EAA Aviation Museum

Very nice people and very unique exhibits. However, I had to ding them up for numerous of the interactive activities being inoperative and the tech based learning areas are very dated. Be sure to stop by the coffee bar and refreshment area! It’s 3 vending machines down a hallway 🙄😂

Different than other aviation museums we have been too. This is mostly experimental aircraft. There was a lot of interesting stuff to see however. This is a large museum and it's well put together. Prepare to spend at least two to three hours. Recommended.

What a fantastic place! Oshkosh is on The Map worldwide thanks to the EAA. This is the first time I have gone there during the Christmas season. It was decorated beautifully and there was especially event with beautifully dressed dancers, singers and snacks. Definitely glad that we made the trip!

I'm not sure about visiting patterns, but on a windy, cool, November Sunday (during Packer game, I believe), all six of us had a fantastic time exploring, imagining, and socializing at the EAA Aviation Musuem. More people arrived by mid afternoon, which was helpful, as some experienced EAA-ers shared how to use some experiential activities—of which there were many, including helicopter, plane, and hang‐gliding simulations. In another fashion, my favorite part was interacting and learning from the staff 😊 We most certainly invested in a membership, despite the added bonus that it costs hardly more than our family's individual tickets 😏

Wow! You can eat off the floor in this place. This event has a price to pay at the door, but that quickly becomes irrelevant after you start looking around in here. It is the best museum I’ve been to to date. Oshkosh turns upside down during their “Air Show”every year the end of July. I’ll go to that someday. I went outside to see the hangers out back and found some of the plane owner’s vehicles out there. Those were as cool as the airplanes were back there. You see old cars all the time, but I’ve never seen an old delivery truck. That made my day. I could’ve and should’ve flown the Blue and Yellow biplane while I was there because the line was short at the time. Oooops, I’ll get that one done the next time I’m here. I had the best of times here and I’m really glad that I went here. Put this on your must do list. Enjoy…

*** FREE AIRPLANE RIDES FOR KIDS!!! If that doesn't get your attention I don't know what will. On weekends they run a Young Eagles program which kids ages 8-17 are able to get a 10-15 minute plane ride in which they are even given the chance to take the controls. There is no extra cost just the cost of the museum which is extremely reasonable. $37 gets the family in and includes 2 adults and up to five kids. On top of that amazing experience the museum has numerous other kid related things through our it and everything for the aviation enthusiast. From all sorts of planes for early in flight through about the early 70's. Tons of history, exhibits, models, etc. Plan at least 3-4 hours to see and do everything. Weekend we went was not crowded at all. Can't recommend this place high enough.

Overall we had a good visit... Cool planes and just the right amount of descriptions. Several of the interactive stops weren't working though. Not sure if it was cuz we got there right when we opened or if they were just down.

We went there for the museum and air show! It made us so proud to be an American and our Veterans! 🫡🫡🫡👍 It was so interesting and knowledgeable of our past and present! It was also so many interactive things for our grandkids! It’s a must go! 👍👍

A very well done aircraft museum. So many airplanes and well done displays. Worth a stop if you're in the area

Since I live in Chicago, I was unaware of this yearly air show event until I heard about it on Elgin talk radio WRMN 1420AM. I am avid listener to talk radio and that's a good thing, because I never would of driven all the way up to Wisconsin, if it wasn't for the interesting things that I heard on the radio station about the Air Show event. So I drove up to Oshkosh Wisconsin with two friends. It was a nice experience. Great looking airplanes, nice air show but it gets pretty crowded towards the afternoon. If you are an aviation buff, this place is a must-see. Five stars..

I stopped by today to check them out because it was pouting and my outdoor activity's were not going to happen. I like museums and I try to find new ones all the time but I have never been to an aviation museum before and I have been in the Oshkosh area many many times. The museum is in fact an operating real airport property, Wittman regional airport. It's the busiest airport in the world one week of the year with 500000 visitors and 10000 planes, the world's largest aircraft gathering. I know very little about aircraft but I like all things transportation. It's really big on the inside with everything aviation and I mean everything from flying simulators and interactive displays to exhibits to real planes. The gift shop is huge with everything from clothes to model planes. As far as museums go this one is very well done and looks very professional I must say. Nothing super big on the inside and some bigger aircraft around the building but no huge aircraft. Helicopters are minimal as they focus on planes. I would definitely recommend going once because it's unique and cool.

Fun to walk through, but may need an update soon especially in the kids area, but all in all a good time killer to walk through.

