Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum

The centerpiece of the museum is the Spruce Goose, the Howard Hughes-designed, largest-ever wooden aircraft.

Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum (Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum )
By Rachel Saslow

500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, McMinnville, 503-434-4180, evergreenmuseum.org. 9 am–5 pm daily. $12–$22, children under 5 free.

This complex consists of two hangars—one for planes, one for space travel—plus a giant-screen theater that shows both 3D educational films and first-run features, all plunked down on an expanse of grass and grapevines in the middle of wine country. Veterans, plane geeks and little kids in their transportation phase are set up to love this place. It can be a bit of a slog, though, for those whose eyes may glaze over at facts about wingspans, top speeds and fuel capacities. The centerpiece of the museum is the Spruce Goose, the Howard Hughes-designed, largest-ever wooden aircraft also nicknamed the “Flying Boat.” It flew exactly one time, on Nov. 2, 1947, for 1 mile, at the dizzying altitude of 70 feet, according to the exhibit. Admission is steep: $68 for a family of four, and that doesn’t include extras like the Spruce Goose cockpit tour ($16), the flight simulator ride ($10–$12) or movie admission ($6–$8).

Don’t miss: Wings and Waves, the outstanding aviation-themed waterpark next door.

Will kids like it? The museum is a huge (but enclosed) space for toddlers to roam, make noise and point at planes. Tweens and teens may enjoy the flight simulator ride.

See the rest of Oregon’s Museum Trail here!

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