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ASHTABULA MARINE MUSEUM
Aka: Great
Lakes Marine & Coast Guard Memorial Museum
(Admission: $4 adults, $3 6-16 Years, 6 & under free plus free parking)
Location: 1071 Walnut Blvd., Ashtabula, Ohio 44005–1546 on Ohio North Coast, overlooks harbor, Lake Erie.
Open: Memorial Day weekend thru August, Friday - Sunday, noon until 5:00 pm. During September - open only Saturday and Sunday’s, noon til 5:00 pm. Open Memorial, Independence and Labor Day. Tour buses welcome, handicap access (except "Pilot House"). Special Tours: to schedule for 10 or more anytime entire year. Call (440) 224-0972(9-5 weekdays)
Telephone: (440) 964-6847
View a working commercial coal dock, best view of lighthouse. See Hulett model, photo/harbor history, and artifacts of the Great Lakes. Also see the last remaining Ashtabula Hulett unloader “bucket” and a portion of its “Leg”, as well as other artifacts on the grounds. In addition, there is a display dedicated to U.S. Merchant Marines and Support Our Troops! Tours of the actual pilothouse are provided. Special displays include a bell from the sunken ship - Daniel J. Morrell, the Lone Survivor’s ship! There are also pictures and artifacts from Seeandbee Cruise Ship, which became the USS Navy Training Aircraft Carrier Wolverine during WWII. In addition, the original 4th Order Fresnel lens is displayed.
Printout:
Ashtabula Marine MuseumThis local history museum features its railroad roots. It has a room primarily full of B&O railroad memorabilia. Kids will enjoy the restored caboose and its furnishings plus the boxcar on display. In addition, a limited view of the train yard operation can be seen.
Printout:
B&O Railroad and Willard Ohio Historical SocietyGet ready for some fun on one of the Great Lakes as Lake Erie’s summer hot spot kicks off another season with its Blessing of the Fleet. This annual celebration of the new fishing season includes a boat parade, music and entertainment.
Blessing of the Fleet celebrations also occur in Ashtabula, Ohio and other locations throughout the states north coast and Ohio River communities.
Printout: Blessing of the Fleet
THE CANTON
CLASSIC CAR MUSEUM
(Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for children 6-18,
and free for children under 6)
Open: Daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: Market Avenue at 6th Street SW in Canton, OH 44702
Phone: 330-455-0363
The museum is currently home to 45 rare classic and special interest automobiles. The museum also holds thousands of pieces of historic memorabilia on display to complement the cars. The museum features a 1937 Ahrens-Fox Quad fire engine; a 1937 Packard hearse; and a 1957 BMW Isetta to name a few. In addition the museum features vintage toys, steam engines, movie posters, and historic photographs.
Printout: Canton Classic Car Museum
DENNISON RAILROAD DEPOT MUSEUM
Open: Tuesday -- Friday 10a.m. – 5p.m., Saturday 11a.m. – 4p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 3p.m.
Location: 400 Center St, Dennison, Ohio
Phone: 740-922-6776
The Dennison Railroad Depot takes visitors back in time when railroads were king. The beautifully restored 1873 Pennsylvania Railroad Station houses the Museum, Trax Diner, Whistle Stop Railway Gift Shop, Liberty Delights, and the Dreamsville Ice Cream & Candy Shoppe. All are open Tuesday through Sunday year round. Throughout the year, special events and train rides are offered, such as the popular Polar Express in December.
Printout:
Dennison Railroad Depot MuseumThis museum is operated by the Orrville Railroad Heritage Society and offers a plethora of railroad artifacts and memorabilia. The museum’s collection is housed in a restored Railroad Union Depot. For a fee, actual train rides ranging from 50-120 miles are available.
Printout:
Depot Museum DRESDEN
JUNCTION TOY TRAIN MUSEUM AND RAILROAD ARTIFACTS
(Admission is Free)
Choo-choos from Lionel, Marx, Rail King, K-Line and MTH are on display here at this toy train & railroad artifacts museum. It features a 10X20 foot display of four running miniature trains. Other points of interest for model railroad enthusiasts may be the railroad artifacts dating back to the early nineteenth century through the early twentieth century. Quite a personal collection for one man.
