The Wonders of Florida in 24 Museums

"With more planes than the Cuban military, Fantasy of Flight displays a living history of manned flight with everything from small barnstormers to massive super-fortresses. Owner and founder of Fantasy of Flight, Kermit Weeks, has amassed an armada of over 100 aircraft that visitors can see up close and, very often, in flight. Possibly the most remarkable feature of the huge airplane collection is that most of the craft are still operational. Given good weather conditions and available pilots, the attraction takes one of their vintage aircraft for a daily flight and answers questions about the ship upon landing.  The facility itself consists of a large main building that contains two hangars and a series of short and long runways for the constant plane traffic. A portion of the nearby lake is even owned by Fantasy of Flight to accommodate the water landings of seaplanes. The collection of aircraft has grown so much that the facility has expanded to a third hangar across the street. While the opportunities to ride in the airplanes at Fantasy of Flight are slim due to the inherent liability issues, there are a number of decommissioned cockpits that visitors can explore and a zip line just across the street for anyone wanting to try out some unaided soaring." - ATLAS_OBSCURA