Just east of New York City, Long Island’s air and space museum preserves a long heritage of aviation feats and flying crafts from this region.
Take a journey through air and space inside Garden City’s Cradle of Aviation Museum, a huge glass-enclosed building with numerous planes and artifacts from the history of air and space travel. Come to this museum to understand what Charles Lindbergh and airplanes have to do with Garden City.
The large museum resembles a spacecraft, with its tall glass enclosure. Inside, tour the 75 air and spacecraft in the eight galleries of the 150,000-square-feet (14,000-square-meter) structure. See exhibits ranging from an early hot air balloon to an Apollo lunar module. Interact with 30 hands-on exhibits, watch numerous short films and climb into the cockpits of aircraft. Ask volunteer docents to explain what you see and describe their own relevant experiences.
Learn why Long Island earned its nickname, the Cradle of Aviation, stemming from its natural flying field, the flat and treeless Hempstead Plains. Starting with early hot air balloon flights in the 1890s to biplane flights by Glenn Curtiss in 1909, the area was instrumental in transforming manned flight from a fantasy to a business. Between 1918 to 1939, Long Island had more than 20 aircraft manufacturers, including producing Curtiss flying boats. Charles Lindbergh flew from here to Paris in 1927.
In addition to viewing the aircraft, watch a virtual-reality show at the planetarium, with subjects such as the solar system, space travel and the night sky. Sign up for a space lab live astronomy program in the dome theater for a fun and educational experience.
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday. There is a fee for admission, with discounts for children and seniors. The planetarium and dome theater show have extra fees. Have a meal at the Red Planet Café and stop at the Museum Store for souvenirs.
Fittingly, the Cradle of Aviation Museum is on Charles Lindbergh Boulevard in Garden City. For a non-space journey, stop at the restored 1912 Nunley’s Carousel outside the museum and enjoy a nostalgic ride. After your visit to this museum, stop at other spots along Nassau County’s Museum Row, such as Long Island Children’s Museum and Nassau County Firefighters Museum.