Printout: Dresden Junction
Location:
7379 Squire Court in West Chester, Ohio 45069
Web Site: www.gcgrs.org
Family entertainment is zooming its way into Butler County with the June 2008 opening of EnterTRAINment Junction in West Chester. EnterTRAINment is a $10 million attraction, which will boast the largest indoor model train layout in the world. Visitors are sure to transcend themselves to yesteryear upon entering EnterTRAINment through a 19th century streetscape and train depot; featuring 17-foot mountains, 11-foot waterfalls, and more than 2 miles of track with 90 G-scale trains. The attraction will also feature a children’s play area, railroad museum, and model train expo, as well as seasonal themes, party and meeting rooms, a hobby shop, and snack bar. Butler County, located in Southwest Ohio in the Cincinnati-Dayton corridor, is The Destination Designed for You ! For more information about EnterTRAINment Junction and Butler County, contact the Butler County Visitors Bureau at 888-462-2282 or go to www.destinationbutlercounty.com.
Printout: EnterTRAINment Junction
This fascinating museum has more than just rubber. It features displays depicting the history of blimps, the trucking industry, Indy racecars, a moon buggy and an artificial heart. It also exhibits a replica of a rubber plantation providing a hands-on experience, the history of the rubber industry and memorabilia and reproduction of Charles Goodyear’s workshop, including how he discovered the vulcanization process of rubber in his own kitchen.
Printout: Goodyear World of Rubber Museum
Have you ever wanted to show the kids the “man on the caboose” but discovered that trains today rarely have a caboose at all? Well, at this little “depot” you can see a renovated caboose, a 1905 Shay Engine, and a one-hundred year old lumber office building and inside, plenty of artifacts and memorabilia. The park also has a full-size military U H-1 Huey Helicopter.
Printout: Harrod Railroad Heritage Park and Veterans Memorial Park
HOCKING VALLEY SCENIC RAILWAY
(Train Fare Applies)
Call for scheduleThe Hocking Valley Scenic Railway is a non-profit all volunteer organization founded in 1972. Our purpose is the restoration and preservation of historic railway equipment for the education and entertainment of our members and the public in general.
Season begins first Saturday after April 15 and continues each Saturday and Sunday through first weekend of November. Santa Specials last weekend of November first three weekends of December.
Regular season trains depart from the Nelsonville depot at 12:00n and 2:30pm, Santa Specials depart at 11:00am and 2:00pm.
For special events and weekday trains check our web site http://www.hvsry.com/.
Printout: Hocking Valley Scenic Railway
INLAND SEAS MARITIME MUSEUM
Great Lakes Historical Society
(Admission - $6)
Open all year, Monday thru Sunday 10 am – 5 pm (Closed: Christmas, New Years Day, July 4 and Thanksgiving)
Location: 480 Main Street, Vermilion, OH 44089
Phone – 800-893-1485 or 440-967-3467
Come and learn about the history of the Great Lakes through interactive exhibits, hands on experiences, maritime art gallery, shipwreck artifacts, and over thirty ship models on display. Children from ages 3 to 103 are invited to steer a 464’ freighter down the Cuyahoga River, operate a steam engine, or stand on the bridge of the Canopus. The museum is housed in the Wakefield home on the lake and this makes for a spectacular visit to the Ohio coast of Lake Erie. Come join in a journey you will never forget.
Printout:
Inland Seas Maritime Museum and Great Lakes Historical SocietyThis museum is dedicated to the historic accomplishments made by women pioneers of air and space travel. Some of the great women recognized at this museum include Sally Ride - the first American woman in space, Katharine Wright – sister of the Wright brothers, and Valentina Tereshkova – the first woman to orbit the Earth. In addition, there are many personal artifacts of great women in flight as well as some personal memos by these women. A number of news copy, magazines, and speech manuscripts are also displayed.
