Aircraft hanging in the glass Great Gallery at the Museum of Flight in Seattle

Museum of Flight

Photo: S Z (ST) via Google Maps

The Museum of Flight sits beside Boeing Field, the King County International Airport, on East Marginal Way South of downtown Seattle. The museum says it holds one of the largest air and space collections in the United States, and its campus spreads across both sides of the road, from a soaring glass gallery of hanging aircraft to a covered pavilion lined with famous jets you can walk aboard.

This is the place to come if you want to stand next to aviation history rather than just read about it. You can step inside the first jet Air Force One, see the building where Boeing got its start, and look up at aircraft suspended overhead. The museum itself describes the campus as expansive and suggests making the most of your stay.

What You’ll See

  • The Great Gallery: a glass gallery that traces the first century of flight, with more than 20 aircraft hanging from the ceiling, including a Douglas DC 3.
  • The Red Barn: the historic birthplace of the Boeing Airplane Company, now part of the museum.
  • The Aviation Pavilion: a covered, open air gallery covering three acres with 19 commercial and military airplanes. It holds the first Boeing 727, 737 and 747, the first jet Air Force One, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a B 17F and a B 29, and what the museum calls the only Concorde on the West Coast. Several of these, including Air Force One, the first 747 and the Concorde, are open to tour.
  • The Space Gallery: home to the Space Shuttle Trainer that astronauts used to prepare for missions, plus immersive space exhibits.
  • The Personal Courage Wing: a two story gallery about the people involved in fighter aviation in World War I and World War II.
  • Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park: a quiet outdoor space of reflection centered on a restored Boeing B 52 Stratofortress.

The Story Behind It

The museum was founded on September 14, 1965, as the Pacific Northwest Historical Aviation Foundation, a group formed to recover and restore a 1929 Boeing 80A. For years it worked out of small offices near the Space Needle at Seattle Center. It later took the name Museum of Flight and opened at Boeing Field in the newly restored Red Barn, Boeing’s original factory building, which the museum acquired from the Port of Seattle for one dollar.

The campus grew from there. The Great Gallery opened in 1987, the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery followed in 2012, and the Aviation Pavilion opened in 2016, giving the big airliners and bombers a covered home. Today the museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Tips for Your Visit

  • Parking is free, with lots on both the east and west sides of East Marginal Way next to the museum entrances, plus EV charging stations on the north side of the main lot.
  • Coming by transit? King County Metro route 124 runs from downtown Seattle and Tukwila Station and stops directly in front of the museum.
  • To go inside the Space Shuttle Trainer’s crew compartment, look for the Crew Compartment Experience, a guided tour of the actual trainer astronauts used. Check the website for details.
  • Traveling with kids? Ask about the museum’s family exploration guides.
  • Heading to the airport afterward? The museum offers luggage storage and can arrange Uber pickups at the Admissions desk.

Plan Your Visit

Address: 9404 E Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA 98108
Phone: 206.764.5700
Website: museumofflight.org
Hours and admission: Check the museum website for current days, hours, and admission before you visit.
Directions: View on Google Maps

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