The Pima Air & Space Museum is the largest nonprofit aerospace museum in the country. It opened in 1976 to preserve historic aircraft from being scrapped at the adjacent Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Now an internationally acclaimed attraction, support comes from visitor admission, store sales, and donations.
The museum is best known for its significant collection of around 400 commercial, civil, military, and experimental aircraft. There are infinite opportunities for discovery with 125,000 sq ft of indoor displays in 6 hangars and 80 acres outside to explore.
Depending on the number in your group and the interest level of those visiting, you will probably want to allow between 2-4 hours for your visit.
The Pima Air & Space Museum is located just off I-10 at exit 267. The address is 6000 E. Valencia Road.
The museum is open 7 days a week. The summer hours are 9:00am to 3:00pm with the last admission at 1:30pm. Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Your admission fee covers the Main Hangar, three WWII Hangars, the Dorothy Finley Space Gallery, the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame, the 390th Memorial Museum, and all 80 acres (which includes around 200 planes).
Free parking is offered at the Pima Air & Space Museum. Parking is plentiful and RVs can also be accommodated. Overnight parking is not permitted.
Only the Museum Store and the restaurant are climate controlled (air-conditioned or heated). The hangars are air-cooled during the warmer months (aka swamp cooled). Dress accordingly.
A bottle of water, a camera, sunglasses, and sunscreen!
Yes. There are a handful of restroom locations across the property.
In general, the museum is so large that you rarely see a crowd. Summer is the slow season with fewer tourists in the region. The busiest days of the week are the weekend, with Fridays and Mondays close behind. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are slower. The busiest day of the year is Black Friday. The busiest week is the week between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Water is the only food/drink allowed inside the museum.
There are two picnic tables outside the museum (one in the RV parking lot under a ramada, the other near the Administrative Hangar near Valencia Road). No outside food or beverages (besides water) are allowed in the museum.
Yes. Flight Grill, which offers both indoor and outdoor seating, is open daily. Enjoy USDA Prime hand-pressed burgers, fresh salads, Sonoran cuisine, and seasonal specials, and more. Expect to pay $6-$10 per entree. Kids meals are $5.25 and include a fruit roll-up and drink.
Unfortunately, there aren't very many restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the museum. Because the museum doesn't allow outside food or beverages, plan ahead by visiting outside of regular meal times or dine at the on-property casual eatery - Flight Grill.
As a multi-generational attraction, the museum "prides itself on being a fun experience for the whole family. From infant to grandparents, the museum is a great way to engage with history and create a lifelong passion for aviation." There is a playground, hands-on activities, simulator, and more for children.
Older children (ages 8 and up) or those very interested in aviation will particularly enjoy this museum. That being said, younger children will be awed at the number of airplanes and will clamor at the chance to climb into a cockpit or manage the control tower.
A stroller is a good idea for younger children. A paved walkway connects the Main Hangar and Hangars 3, 4, and 5, while the remainder of the outdoor acreage is generally hard-packed dirt.
Yes. The Mamava nursing pod, AKA "refueling station," is a private, cool, and comfortable place for moms to nurse their young children. It is located next to the restrooms in the Spirit of Freedom Hangar outside the gift shop.
The 5 restrooms inside the exhibit hangars have changing stations in both the men's and women's restrooms.
The museum is a pet-friendly facility, but leashes are required.
Yes. The Pima Air & Space Museum has several venues for Special Events. Indoors, the museum can accommodate groups from 20 to 500. Outdoor capacity is unlimited.
Yes! The Pima Air & Space Museum is on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