Printout: International Womens Air and Space Museum
The museum’s mission is to to tell the story of 20th Century American History through the lives of John & Annie Glenn and to create educational programs for learners of all ages. On the main floor of the home, visitors are treated to a “living history” tour. Actors in costume will greet you at the door and take you through the house as though it were the day you visit, only in 1944. At that time, it was in the midst of WWII and John Glenn, among many, many others were away from their homes, fighting for our country. They talk about life on the home front and the sacrifices that were made to help with the war effort. Also, you will see John Glenn’s bedroom and some of his childhood toys (tricycle, train set, sled) in addition to displays on his military career, the space program, and his political life.
Printout: John and Annie Glenn Historic Site
This annual event is good for the entire family and includes free fishing and casting clinics and much more. This thorough hands-on introduction to boating and fishing life includes free boat rides, tours of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter and a great lakes steam ship, free vessel safety checks, entertainment, fishing from boats and much more. It also marks Cleveland’s “Blessing of the Fleet.”
Printout: Lake Erie Boating and Fishing Festival
LEBANON MASON MONROE RAILROAD
(Admission:
$17 adults; $12 children 12 and under; 1 and under Free)
When: Saturday departures
are at 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm. Sunday departures are at 12 pm and 2 pm
Experience a nostalgic train ride on the Lebanon-Mason-Monroe (LM&M) Railroad
through the Warren County countryside in Southwestern, Ohio. Every weekend the
LM&M invites you to reminisce and capture moments with family. Walk to the back
of the train to the open-air gondola for panoramic views. Informative conductors
describe railroad history and operation as well as offer a brief locomotive
tour. Inquire about weekend special events. Bring kids, grandparents, camera,
and a picnic, or grab a hotdog
at the 30-minute destination. Enjoy meaningful
history you can see, hear, smell and touch every
Saturday and Sunday on the LM&M
Railroad.
Printout: Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad
This outdoor display features the following which are also under lights after dark:
Printout: Lincoln Park Railway Exhibit
MADRIVER RAILROAD MUSEUM
(Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $4 for children)
Open: Daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. (During May, September, and October the museum is open only on weekends)
Location: 233 York Street, Bellevue, OH 44811
Phone: 419-483-2222
This museum offers a “hands on” approach to the history of railroading. The museum also features an extensive gift shop where anything from vintage hats to railroad videos can be purchased. The museum offers a picnic shelter located in the former LS and MS passenger depot areas. In addition to the displays already housed in the museum the former Bellevue Monument Works now houses some of the displays, wooden cars, and video viewing areas.
Printout: MadRiver Railroad Museum
MAPS AIR
MUSEUM
(Admission $2- 4)
The museum offers a wide array of exhibits from the first air ships, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam to the present day. One of the last B-26 Marauders is being restored to flying condition. Over 22 aircraft adorn this unique museum, the oldest dating back to 1908. This is a hands-on museum allowing visitors to sit in a Russian Mig-17 fighter, anti-aircraft guns, blimp gondola and more. Large hangar and restoration building allows visitors to see planes being brought back to life. Many artifacts, uniforms and original artwork adorn this attraction. In addition, there is a large gift shop and catering events for up to 700 people available. Handicap accessible. Guided tours of all groups.
Printout: MAPS Air Museum
The Marion Union Station sees more than 100 trains pass by every day. The museum showcases an impressive collection of memorabilia and the AC Tower, which was once the main switching facility for the Erie Railroad Marion Division. The unusual nature of the station is the fact that it is located between two diamond cross-overs.
Printout: Marion Union Station
All aboard! Make this a whistle-stop and see plenty of railroad memorabilia. The museum features running exhibits of model trains, interactive children’s exhibits, real train exhibits, model cars and airplanes dating back to 1900, toys, dolls and more. In addition, there are more than 500 actual train engines on display and a library containing more than 500 books about trains that visitors may check out.
Printout: Medina Toy and Train Museum
NASA
GLENN VISITOR CENTER
(Admission is Free)
Access to the NASA Glenn Visitor Center is limited to U.S. Citizens.
All adult visitors are required to present government-issued photo
identification.
