If you are a fan of history, art and culture, plus planing to visit Hawaii, then you’re in luck! Honolulu is home to the Pacific Aviation Museum, located on Ford Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor . The Pacific Aviation Museum is on a secured military base in the recently renovated Hangar 37, a 42,000 square foot former seaplane hangar that wasn’t destroyed in the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

It is relatively small, for an aviation museum, but the collection of real World War II-era airplanes is outstanding; bringing history alive with the P-40 fighter, a Japanese Zero, a Grumman Wildcat, the SBD Dauntlees dive bomber – famous for its activity in the Battle of Midway, the airplane with which President George H. W. Bush first soloed – the Stearman N2S-3; and the B-25B Mitchell, which is similar to one used in the Doolittle Raid on Japan in April, 1942. In addition, you’ll get to see an authentic F4F Wildcat in the featured in Guadalcanal diorama, while the story of the ‘Cactus Air Force’ is narrated. As you enter the lobby, you’ll be guided to a 200-seat theater and shown a 12 minute movie that documents the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, including historic footage. After visiting the WWII exhibition area, you can test your skills at becoming a WWII pilot in the Aviation Museum’s interactive ‘Combat Flight Simulators’. You’ll be able to simulate flying a plane during take-off and land on an aircraft carrier; defend yourself during a dog-fight with enemy aircraft, a fly around the pacific on patrol.

Alongside the Aviation Museum, you’ll also get to tour the Battleship Missouri Memorial and the USS Bowfin submarine, all of which adds up to a solid day of enjoyment. You won’t have to worry about lunch, just grab a bite to eat at the Aviation Museum’s restaurant, the Laniakea Cafe. There’s also a great little Museum store stocked with everything to do with aviation and Pearl Harbor. If you’re staying at a beach hotel, Hawaii , you may find it hard to leave the beach side, but you’ll find that your experience at the Pacific Aviation Museum will be a most memorable moment as you take a journey back to where America was first attacked by a foreign country.

Related posts:

1. Salt of the Earth in Hawaii
2. New York, New Museum

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