The direction to the Pima Air & Space Museum is not very well-signed - as it would deserve - but once you arrive you will be surprised: Lots of roof-covered parking for visitors, so your car will be in the shade all day.
The Museum's outdoor displays can be easily toured by a tram. You don't have to walk in the sun on sandy soil. The friendly staff at the reception book your tram tour and give you a card to hand to the driver.
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Admission is only $8 for the 40-minute guided tour. My best advice is to come early, these tours are booked out fast, and take the 10 o'clock tour for the best photo light. There are 5 guided tours a day (10 a.m. -15 p.m.) throughout the extensive outdoor displays of aircraft of all types, sizes, and from all ages.
The indoor displays are eclectic: From Scheibe Glider to Lear Jet 23, an Electra next to a Bumble Bee, a Beech Bonanza next to an F-14 military Jet, the B-29 next to a Cessna 152, a Cobra helicopter next to an F-4 Phantom...
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Retired military pilots act as volunteers to answer all questions one might have. I met a pilot who was drafted in the Vietnam War. No injuries other than falling from a barstool, drunk, he said.
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In Tucson, Arizona, is a place where old, dead airplanes were laid to rest called, in Air Force slang, “the Boneyard.” As you drive around this fenced area, you can glimpse the tails of aircraft poking up above the earthen berm that lines the road. There are some places where you can actually see a part of the boneyard, rows upon rows, of plastic-encapsulated planes. The boneyard seems to be a massive collection with over 5,000 planes and helicopters in its inventory - military and civilian ones.
Boneyard: It is not possible to visit this huge field of defunct airplanes anymore. Just drive by, park, and walk a couple of meters to see the aircraft. There are no signs of the "boneyard", from the Pima Air Museum just turn right on Valencia Rd towards the east, then turn left on South Kolb Rd., and then right onto East Irvington Rd.
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Thirsty or hungry? There is the self-service Flight Grill restaurant, where you can enjoy your drink or food, watching the planes on the tarmac.
The museum’s hangars have been jam-packed with air and space equipment throughout the decades. Absolutely, definitely worth a visit when you are in southern Arizona! A MUST-SEE!
PIMA AIR MUSEUM
To get there: Take exit 267, Valencia Rd, off I-10, and follow the brown signs to Pima Air and Space Museum.
Sign up for the tram tour around the ground immediately upon your arrival, as seats are first come first served. Plan on 4 to 5 hours for your visit. This includes time to explore the hangars and grounds of the museum.
1 Day - 2 Days: $19.50 | $26.00
Senior (Age 65+) $16.75 | $22.75
Junior (Ages 5 – 12) $13.00 | $15.50
Child (Ages 0 – 4) FREE
Leashed pets are welcome at Pima Air & Space Museum!
They are not selling advance tickets, please purchase your admission when you arrive for your visit.
2-day tickets do not have to be used on consecutive days.
https://pimaair.org/artexhibition/
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