These guests of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center are
examining a model of the Mars Pathfinder Sojourner Rover.
The Sojourner Rover ran off of a solar energy panel that turns sunlight into
electricity.
Open Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Closed on major holidays)
Location: 21000 Brookpark Road · Cleveland, OH 44135
Phone: 216-433-2000
Web Site: http://visit.grc.nasa.gov
You may think you have “the right
stuff” but until you visit this museum/visitors center, you won’t know for sure.
The Center has six galleries. A few of the featured galleries include Space
Communications, John Glenn tribute and innovative engines of tomorrow. Other
exhibits feature the Apollo Command Module used on Skylab 3, space suit, moon
rock, Microgravity Lab, Launch Control Center, flight simulator and a baseball
that was tossed around on a Space Shuttle flight.
Many special programs, events and presentations routinely take place at the NASA
Visitors Center and in Ohio communities. These include the popular Third
Saturday programming, the Astromiles video presentation, and live space shuttle
broadcasts. Public facility tours are offered on the first Saturday April
through October of each year. These include the zero gravity facility, wind
tunnels, and space simulation chambers. The Star Station One program shares the
activities of the International Space Station with the public. Other programs
are conducted on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. where audiences will see
things like space food and clothing used and more.
Printout: NASA Glenn Visitors Center
MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME MUSEUM
(Admission: $10
Adults, $8 Seniors, $5 AMA Members, $3 Students 12-17, Free to kids under 12)
Open: Daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: 13515 Yarmouth Drive in Pickerington, OH 43147
Phone: 614-856-2222
One can almost hear the resonating sound of revving motors while passing by the more than 200 motorcycles on display at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, home to an impressive collection of motorcycles and memorabilia. The Museum tells the exciting stories of motorcycling by creating rotating exhibitions covering a wide range of topics featuring many motorcycles borrowed from the foremost collectors in North America. There are three main galleries showcasing machines of every description and age – from the board-trackers and streamliners of the sport’s early days, to competition Superbikes and motocrossers of the modern era. Spindly motorized bicycles from the turn of the century keep company with today’s championship-winning racers.
The Hall of Fame recognizes the great racers, inventors, promoters, designers, enthusiasts and journalists who have made our sport so exciting by placing the people and their machines in the context of their time and place in the history of motorcycling. The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum offers excitement and education for everyone, with unique exhibits showcasing some of the most elegant and remarkable designs and technologies from motorcycling’s past and present. Come see why motorcycles have long been on the cutting edge of transportation and motorsports.
Printout: Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum
THE NATIONAL PACKARD MUSEUM
(Admission: $5.00
for adults, $3.00 for seniors (65+) and children (ages 7-12). Free to members)
Open: Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Closed Mondays and holidays.
Location: 1899 Mahoning Avenue NW, Warren, OH 44483
Phone: 330-394-1899
The museum collection contains artifacts and photographs related to the Packard family, Packard Electric and the Packard Motor Car Company. Vehicles on display include two rare early 1950s Packard Pan Americans, a 1911 Packard Flying Squad Car Fire Truck along with other vehicles on display dating back to the 1903 single cylinder Packard. The gift shop sells clothing, books, videos, photos, jewelry, and memorabilia.
Printout: National Packard Museum
Serving motorsports fans since 1964, National Trail Raceway is an NHRA Drag Racing facility with an extensive schedule of weekly racing and special events, highlighted by the Pontiac Excitement Nationals, May 19-22, 2005, The family fun of the annual Night of Thunder July 16th, and the World’s Largest single-make event, The Mopar Nationals, August 12-14, 2005. Luxury suites, group ticket specials and corporate hospitality allow us to tailor your visit to your needs. Located just 20 minutes from Columbus and just 2 miles from the I-70/Rt.37 interchange, access to National Trail Raceway is quick and easy.
Printout: National Trail Raceway
Open: Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m.; Holidays, noon to 5:00 p.m. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Location: P.O. Box 1978, Wapakoneta, OH 45895-0978 for information. Located just west of I-75 at exit 111 (Bellefontaine Street) in Wapakoneta, Auglaize County.
