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Just starting a thread to see what military museums and sites are recommended. Also are they an "in the area" trip or "make vacation plans" trip?

Some I have seen

Iowa Gold Star Museum - Des Moines, IA History of the Iowa National Guard from the Civil War to modern times. Lot of relics and history of the Citizen-Soldier

Strategic Air Command Museum - Omaha, Nebraska Planes of SAC from WWII through Cold War. Worth a visit if in area

Gettysburg - Several day trip and read up about the battle and Civil War before going

Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago Has U-boat captured during war, can tour and even has "sound effects" to simulate what it was like. Also has large collection/room built around the sub dedicated to the Merchant Marine, seen it once and want to go back

Lake Superior Maritime Museum - Duluth, MN dedicated to the history of the shipping of the Great Lakes, free to get in and an interesting museum, lot of models of types of ships used

WWI Museum - Kansas City Recently remodelled and only National museum dedicated to WWI, worth a trip if in area, has a simulated trench line

The Wall - Very moving, gut wrenching

National Holocaust Museum - everyone should see this, emotional, heart-breaking

Kubinka Tank Museum
Central Armed Forces Museum

Both in Moscow, went there in 2016. Awesome!
Also a flea market where they had Schmeisser smgs for sale, $80 AUD...

The wild, wild East

Airforce museum in Dayton, Ohio. Full day easy....GP

5000th

RAAF Museum - Pt Cook

Motts Military Museum, Groveport, Ohio. A few hours to see it all. U.S. Civil War to modern day. Has a lot of artifacts. It's located in my town....GP

Short answer is all of them. I go to any museum that my travels take me to.

Air & Space Museum
Yad Vashem
National WWII Museum in New Orleans
Anything in Pearl Harbor/Ford Island
Every military base in CONUS has something...
- Beale AFB has U-2, SR-71 and amusingly, a T-55
- Point Mugu has a missile "air park" -- ever seen a Regulus before? I hadn't either. Cool though.
- Etc

Being from Des Moines, I didn't know the Gold Star Museum even existed.

There's a mini-museum in the Iowa statehouse downtown, complete with a large model of the Iowa (scale 1/4" = 1' so that's 1:48). https://imgur.com/a/RNz1w I'm not sure the bell was there when I last saw it, probably back in high school). Lots of Civil War stuff. Regimental colors, uniforms, cannons and mortars, etc.

National museum of the Pacific war, Fredericksburg Texas.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Being from Des Moines, I didn't know the Gold Star Museum even existed.

There's a mini-museum in the Iowa statehouse downtown, complete with a large model of the Iowa (scale 1/4" = 1' so that's 1:48). https://imgur.com/a/RNz1w I'm not sure the bell was there when I last saw it, probably back in high school). Lots of Civil War stuff. Regimental colors, uniforms, cannons and mortars, etc.

Did they have Radar O'Reilly's glasses and knitted hat? [8|]

National World War I museum, Kansas City, Missouri. https://www.theworldwar.org

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Being from Des Moines, I didn't know the Gold Star Museum even existed.

There's a mini-museum in the Iowa statehouse downtown, complete with a large model of the Iowa (scale 1/4" = 1' so that's 1:48). https://imgur.com/a/RNz1w I'm not sure the bell was there when I last saw it, probably back in high school). Lots of Civil War stuff. Regimental colors, uniforms, cannons and mortars, etc.

Did they have Radar O'Reilly's glasses and knitted hat? [8|]

I know the character, but I don't follow...

ORIGINAL: LST Express

National museum of the Pacific war, Fredericksburg Texas.

Been there when we we stationed at Fort Hood. What a great museum and cool small town. A must see if you are in Central Texas.

ORIGINAL: Major Shane

National World War I museum, Kansas City, Missouri. https://www.theworldwar.org

Been there (around 2004 before it was the National museum, Custodian/Guard/Guide whatever had little idea of WW1 beyond the USA involvement

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

Being from Des Moines, I didn't know the Gold Star Museum even existed.

There's a mini-museum in the Iowa statehouse downtown, complete with a large model of the Iowa (scale 1/4" = 1' so that's 1:48). https://imgur.com/a/RNz1w I'm not sure the bell was there when I last saw it, probably back in high school). Lots of Civil War stuff. Regimental colors, uniforms, cannons and mortars, etc.

Did they have Radar O'Reilly's glasses and knitted hat? [8|]

I know the character, but I don't follow...

He was from Sioux City, Iowa.

PA military museum in Boalsburg PA

it started as a museum for the 28 ID but has expanded. they have gun tubes from the USS Pennsylvania on display.
immpressive.

rms/pa

Duxford, UK. They also have a few great airshows.
Hendon, UK - RAF museum. Only time I have seen a Sunderland.
Intrepid Air & Space museum, New York City
Fall River, Massachusetts. USS Massachusetts, A WW2 DD, a couple of PT boats, etc
USS Constitution, Boston.
Farmingdale, NY - cannot recall the name, but the old Republic site where they built P-47s.
Naval museum, Greenwich, UK
Imperial War Museum, London - I used to like this one more but was there earlier this year and they have 'dumbed it down' a bit. Still has one sobering Holocaust exhibit.
HMS Belfast, London
National Air & Space museum. The one in Washington is very cool but the one out near Dulles is awesome. You can walk under one of the space shuttles and watch restoration work on planes. Lots of one of a kind planes.

Non WW2:

Museum of Natural History - London
Museum of Natural History - New York
Tower - London
New England Aquarium - Boston
Guinness museum - Dublin
Edinburgh Castle - Edinburgh, Scotland
London Science & Technology museum - London

Regards,
Frank

ORIGINAL: rms1pa

PA military museum in Boalsburg PA

it started as a museum for the 28 ID but has expanded. they have gun tubes from the USS Pennsylvania on display.
immpressive.

rms/pa

Hey, thanks for this one. Fairly close and looks very interesting! Supposedly the birthplace of Memorial Day and also some interesting ties to Columbus as in Christopher.

The Infantry Museum at Ft. Benning Ga. use to be a "Library of Alexandria" of the American Infantryman.

After it was redone in 2009 it's now a "Walt Disney World of Propaganda" for our latest "War on.....".

If you have been to Washington DC and did not visit the Navy Yard and the US Navy Museum there then I feel sorry for you. [;)] It is my favorite. Not large and not flashy, it is a wonderful old time museum with some pretty cool things. The Washington Navy yard dates back to before the War of 1812 and is a pretty cool place to see. If you have ever read the excellent "Six Frigates" you will remember that some of those very first frigates were built there. If you love ship models, (and who here does not?) then this is a place to see. https://www.history.navy.mil/content/hi ... odels.html

IF you go to Mount Rushmore, a side trip (depending on where you come from 10-15 minutes out of the way, about an hour to walk around) to Ellsworth AFB might be worth the trip unless you've seen statics before. B-29 and other stuff.

Washington, DC - the Smithsonian Air and Space. Natural History Museum is cool - they have a Foucault pendulum (proves the world moves).

NYC - the INTREPID and their museum of Natural History.