Naval Aviation Museum

On our way out of Florida, we visited the Naval Aviation Museum located in Pensacola, Florida. It was the one and only thing that my husband really, really wanted to do on our vacation.

I have, to be honest with you, I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was expecting to be pretty bored.
I was wrong.

Home of the Blue Angels

The museum is also home to the Blue Angels and if you time your visit correctly you can be there for one of the practices.

Believe me, you want to make sure you catch a practice.

The Blues practice most Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The practice starts at 11:30 am central time and lasts for about 75 minutes.

Hours of Operation

We got to the museum just as it was opening at 9 am and we toured a good chunk of it before practice started and we are very glad that we took that route. It seemed to us that a large number of the people who came to watch the practice (and there were many) opted to come as practice was starting and then tour the museum.

Naval Aviation Museum Insider Tips

My biggest tip would be to arrive at the  museum as soon as it opens and explore until time for practice, then finish up after practice.

The museum itself is, free which is a huge plus! Just a side note, there are donation boxes around the grounds for donations.

There were many, many hands-on exhibits that encouraged little ones to climb up in various aircraft. It was really refreshing to be able to encourage my boys to explore. As mommas of littles know, it’s often hard to navigate museums because often touching isn’t encouraged.

Things to do while at the Naval Aviation museum

This museum is not only loved by people on vacation but two different waitresses over the course of our vacation, made sure to mention the amazing play space for kids.

It really was awesome.

It was quite different than a typical play area, in that it was aviation themed. My kids love to pretend that they are firefighters, police officers, etc while they are playing, so it was natural for them to be pilots!

My favorite exhibit was the Presidential helicopter. It was opened up in such a way that you could see inside but plexiglass keeps visitors at bay so that the helicopter stays in good condition.

There were so many different exhibits; if I try to describe all of the many different aircraft, I would fail miserably. So, be sure to check out the website for more information.

I hope that you and your family find the time for a visit. We had so much fun and a perfect way to end our time in Florida!