Phone: 419-738-8811 or 800-860-0142
Admission: Adults, 7.00; Children, ages 6-12, $3.00; School groups, $3.00 per student. Free admission to: Ohio Historical Society members and children 5 and under. AAA and senior discounts available. Groups of 20 people or more receive a discount on admission Motor coach driver and one tour leader – free admission.
Named in honor of Neil Armstrong, first man to step onto the moon, this museum located in his hometown portrays Ohio’s contributions to the history of space flight. It opened in 1972. On display are a F5D Sky Lancer, the Gemini VIII spacecraft, Apollo 11 artifacts and moon rock. In the Astrotheater multimedia presentations of space travel are unveiled. The site offers varied educational programs for school children. Tour guides are available with advance notice.
Printout: Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum
NORTHWEST OHIO RAILROAD PRESERVATION, INC.
(Train Fare Applies; Admission to Special Events)
Location: Findlay, Ohio
Phone: 419-423-2995
It is operated by an all-volunteer 501(C)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to railroad preservation, promotion, and education. Take a train ride powered by a restored quarter-scale, coal-burning, live-steam Engine 901 around a 1/2 mile of 15" gauge track; only $1.00 per passenger. Tours of a 1920s era B&O caboose are the first Sunday of the month, April thru September. The railroad museum is nearing completion; in addition to railroad artifacts and memorabilia it will include an HO model train layout as well as Lionel toy trains. A conference room and/or kid's birthday room is available for rent. Outside static displays include a 1950s Plymouth switcher and a 19th century wooden boxcar, both slated for future restoration.
Special events: Flag City Train Show in the spring, Tracks To The Past in September, Pumpkin Train in October, Train of Terror & Haunted Engine House in October (special evening hours), North Pole Express in December. Call for details.
Printout: Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation, Inc.
OHIO RAILWAY MUSEUM
(Admission is $5 adults, $4 seniors, $3 children 4-12, children under 3 are
free)
Open: May 28-September 23, Sundays 1p.m. - 5p.m.
Location: 990 Proprietors Road, Worthington, OH 43085
Phone: 614-885-7345
Visitors can take a one mile ride on one of the museum’s streetcars or interurbans. They can also take a history lesson on the electric rail transportation and its effects on the lives of those living in America and the economic growth of the country during the first half of the 20th century. Demonstrations on the various designs of equipment are given. Visitors can also take a tour of the Post Office Car where mail clerks had to process mail from city to city while it was being transported. The museum is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the oldest railway museums in the country.
Printout: Ohio Railway Museum
THE
ORRVILLE RAILROAD HERITAGE SOCIETY
(Admission varies depending on the event attended)
Open: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 12p.m to 4p.m.
Location: 145 Depot Street in Orrville, OH 44667
Phone: 330-683-2426
This society offers historic facts about trains; many train pictures, and much information on Ohio’s railway heritage. Visitors will be able to tour many historic train cars and even some engines including an F-7 ABB diesel locomotive. The society also owns and offers tours of the interlocking tower that controlled the junction.
Printout:
Orrville Railroad Heritage Society
SANTA
MARIA
(Admission: $ 3, Seniors $2.50 & Kids $1.50 ages 5-17)
Open: April 2 – October 23 (Call for hours)
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Phone: 614-645-0351
Tour the world's most authentic, museum-quality replica of Christopher Columbus' flagship – Santa Maria. Guided tours dramatize the daring and determination it took for these explorers to set out on their mission. Fascinating displays show the far-ranging impact of the encounter of two worlds that existed in 1492.
Printout:
Santa Maria
SNOOK’S DREAM
CARS AUTO MUSEUM
(Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $3 for children)
Open: Daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: 13920 County Home Road, Bowling Green, OH 43402
Phone: 419-353-1708
The museum features a recreated 1940’s era Texaco gas station. In addition to an automobile collection the museum also holds much automobile memorabilia. The car collection features models from the 1930’s through the 1960’s. It includes coupes, convertibles, sedans, roadsters and racecars. The facility houses a four-bay shop for fixing and maintaining collector cars. The site also has a warehouse for storing collector cars. In addition to taking tours the museum has a banquet hall for housing special events.
