Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center

Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center

Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
From rare and historic to inspiring artwork and exhibits, there's always something new to discover at the Air Zoo. The Air Zoo is a world-class, Smithsonian-affiliated aerospace and science museum with over 100 air and space artifacts, inspiring interactive exhibits, full-motion flight simulators, indoor amusement park rides, a theater and over 100 education programs! Spend the day exploring aviation, engineering, science, technology, math and art in both of the exciting and unique Flight Centers. Make sure to take the shuttle to the Flight Discovery Center where visitors have the opportunity to climb in training cockpits, geek out over the intricacies of aerospace technology and engines, and see a nationally recognized restoration program! Volunteers are busy, 7 days a week, restoring two WWII aircraft recovered from the bottom Lake Michigan. It's a must see! Both centers are included in admission and are open 360+ days a year. Come imagine, explore and discover at the Air Zoo!
Duration: More than 3 hours
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  • dmc42607
    Kalamazoo, Michigan57 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great for all ages
    Took my 8 year old granddaughter to the Air Zoo. Neither of us is particularly interested in flight, but we both had a great time and we learned a few things. The Air Zoo is set up to entertain and educate every age - all at the same time. I recommend a trip to the Air Zoo for anyone!
    Visited June 2023
    Written June 11, 2023
  • Lori P
    Indiana61 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth the visit
    Well taken care of and up to date. Nice exhibits. 4 nice rides for younger kids that are included with admission. The simulators are fun. Many many planes to enjoy if you are into aviation. The gift shop is huge.
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written July 8, 2023
  • Roy F
    Mason, Michigan10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lots to see!
    A friend and I visited the Air Zoo after checking it out online. We were surprised by how large the collection of airplanes and helicopters was. There is lots of hands-on stuff and experiences for the kids and even a few carnival style rides in the main building. We spent most of the day in the main building which houses the Aerospace and Science Museum, then moved to the Flight Discovery Center where they are restoring a WW2 trainer that was recovered from Lake Michigan. Plan on spending the whole day because there is so much to see and do. Somehow we missed the Kitty Hawk Cafe so I can’t review it.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written August 15, 2023
  • Alex S
    Elmhurst, Illinois66 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Very nice air museum
    The founder of this museum was a naval aviator during World War II and the museum's collection includes numerous Navy planes. It is well laid out and family friendly. Time yourself to take in a movie on aviation if you need a break...the one I watched was about salvaging planes from Lake Michigan which had been lost in training mishaps during the war. Allow at least half a day if you want to see everything.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written September 10, 2023
  • WorldwideRover007
    United States2,838 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interactive Hidden Gem
    This place was amazing. Everything is included in the admission price including unlimited rides on the simulator, hot air balloon ride, plane ride, and the movies. There was a gift shop onsite and multiple interactive features. Its one room so its simple to keep everyone together.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written March 14, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles614 reviews
Excellent
464
Very good
125
Average
24
Poor
1
Terrible
0

T M
Grosse Pointe Park, MI55 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
Spent several hours at the museum. The best part was the personal tour of the SR-71. The docent allowed me to walk under the plane and see it up close. A great experience. Also, the museum had special hours for people like me so it was not crowded. Will return the next time I am in Kalamazoo.
Written September 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SharonB231
Toledo, OH1,203 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Couples
This museum is affiliated with the Smithsonian and has a great collection of airplanes and air memorabilia. There are some rides for kids which were not in operation due to Covid 19. Museum is in two buildings. The front entrance building consists of two large rooms, one with airplanes and one dedicated to outer space. There are no rockets here. The second building behind is a restoration building and allows great insight into restoration process. Staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. A great museum to visit if in the area.
Written August 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Glen M
Smithsburg, MD396 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2021
Had never heard of the place before, but my sister-in-law recommended it, and she was right. Great collection of aircraft and other artifacts. Most of the "rides" were shut down due to COVID, so can't speak to those. The amazing thing about the place is the general "atmosphere" of the place. In particular, the mural that wraps around the entire main exhibit space and across the floor is stunning. It just ties the whole place together. Only disappointment was the gift shop. Don't think they had a single book for sale.
Written April 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Murphy1887
Mackinaw City, MI26 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
I went back to the Air Zoo after visiting for the first time several years ago. The expanded facility is impressive, but I was disappointed by how thin the actual content was around each plane. There was minimal discussion of larger themes like how these aircraft were designed, how they worked, the experience of flying them, or even why they looked the way they do. Furthermore, given that most of the pieces on display are warplanes, there was little or no discussion of how they were employed in combat, much less anything challenging the visitor to consider the motivations and consequences of things like aerial bombardment. If you want to take pretty pictures of colorful airplanes, this is a great place- the staff members and volunteers stationed throughout the galleries were very friendly and eager to talk to me. However, if you want some actual content to go with the impressive visuals, the Air Zoo might not be for you.
Written February 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

IndyMM456
Carmel, IN66 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Family
Fantastic place to spend a morning or afternoon! We were visiting family in Portage and made a stop here with our 2.5 year old and her cousins (6 & 8 yo)…they all had a wonderful time. Very clean & covid-friendly. Especially enjoyed the indoor rides, Pixar short-film about the moon landing, and lots of airplanes and space-shuttle stuff to see. Really enjoyed and will go back!
Written August 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Darin H
Waterford, MI233 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Couples
Very good airplane museum. They had a lot of planes in static displayed laid out by era - history, biplanes, WW2, jets, and space. There are some rides and simulator for kids to use too. And the rides and movies are not an extra fee which is nice.

We watched a movie that was very good about the carrier training in Lake Michigan.

Very good museum
Written May 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dmc42607
Kalamazoo, MI57 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023
Took my 8 year old granddaughter to the Air Zoo. Neither of us is particularly interested in flight, but we both had a great time and we learned a few things. The Air Zoo is set up to entertain and educate every age - all at the same time. I recommend a trip to the Air Zoo for anyone!
Written June 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Barbara G
13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Couples
My husband is an Air Force veteran. We decided to go to the Air Zoo.
The Displays are well managed. So much history! I was particularly interested in the WWII planes retrieved from Lake Michigan. We met a very knowledgeable restoration volunteer that gave us a very interesting visit to the museum.
Written May 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alex S
Elmhurst, IL66 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Solo
The founder of this museum was a naval aviator during World War II and the museum's collection includes numerous Navy planes. It is well laid out and family friendly. Time yourself to take in a movie on aviation if you need a break...the one I watched was about salvaging planes from Lake Michigan which had been lost in training mishaps during the war. Allow at least half a day if you want to see everything.
Written September 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Roy F
Mason, MI10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Friends
A friend and I visited the Air Zoo after checking it out online. We were surprised by how large the collection of airplanes and helicopters was. There is lots of hands-on stuff and experiences for the kids and even a few carnival style rides in the main building. We spent most of the day in the main building which houses the Aerospace and Science Museum, then moved to the Flight Discovery Center where they are restoring a WW2 trainer that was recovered from Lake Michigan. Plan on spending the whole day because there is so much to see and do. Somehow we missed the Kitty Hawk Cafe so I can’t review it.
Written August 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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