, so you might be able to catch a plane landing or taking off!
Airplanes at the museum include:
- Wright Flyer replica
- Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” scale model
- Ford Trimotor 5-AT
- WWII era P-40 Warhawk
- Vought F4U Corsair
- P-51 Mustang
- Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird stealth plane
- Many more!
The airplanes alone are a huge reason to go, but the Air Zoo goes a step further with nearly a dozen great rides and activities. Journey in a 3D Space Shuttle simulation to the International Space Station, join in a mission to Mars, take a ride on the Flying Circus Bi-Plane, or experience weightlessness on the paratrooper jump ride. If you’d like to try flying for yourself, try your hand at one of their full-motion flight simulators! If you’d like to take it up another notch, take a 15 or 30 minute flight ($25 & $39, respectively) in the advanced simulator. There are even more other rides besides these, and lots of great activities for kids, with science experiments, spring break science day camps, and summer camps, or even have an overnight camp out under the SR-71 Blackbird! More information about all this, here.
The main campus is open 9 am–5 pm Monday through Saturday, and noon–5 pm Sunday. The East campus is open 9 am–5 pm Monday through Friday, and noon–5 pm Saturday & Sunday. The Air Zoo is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Admission to the museum is $10, and includes four rides, the $16.50 admission includes those four plus five other additional rides. Individual ride tickets cost $2 each, with each ride requiring one or two. Admission for children four and under is free.
Address:
6151 Portage Road
Portage, MI 49002
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