I went on Dads day, early, so I practically had the place to myself. If your an aviation fan, then you'll love it. I was solo, so I spent nearly 3 hours here. The collection is vast. They have a lot of unique airplanes. Free shuttle rodeo over to the pioneer airport side to see 5 more hangars of planes. Inexpensive and interesting.

Wonderful aviation museum! Lots of detailed information about the city and community and individual planes. Planes hang from the ceiling and the Lots of interactive activities and areas for kids of an older age. The local schools always have field trips here The museum is very close to main areas of retail shopping and food options as well as right off the highway. Many local events and charity events like Hops and Props are hosted here yearly. During Christmas they have a Santa for the children. EAA AirVenture brings in lots of money and traffic each year for the city. People from all over the world fly in to attend, even celebrities! A place of pride and joy in Oshkosh!

Beautiful wedding venue! I cannot begin to express how exciting, fun, stimulating, and just amazing the experience was. This museum is beautiful and I will gladly be back

EAA is always an interesting place to go. I have gone six out of seven years. I only missed 2020 because it was closed due to COVID. Is always good to go see the airplanes. The airshows are the best I have seen. The EAA discussion groups are worthwhile. All are worth attending.

As Aircraft Museums go the EAA Aviation Museum has a decent amount of space and exhibits on display. While it is not the size of National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH, it has an impressive lineup of aviation history on display and can easily be enjoyed in three to five hours. For comparison, we have been to the USAF Museum twice and still haven't seen everything. They have replicas of the Wright Flyer as well as Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis that he flew as the first to make it across the Atlantic. There are many other historic and vintage aircraft on display as well as audio and video exhibits and various displays of historic significance. There are banquet rooms available for various functions as well as a gift shop for you to buy important things. Definitely worth a visit!

Excellent museum in terms of the artifacts they have on display, the information posted, the design and layout, as well as the helpful lowkey but well informed staff. The only better aviation museum I've been to is the Smithsonian and that's not a fair comparison. Well worth a trip just for this museum, more than three hours of interesting stuff to learn about. I wouldn't recommend this or really any real museum for young children, but this is a very good place for more mature children to learn about transportation and flying technology and history. Ample parking, great value for admission price.

A must stop for all aviation enthusiasts! No doubt one can spend 3 hours here. All ages enjoy this museum.

Absolutely a must see if you are nuts about planes or not. Wonderful people and a great experience.

Visited while traveling through the area. Large museum with lots of displays. Very open and wasn't crowded at all.

Amazing place to go and week to spend. I would recommend anyone to do this. The flying community is a group of amazing ppl who are passionate about the their interests. Not to mention the airshows and fireworks are stunning.

I've been to numerous aviation museums over my lifetime. This one stands highest amongst them all! I'm sure the Smithsonian is bigger and better, but I haven't been there yet. I visited during the 2019 Airventure fly-in. There is so much to see. Bring your reading glasses to get the background on displays. From the early days of aviation to the space age, they have that and lots in between. Nice, clean, and air conditioned facility...and very modern! Most aviation museums I've been to have outside displays. There were only a few here. My friend said they may have relocated some because of the fly-in. Regardless, there is plenty to see. If you stopped and read every display and watched every video you'd easily be here all day! If you love aviation and are nearby, this is one of those must stop locations!

I'm biased, since I've been an EAA member for more than 30 years and interned here just after it opened. Still, it is an incredible museum. Mid-sized, open but stuffed full, and run by dedicated volunteers and staff, I go almost every time I'm in town. It covers aspects of aviation that can get overshadowed by military and airline history. Homebuilts, yes, but also other experimental planes, pioneers, a bit of WW2 military history, and more. Free admission if you're in EAA or if you have a ticket for the airshow. Don't forget to check out Pioneer Airport across the field. If you come during the show, park here and take the bus up to the main entrance- saves a bit of hassle.

Outstanding museum. Not only is it a flight museum,they also have many other activities throughout the year that make it this not only a museum but an event center

Came to Oshkosh, WI for a business trip and had already planned to come and visit this museum. Not used to the 20 degree weather but it didn't affect the experience. I came in and the front desk lady was really nice. After paying for my ticket I was greeted by one of the tour guides who was an elderly lady and very nice. She explained to me everything that was available in the museum and was very helpful throughout the stay. Now I don't know much about planes or the history of it but this museum has a lot to show. They have so many plane models and plane parts that I'm pretty sure anyone that knows about planes very well would definitely enjoy it. My personal favorite was the WW2 section. They have old equipment on display that was used at the time and it was amazing to see them. I didn't have my kids with me because it was a work trip but they have a kids section with games that I know for fact my daughters would have loved. Overall this museum is great and I will definitely plan to bring my family here in the future.

