City: Richmond, VA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (804) 236-3622

Address: 5701 Huntsman Rd.

Description: For flights of fancy, head here to see what the early days of flying were really like—hint: not fancy at all. This museum, with its gliders and military and civilian aircraft, gives a good introduction to the science of flight and illustrates how we got from human-powered flight as a fantasy to reality—however fantastic that is. For the serious aircraft enthusiast, check out the U.S. Air Force SR-71 Blackbird that is the museum’s pride and joy and the Grumman F-14D Tomcat, both outside. Inside, the collection has quite an array of barnstormers, Wright brothers’ glider replicas, aircraft connected to famous Virginians such as Paul Galanti and explorer Richard Byrd, and other historic artifacts for those who aim high. The museum is open Tues through Sun and some holiday Mon. Admission is $5-$6.