The Cradle of Aviation Museum

Located in Garden City on New York’s Long Island, the Cradle of Aviation Museum is a great treat for the whole family. Lovers of aviation and aeronautics do well to schedule a trip to this great museum the next time they are in the area. The museum is designed to commemorate Long Island’s long involvement in aviation through the ages and families will find that it is filled with fun and interactive exhibits that appeal to both young and old.

The Cradle of Aviation Museum is appropriately located on land that was once a part of the Mitchel’s Air Force Base, Roosevelt Field and a number of other airfields on the Hempstead Plains. A more appropriate location for this museum could not have been found since it was in this area that a great many historical flights have taken place. In fact, so many early flights occurred in the area that there was already a small cluster of airfields here by the mid-1920s. This fluster of aviation activity was aptly dubbed the “Cradle of Aviation” and it is from this aspect of the area’s history that the museum now takes its name. Modern visitors to this timeless museum will find more than 60 different models of aircraft on display as well as a number of scale models depicting aircraft from different time periods. Aviation history buffs will be happy to know that there is a model of the Charles Lindbergh’s original A-10 Thunderbolt II and groundbreaking Grumman F-14 Tomcat, as well as a genuine, unused Apollo Lunar Module known as the LM-13. Permanent exhibits include: The Dream of Wings, The Hempstead Plains, World War I, The Golden Age, World War II, The Jet Age, Space Exploration, Aviation Today, the Visitor Center Atrium and Aerospace Park.

In addition to all the permanent exhibits, a number of temporary exhibits are also arranged regularly to keep things interesting. Many of the people currently employed at the museum once worked at the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation facility on Long Island. This means they are not only able to ensure that there are always interesting things to see at the museum, but they can provide a wealth of insight and information as they provide you with a fascinating guided tour. The complex also houses an IMAX theater, where you can watch all the latest movies, and is home to the Red Planet Café, where you can have fantastic kids’ parties. So don’t miss out on this great museum – make sure that you visit the Cradle of Aviation Museum the next time you are in New York.