AirVenture is an experience any aviation-interested human needs to get to. That's just all there is to it. For one week, this becomes the busiest airport in the whole entire freaking world. Isn't that amazing? The week is full of cool planes, amazing airshows (OMG, they can do that?) and 400k people coming through. A lot of people fly in and camp right by the plane. That's what we did. It's crazy awesome. I wish I had more words. If you come, be prepared to talk aviation. I only stayed for the weekend, but wish I was there longer. Really enjoyed the night and day airshows, the F16s, the re-enactments of world events and visiting all the booths.

We came in around 3p and they close at 5, but we still managed to see a lot of what the museum had to offer. We were greeted by a man who explained all the different areas on the map to us, which helped is narrow down what we wanted to see in our short time there. Extensive display of aircraft from biplanes to a flying car, to space craft. An entire wing just for WWII planes and dioramas. Every display was very informative. A shuttle takes you from the main museum to outdoor hangers, each dedicated to a different homebuilder and their aircraft. Kids 8-17 years old can also take a short flight in an old airplane for free! Could spend days looking through everything. Highly recommend and worth every penny of the admission cost.

There is nothing in Aviation quite the same as EAA and the air show they put on. Coming to a place where most people fly, instead of drive in, is a spectacular thing. I have been attending sporadically for about 25 years, but my grandfather has every year since it was held in Rockford in the 70's. Air shows showcase the power, talent, ingenuity, and courage that created aviation, especially when coupled with the experimental nature highlighted at EAA. I can't think of a more elaborate public air show than held at Oshkosh. Waking up each morning in a tent to the helicopters buzzing overhead, and planes dashing down the runway may sound like a warzone, but is a cue to the day ahead of people from all over the world coming together to celebrate aviation. I work in the aerospace/defense industry and seeing a group of people put together an airplane with sheet metal and rivets in one week grounds you. For those not used to being around military jets, the presence here is typically outstanding. For the first time in years, i ventured off the main base and to the seaplanes, where i plan on spending a greater deal of time in the future.

This is a bit of an insider review since I worked there years ago and have attended for the last 20 years. This event covered all types of aviation. Vintage, military, home built, drone, aerobatic and more. There are roughly 500,000 people that attend each year. 1. Book your hotel a year in advance if you want to stay in Oshkosh. 2. Buy your ticket "wristband" online before you go to avoid the lines. 3. Wear your very most comfortable walking shoes. 4. Sunscreen and a hat are a must. 5. Stay hydrated, water is for sale and they have some fountains to fill your water bottle. 6. Backpack or cross body bag is vital. 7. I wouldn't recommend carrying in a chair. You have to carry it all day and it's hard to visit the trade show booths when it's busy with a bulky chair. Sit in the grass to watch the air show. 8. The food has dramatically improved over the last 20 years. There are salads and other healthier options now. 21. There are some indoor bathrooms attached to the exhibit halls. 22. There is a huge campground with rustic and modern sites right on grounds. Reserve your camping online. 23. Download the app for the year. It will cut down on trying to find info in the program. 24. Don't be afraid to take one of the tractor pulled shuttles. Getting from ultralights to the military area is a hike. Save your legs for walking around the planes. 25. Be nice to the people in blue staff shirts. It is highly likely they have been working for the last three weeks, 10 hour days, 7 days a week and work here year round. 26. Be nice to the people in volunteer tee shirts. There are more than 5,000 of these people helping out. They may not know the answer you are looking for. Again they are just helping out and may not be helping out in the area you are standing in. 27. Come later in the day on the night airshow days, it's a must see. 28. Take breaks during the day. There are some shady areas and benches. Have a seat and people/plane watch for a bit. 29. Make friends. The people who attend this show are some of the friendliest people you will meet. If you would like to fly or have questions ask. They will likely have a ton of info to share. 30. Don't think you can see or do it all in one day. There are 800 booths in the trade show, 10,000 aircraft, daily airshows, 100's of classes and lectures. It's a lot. Check out the app and website and plan a bit before you go. BONUS TIPS: if your spouse is really into aviation and you are not, there are many booths that sell luxury goods, busses that can take you to the outlet mall or other points around Wisconsin and special kids and craft areas.

