National Museum of Naval Aviation--fun stuff to do near Gulf Shores

This is a great place to visit in the Gulf Shores / Orange Beach / Pensacola area for a day outing. In addition to the free admission MUSEUM, there is IMAX with 2 different shows and the BLUE ANGELS can often be seen practicing adjacent to the MUSEUM as well as official scheduled air shows.
Open 9 AM to 5 PM Daily-Free Admission
See Blue Angel Schedule & Photos Below

Call the Blue Angels Public Affairs Office at (850) 452-3955 for further information

Off Season:
The Blue Angels can be seen practicing from an area adjacent to the Museum. Signs are posted to direct visitors to viewing and parking locations, including special spaces for handicapped visitors. Bleachers are available for seating about 800 people or feel free to bring your own lawn chairs... we suggest that visitors bring hats and water, also.

Practices are held most Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, unless otherwise noted, at 8:30 a.m. (weather permitting) during the season. It is recommended you plan on arriving earlier than the start time; you won't want to miss anything while parking and getting seated!

Photos from inside the National Museum of Aviation

The National Museum of Naval Aviation is chock full of jets, airplanes & helicopters. Free guided tours happen several times a day and are led by retired pilots. Many exhibits are hands-on like this jet cockpit where you can take your buddy's photo as a pilot.

There is a classroom area where you can even operate actual aviation related equipment like this airplane scale model in this wind tunnel.

The museum has scale models of ships that are associated with aviation like this aircraft carrier.

The NC-4 flying boat is one of the tangible symbols of aviation's historic development. Her epic transoceanic journey was during the period 8-27 May 1919. On 8 May, the three NC (Navy/Curtiss) series flying boats took off from Long Island, New York to attempt that first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by air. Two of the three aircraft (NC-1 and NC-3) were forced to land in heavy seas to take a navigation fix during the long Newfoundland-Azores Islands leg of the journey. So heavily damaged in the landings, they were unable to proceed, leaving NC-4 to continue alone.

After nearly 15 hours in the air, NC-4 touched down in the Azores and continued on to Portugal, arriving on 27 May, completing the 2,150 mile transit in 26 hours of flight time at an average speed of 80 mph.
Commander A. C. Read and his crew of five have the honor of being the first to fly the Atlantic. The actual aircraft they used is proudly on display in the center of the South Wing of the museum.

blue-angel-museum-space-capsule.jpg (20848 bytes)

blue-angel-museum-space-capsule.jpg (20848 bytes)

Easy Driving Directions from Gulf Shores / Orange Beach:
Go East on Beach Blvd. (AL Hwy 182/ FL Hwy 282) towards Pensacola, continue on across Perdido Key . The road is called various names: Sorrento Rd./Perdido Dr. and just after you come across a bridge (Look for Food World & a Water Tower), turn right (East) on Gulf Beach Hwy/ County Road 292A. Travel on until you see Blue Angel Parkway where you will turn right (South). You will go straight to the National Naval Aviation Museum.

TIP: Order the Video Tour of the Museum before you leave home, and make your Museum visit much more meaningful. Any of these videos will bring greater insight for your visit to our area.
Amazon gets it to you F-A-S-T

