Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, Oregon
This was my third time to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, but only my first time with the kids! When I knew we would be travelling to Oregon, I just knew I had to take them along, just an hour drive south from Portland.
Tudor was so excited to wear his official NASA astronaut outfit from the Smithsonian, and he proudly stood in front of the space craft like a real astronaut to show it off!
“Although the whole family will enjoy our aviation and space exhibits, if you are traveling with young children you’ll also want to visit the following kid-friendly areas: Space Museum Playground • Aviation Museum Kid Zone • Biplane Carousel • Titan II Missile Launch Sequence • Spruce Goose cargo bay • 3D Theater • Cafés” - Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
I’ve always been obsessed with airplanes, fighter jets and space and every time Tudor hears something in the sky he will look up and yell “plane!” so I knew he would love it too. The sheered amount of war planes, fighters jets, helicopters and spacecraft here is amazing, and the history of it all is mind-boggling!
We always start out in the main room with all the fighter jets. Not to be missed (not that you could miss it, it’s freakin’ huge!) is The Spruce Goose at the centre of the museum. This aircraft is HUGE, taking up almost the entire hanger, and it’s made entirely of wood due to a metal shortage during the war when it was built in WW2. It’s the largest wooden airplane ever constructed and words/pictures won’t do it justice, you’ve got to see it!
Then there’s of course all of the fighter jets which I’m obsessed with. You’ve got to see the Blackbirds and my favourite was the Lockheed F-104G Star Fighter. As you can see Aura, Tudor and I in front of it (super shiny!) here in the picture!
The Titan 2 SLV Missile Silo also features which is what they sent to the moon, and it’s truly mind-boggling, you can even go in to it and experience a simulated space launch which is great fun.
Another one of my favourites was the SR-71 Blackbird, which is one of the world’s fastest aircrafts travelling at speeds of up to 2000mph! Most of these airplanes were from World War 2 and are rich in history.
It’s a great day out for the family with an on-site café if you’re in the mood for soda and a hot dog or grilled cheese! You can grab a snack before making a short walk from one hanger to another. In days gone by they had wine, but now it’s just soda.. ha!
On the way out we hit the little plane ride for the kids that takes them up and down, and there’s a small playground for if they start to get fidgety. There are a few planes the kids can get in to and play with all the controls, and it makes a nice change to see that from having them hit the buttons from the front seat of my car!
In this final shot below, Tudor stands proudly in his space suit outside the museum alongside this statue of Captain Michael King Smith.
This museum is a great way to make science and history fun for the kids, and the interactive displays mean they can get involved with it all which they love. You can visit the website here: https://www.evergreenmuseum.org and definitely give it a visit if you’re passing Portland. Feel free to reach out to me and I can give you my hints and tips for the best bits to see!