This museum gets better every year! Great place to bring your kiddos and big one as well! Great staff, very informative. Looks like a great place for summer camps

Homegrown vegetables, wholesome. Homemade dumplings, delicious. Homebuilt aircraft, really? If you have to see it to believe it, look no further than Oshkosh, WI. I am not really into aircraft, but I found what's on display here imaginative and full of character. I don't see the builders as engineers, but dreamers, visionaries and daredevils. After all, who else would fly homebuilt planes around the world? It's hard not to be awed and inspired when you walk through this relatively compact museum (compared to the National Air and Space Museum in DC). Just don't expect to see multi-million-tax-dollar fighter jets here. Some of the more famous aircraft in the museum are not originals, but expertly done full-size replicas, such as the SpaceShipOne and the Spirit of St. Louis. Preserving and rebuilding iconic aircraft in civil aviation history is part of what EAA does, and it's done through the contributions from aviation enthusiasts. We avoided the museum during the yearly air show when it's way too crowded. Luckily living a short flight away allowed us to fly in on a random Sunday. A friendly employee at Orion Flight Service gave us a lift to Friar Tuck for lunch and to the museum afterwards. We also rode the John Deere tram to Pioneer Airport (part of the museum), which, as the name implies, is an airport from the bygone era, open weekends only from May through October. If you ever want to take to the sky in airworthy vintage planes from the Golden Age of Aviation and to feel what it's like to take off and land on a grass runway, don't miss out.* I heard they offer ski plane ride in late January and that might be enough to get this southern gal up here again. *Each ride costs around $75 per adult. Museum admission is $12.50 per adult (free for EAA members).

This has been my first museum i've been to and I loved it. Not just cause. I'm a aviation enthusiast, but because they show you incredible history! Whenever I go there I just get the excitement of the air show!

I've gone here a couple times when I take my little brother through Big Brothers, Big Sisters as he loves airplanes and is an EAA member. The museum is big and open which makes sense since there planes hanging from the ceiling. It's cool to learn about how the plane has changed and evolved through out it's history, plus how planes work. My little bro and I like going to the Kids Adventure area as there are more hands-on activities. Even though they're all fun, they do a good job explaining the basics on how planes fly. Our favorite game there is the flight simulator, as you get an "idea" of how to fly a plane. Going here I've learned that if there's a button, I'm going to press it. My curiousity leads me to new discoveries at this mseum.

Was looking for a place to take my dad who was visiting from out of town and living less than a mile from the museum I figured it was finally time to check it out. I wish I had not waited so long. This is an amazing museum. Lots of stuff to see. We didn't have a lot of time and after spending an hour there we only saw a small section of what they have. The places are AMAZING! They have many planes that have been rebuilt to be on display in the exact size and color that they were when they were flying. They have a whole other hanger that also has tons of planes. Didnt get to check that out but I am sure it was just as amazing as the main building. If you are needing a good place to take the kids/family this holiday season thats out of the cold. I would recommend this place.

Nice place to visit and see a wide variety of planes. I remember as a kid going to it when it was in the Milwaukee area. A must stop when the EAA annual event is going on for sure.

Love love love!!! Everything about this place is amazing if you kike airplanes, aeronautics, cars, cool stuff, and amazing people! can't think of a better way to spend a summer week! Thanks EAA and all those tbat make this the greatest airshow on earth!

If you love planes and history this is a must see. Very cool exhibits on experimental planes as well as historical planes. The staff is very knowledgeable as well and happy to answer questions.

I got free tickets when another event here fell through. Despite growing up in Wisconsin, neither the husband nor I had been, so we treked up for the Saturday and actually had a great time. I'd expected to find it somewhat interesting but mostly assumed it was more for my husband and I'd just be tagging along and enjoying the weather, but I was wrong. There were tons of historic and military planes and folks to talk to you about them. There were planes that could only be seen in Oshkosh. And the air show was indescribably cool. From a re-enactment of D-Day with period appropriate planes to stunt flyers to a Harrier and F-22, it was interesting and impressive. We spent much of the day along the runway watching and learning and soaking up the sun. It's a well-run, well-oiled machine, with shuttles, tons of water available and completely reasonable food prices. I had planned on a somewhat pleasant day of humoring my husband, but ended up really having a great day.

OMG, you best plan 5 hours to get thru all the buildings at this museum. Seriously, I took a picture of my watch when we started (10:30 a.m.) & when we finally entered the gift shop (3:40 p.m.). There are 5 bldgs on the other side of the runway (via golf cart tram) then downstairs & upstairs of the main entry bldg. I'm not a big airplane fan, but my greatest interest was the WWII stuff as my dad was in that war. My biggest complaint & dissapointment was there wasn't a single post card to buy of ANY picture! And, I've not found one of the place ANYWHERE in the Oshkosh area! They REALLY missed their mark on this one. I had nothing to send to my pen pal. They also don't sell the brass laser cut-out ornaments either. Since this bummed me out so much, I didn't buy a single item from their shop. But hey, they DID have a penny smasher machine!