<!--webbot BOT="HTMLMarkup" endspan --><map name="FPMap0"> <area href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" shape="rect" coords="14, 200, 103, 207"> <area href="http:/www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/mosaicforarch-20" shape="rect" coords> </map><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" border="0" alt="Shop at Amazon.com" usemap="#FPMap0" width="120" height="240"><!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" StartSpan -->	Museum Tour Video From the first plane to cross the Atlantic to the first man on the moon, Naval Aviators have led the quest to expand our horizons. The National Museum of Naval Aviation offers a proud tribute to the men and machines in this quest. This video tour of the Museum is combined with footage from WWI, WWII, the USS Yorktown, and the Blue Angels. Format: VHS
<!--webbot BOT="HTMLMarkup" endspan --><map name="FPMap1"> <area href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" shape="rect" coords="14, 200, 103, 207"> <area href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/mosaicforarch-20" shape="rect" coords="0, 0, 10000, 10000"> </map><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" border="0" alt="Shop at Amazon.com" usemap="#FPMap1" width="120" height="240"><!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" StartSpan -->	The Magic of Flight Originally filmed using IMAX® cameras, The Magic Of Flight, produced for the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, takes you on a technological thrill ride faster, higher, and wilder than modern science or even your imagination! Narrated by Tom Selleck, the movie takes you from the Wright Brothers first flight to gravity defying maneuvers with the world-famous Blue Angels. Includes 'making of' the movie footage. Format: VHS Run time: 82 minutes
<!--webbot BOT="HTMLMarkup" endspan --><map name="FPMap2"> <area href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" shape="rect" coords="14, 200, 103, 207"> <area href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/mosaicforarch-20" shape="rect" coords="0, 0, 10000, 10000"> </map><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" border="0" alt="Shop at Amazon.com" usemap="#FPMap2" width="120" height="240"><!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" StartSpan -->	The Blue Angels, In Pursuit of Excellence (2000) Fly with the U.S. Navy's elite Blue Angels demonstration squadron in the breathtaking video The Magic of Flight, which explains the basic principles of what enables airplanes (and birds) to fly, what creates lift, how planes maneuver, how planes land again. Going back to the Wright Brothers'
<!--webbot BOT="HTMLMarkup" endspan --><map name="FPMap3"> <area href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" shape="rect" coords="14, 200, 103, 207"> <area href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/mosaicforarch-20" shape="rect" coords="0, 0, 10000, 10000"> </map><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" border="0" alt="Shop at Amazon.com" usemap="#FPMap3" width="120" height="240"><!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" StartSpan -->	The Living Sea Narrated by Meryl Streep, enter the "world ocean," traveling to Palau, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Alaska, Nova Scotia and the Red Sea. Explore the mysterious depths and come face to face with humpback whales, swim with thousands of golden jellyfish and witness the bizarre spawning behavior of giant clams. The Living Sea celebrates the world ocean - its beauty, diversity and its importance to all life on earth. Features songs and music by Sting. Format: VHS Run time: 77 minutes
If you plan on taking a Dolphin watching cruise (great fun) while here be sure to let your family see these videos first so they will have a more in depth appreciation of these wonderful creatures. Bring the videos and order a pizza one night !
<!--webbot BOT="HTMLMarkup" endspan --><map name="FPMap4"> <area href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" shape="rect" coords="14, 200, 103, 207"> <area href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/mosaicforarch-20" shape="rect" coords="0, 0, 10000, 10000"> </map><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" border="0" alt="Shop at Amazon.com" usemap="#FPMap4" width="120" height="240"><!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" StartSpan -->	DOLPHINS Believe it or not, an IMAX film can make the transition to video perfectly well. It might not be three stories tall, but Dolphins is still a lovely, larger-than-life exploration of these strangely intelligent creatures. Visit the Bahamas, Argentina, and beyond to see different varieties (like the graceful duskies) play and hunt. Pierce Brosnan's narration and Sting's music fill the water with sound and add counterpoint to the dolphin's shrill cries; the film is an overwhelming experience even in the living room.
<!--webbot BOT="HTMLMarkup" endspan --><map name="FPMap5"> <area href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" shape="rect" coords="14, 200, 103, 207"> <area href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/mosaicforarch-20" shape="rect" coords="0, 0, 10000, 10000"> </map><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" border="0" alt="Shop at Amazon.com" usemap="#FPMap5" width="120" height="240"><!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" StartSpan -->	National Geographic's Dolphins: The Wild Side (1999) I found this video very knowledgeable and entertaining. I used it to teach a crash course on cetacean behavior to children grades 8-12 and they found it very enjoyable. It is filled with many interesting facts and great photography. It emphasizes the fact that although some cetacean species are "playful" they are wild animals and will react in ways necessary to their society. I would recommend it to anyone--brilliant underwater camerawork

Here is a short little video an overview of the museum and surrounding points of interests