Printout: Snook's Dream Cars
If you are in Northwest Ohio, a Great Lakes museum ship awaits – the S.S. Willis
B. Boyer. It was formerly the Col. James M. Schoonmaker and once known as the
“Queen of the Lake Freighters.” It served for 69 years, built in 1911 and
retired in 1980. It opened on the East shore of the Maumee River across from
downtown Toledo in 1987. The tour is a fascinating history lesson of Great Lakes
shipping. It features the quarters of crew and captain, the officers dining
room, kitchen and crew eating counter along with the cavernous center hull,
pilot house, boiler room, and much more including memorabilia, photography and
artifacts.
Printout: S.S. Willis B. Boyer Museum Ship
STEAMSHIP WILLIAM G. MATHER MUSEUM
(Admission: $ Call for admission info)
Open: Call for hours of operation
Location: 1001 East 9th Street Pier in Cleveland, Ohio
Phone: 216-574-6262
Cleveland’s North Coast Harbor at the East 9th Pier is best known for its Rock Hall but visitors find its heavy metal neighbor an interesting diversion.
Gracing the waters of the Great Lakes for 55 years, the Steamship William G. Mather retired in 1980 and opened as a museum ship in 1990 – one of only four Great Lakes vessels designated as a National Historic Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Visitors are fascinated with what they see on the tour of the historic vessel, which is four stories high, longer than two football fields and carried 14,000 tons of cargo. It progressed throughout time with updates to keep it modernized in a rapidly changing world since its christening in 1925. Originally a coal-powered ship, it converted to oil in 1954 and used more than 25 gallons per mile. Later, it was the first on the Great Lakes to incorporate automated controls that were computer operated.
The tour lets guests see and feel first hand what life on this shipping relic was once like. It features the cramped crew quarters to the stately captains quarters. A captivating view of Cleveland’s skyline come high atop the pilot house where maps, radio beacon and other instruments once guided the ship through stormy Lake Erie weather enroute from Cleveland to Detroit. Other points of interest include the galley, enclosed observation lounge, and hands-on displays depicting Great Lakes maritime history.
Printout: Steamship William G. Mather Museum
Open: Daily from May through September
Location: 1089 East 9th Street, Cleveland, OH 44114
Phone: 216-566-8770
Operating from Australian ports during World War II, Cod is a World War II era GATO class fleet submarine. The 312 foot, 1,525–ton submarine, was launched on March 21, 1943 and was commissioned on June 21, 1943. Cod received a battle star for each of her seven war patrols, and sank more than 12 enemy vessels totally more than 37,000 tons, and damaging another 36,000 tons of enemy shipping, including the Japanese destroyer Karukaya. It was on Cod’s seventh and final war patrol that she was honored for performing the only international submarine-to-submarine rescue in history. In the South China Sea she came to the aid of the Dutch Submarine O-19 which had grounded on the coral reef outcropping. After rescuing the 56 Dutch sailors the two captains decided there was no hope freeing the sub. It was destroyed by the Cod and the rescued sailors were delivered to the recently liberated Subic Bay naval base. The Cod is now docked in Lake Erie in Cleveland, and is maintained and operated as a memorial those submarine sailors who have lost their lives during the United States history.
Printout: USS Cod
THE WACO MUSEUM &
AVIATION LEARNING CENTER
(Admission: Donations)
Open: May 1-October 31 Sat. and Sun. 1-5 pm or call for appointment
Location: 1865 S. County Rd. 25A in Troy, Ohio 45373
Phone: 937-335-WACO (9226)
Whether the sky was filled with the drone of bi-planes or the silent shadow of gliders this aircraft company figured largely in the history of Troy as it made history in the world. Find out who, how and what. Open by appointment and for scheduled events.