I waited a while to write this review, hoping I would feel better about our experience at the museum, but it has only gotten worse. While this museum is beautiful, clean, and large it has nothing for children. Perhaps this is just a personal objection, but I feel a valid one. I called ahead to make sure the museum was open and drove up from Madison Wi with my children. We were full all of excitement, only to be greatly disappointed that there were no hands on exhibits. NONE! Maybe the disappointment was mostly mine, after my children stared at relics from gone by eras like art walls of an Applebees. It was obvious to all that this center is about the past, with no interest in the future. In contrast during the 70's, I was a poor child from a back water town who had the opportunity to go to the Smithsonian to touch and feel the experience of the space exhibit. It touch my life, and from it I work hard to afford flight lessons. After all the astronauts at the time were all test pilots. P

We waited in line over an hour and a half trying to get off expressway and park ! Finally gave up and left. No police presence or traffic control anywhere ! Waste of time !!!!! Amendment: park in jcpenney Rogan shoe store lot and watch the air show for free.

If you love airplanes, you will love this museum! I was here for the Oshkosh air show and liked the experience much more than the air and water show in Chicago. You can get up close to the airplanes and even enter some of them. Very friendly crowd of airplane enthusiasts! Highly recommended! :)

My time here was time well spent. Although the Pioneer Hanger was closed for the season, I enjoyed the exhibits in the main museum. And I recommend highly the section with flight simulators and other hands on learning exhibits for the young ones. I found many of the WWII exhibits very informative and interesting.

I'm giving this place one star because of a volunteer docent who shouldn't be interacting with the public. His name is Keith and he is simply the worst docent I've ever interacted with. I've travelled the world going to museums and galleries and gardens and exhibits. Asia, Europe, the U.K., Australia, Oceania, Canada and Mexico, and about 40 states here in the US: I've never had an experience as distasteful as I had with Keith. I'm sure this is a nice enough museum, but if you go make sure Keith is not your docent!

I stopped by on that Saturday night after being up in Door Co the entire day, boy am I glad I stopped on by and parked with a few hundred others at the outlet shops to see the planes and the amazing air show. I suggest every resident of Wisconsin make the trip up to Oshkosh during that week and watch the show, you won't regret it. That first day the 28th Kenny Loggins was playing, would have been cool to hear him and see the air show.

Simply one of the best aviation museums in the country, a must see for anyone, plus kids will love the Kidventure gallery, make sure you don't miss pioneer airport.

Went to Oshkosh for the second time in the last ten years. Night airshow was awesome! Also flew in a Ford Trimotor. Definitely worth the money to do this, as it is one of the original airliners in the world. Only downside was access in and out. Many of the roads were converted to one-way, and it was difficult for someone to get in to pick people up.

Amazing ..... no matter what your age if you like air planes this is a great place to visit... soooo much to see and do.... lots of great educational stuff for the kids.... as well as the adults

Excellent museum, with great original aircraft donated by their creators, and excellent full-scale mock ups of historical craft. Write ups are accurate and readable. One major problem that would be easily solved is the atrocious lighting. Lose the spotlights, and light the museum uniformly, and it would get 5 stars from me.

I was lucky enough to have been exposed to EAA Air Show in Oshkosh when I started dating my boyfriend. He and his family are long time members and participators. His grandfather even started the United Flying Octogenarians group which is for actively flying 80+ year olds!!! My eyes were opened to a whole new world here!!! I love it so much! My first year was also my first time camping. We stay in the warbirds area which is super convenient to access the showers and bathrooms and just about anything! I look forward to the airshow now every year and really enjoy learning about airplanes and being around passionate fliers.

I, my boyfriend and my mom went here. Have fun. It's was a great place, it's a museum of plane's. It's was our first time in a few years. I recommend this place.

31 consecutive "fly ins" and counting! If you love aviation, this is the place to be!

Greatest Air show on the planet!! They don't accomadate the elderly or disabled very well. Limited handicap seats, parking, transportation and inferior scooters. Elderly and Americans with Disabilities not welcome!!!

Had a blast at the airshow. The fireworks display at the end of the day was amazing.

Not what it used to be. After attending several EAA Airventure events, this one may have been my last. Poor communication on when exhibits are open, lack of information on parking, and a show that seems to be getting a bit lackluster, with the crowds to go with it.

Massive! Cool warbirds. We spent all day here and didn't even make it out to the hangers (it was 20F outside, so we may have lingered a bit). We ran out of time in the kids section where they have both hang gliding and hot air balloon simulators.