Printout: WACO Museum and Aviation Learning Center
There’s no charge for visitors to come see this aircraft in its hangar at Wright Brothers Airport. However, if you want a real ride in this flight-worthy replica of the first mass produced airplane designed by the Wright Brothers, it’ll cost $125 per person. The plane was built by a group of aeronautical enthusiasts and can take short flights over the airport. The Wright Brothers plane in which this is designed after was used to correct problems in earlier flight-testing of the time.
Printout: The Wright B Flyer
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the world's oldest and largest military aviation museum. Attracting more than 1 million visitors a year, the museum boasts more than 300 aircraft and missiles and thousands of historical items. Sensory rich exhibits, hands-on educational programs and entertaining special events entice the imagination and bring the Air Force story to life. From the Wright brothers through the stealth age, the museum offers visitors a dynamic tour through the portals of aviation history. Highlights include the only permanent public display of a B-2 bomber, President Kennedy's Air Force One, a Doolittle Raiders exhibit and much more. Also available are an IMAX Theatre, a souvenir shop and a café. Museum admission and parking are FREE. For more information, visit the museum's web site at www.nationalmuseum.af.mil or call (937) 255-3286.
Printout: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
Visitors are free to see where two of the world’s most famous inventors labored in their craft. Only one of the actual buildings where the Wright brothers worked is still standing at its original location and this is it. They had five different bicycle shops, this being the fourth. Now, restored, the building was home to the Wright’s bicycle business from 1895 – 1897. It is where they were when they became obsessed with flying. And from there, these men, self-trained in the science of aviation, went on to build the world’s first power-driven, heavier than air machine capable of free, controlled and sustained flight.
Printout: Wright Cycle Company
SANTA TRAINS / POLAR EXPRESS / TRAINS TO THE NORTH POLE
| Cincinnati Railway's Santa's North Pole Express | Dennison Railroad Museum's Polar Express |
| Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad's Santa Claus Express | Hocking Valley Scenic Railway's Santa Trains |
The Dennison Railroad Museum's Polar
Express in Dennison, Ohio
For availability, reservations and rates, call
1-877-278-8020.
This newly
restored railroad station encourages parents to take your family on a journey
of a lifetime. Just like The Polar Express book and movie, passengers are
seen riding the rails in their pajamas sipping hot chocolate and snacking on
cookies. As the storyline unfolds, so do the events aboard this train. Once at
the North Pole, Santa hops aboard to meet the children and hand out
presents.
The Hocking Valley Scenic Railway's Santa
Trains in Nelsonville, Ohio
For availability, reservations and rates, call
1-800-967-7834.
On this
trip through the scenic Hocking Valley, youngsters don't need to go to the North
Pole to see Santa. Instead, Santa visits with each and every child on the train.
And Mrs. Claus accompanies Santa passing out candy to all. Passengers are also
treated to lovely music and Christmas poems. The trip takes two hours.
Reservations are strongly recommended.
Cincinnati Railway's Santa's North Pole
Express in Lebanon, Ohio
For availability, reservations and rates, call
513-933-8022.
Santa and
Mrs. Claus are aboard this train too. And passengers are taken to the "North
Pole" where they can listen to carols, drink hot coco and take in the lovely
scenery. In addition to the Lebanon station, there's another in downtown
Cincinnati. Passengers don't leave this train, and fares, dates and times differ
slightly. Call the same phone number above for details or visit their web site.
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad's
Santa Claus Express and Polar Express in Penninsula, Ohio
For availability, reservations and rates, call
800-468-4070.
The trip is
full of fun as kids try to spot reindeer in the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley while
they wait for Santa to stop by and visit. Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad offers
the Polar Express as well. However, getting tickets for this wonderful trip is
very difficult even when planning months in advance. It is done through a
mail-in lottery. Tickets are sometimes found through area newspapers as well.
Passengers are encouraged to wear pajamas. Cookies and hot-coco are served.
Disclosure: As a precaution, please call ahead to the venues you plan to visit to ensure that the hours, admittance and other data in this Web site have not changed. We assume no responsibility for omissions, inaccuracies or errors within the contents of this Web site. However, we will take into consideration, any comments that would better represent the venues within, and add them to our Web site.
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