Thank you so much to the wonderful Avis staff here in Anchorage!  I have some very particular allergies and they worked really ...  Read More

Thank you so much to the wonderful Avis staff here in Anchorage!  I have some very particular allergies and they worked really hard to find me a vehicle that was not only safe for me but completely enjoyable to drive this weekend! Thank you so much, I will come back to you when I come on my next monthly trip!:)  Read Less

My boyfriend has a passion for aviation and I have a passion for Alaskan history. The Alaska Aviation Museum seemed like the id...  Read More

My boyfriend has a passion for aviation and I have a passion for Alaskan history. The Alaska Aviation Museum seemed like the ideal place for a weekend visit. I love the idea of this place, and I know that a lot of work has been put into it, but this museum just didn't quite live up to our expectations. The museum is located near the Anchorage airport on the banks of a float plane parking waterway (quite a fitting location!). There's plenty of parking and everything within the museum is handicap accessible.The museum is built into an airline hanger, separated into 5 different parts. The three major parts of the museum showcase a lot of photos and a bit of Alaskan airway memorabilia. There are sections about famous pilots, a history of Alaskan airline companies, and a few actual planes that have flown around Alaska. Everything was very interesting and decently organized, but I just thought a lot was missing. There was no section on Haglands Airline, Era, or Ravn- which I realize aren't really 'history' to people older than me- but as a 23 year old female who's from Western Alaska I was hoping to read up a bit on them here. The 'Alaska Air' section was quite small and although it showcased some cool memorabilia, it didn't really tell a lot about the airline aside from the kinds of planes that they used throughout the years. They showcased a lot of native pilots- which was awesome, but I think they left out a few very key white pilots in Alaska's history, which was off-putting. There was a military air section that told a bit about Alaska's military history, but there wasn't an extensive amount of real information on the subject. There were just a few planes you could look at, but no real description of the planes. The planes were also stripped down for parts and were literally just 'metal carcasses' of what they used to be. There was an Alaska Air plane as well that you could go inside of- but once inside EVERYTHING had been stripped out except for a couple oddly placed seats. It was really sad, actually. I thought I would have been able to step inside a few more planes- or at least see planes that still had a majority of their parts connected to them. That wasn't the case here. Also, a lot of the planes were outside, so you had to leave the building to see them. This isn't bad- but it's definitely a 'weather permitting' sort of experience. Luckily, for us, it was sunny and warm the day we went. There was a small pilot and co-pilot seat that you could step into within the main portion of the museum. All of the buttons and steering was available to be 'played with'. It'd be cool for kids, and as adults it was fun too (I'm still a kid at heart and love that kind of thing). There's also a flight simulator you can enter, but there's no directions available on how to drive it- so it's really hard to figure out and also glitches often (freezes up and restarts or doesn't do what you are doing with the controls). I'd have to say the single part of this museum that I actually enjoyed was a 'lighthouse' style tower in the outside portion that you could enter. You could go up a flight of stairs and then watch all of the float planes leave and enter the waterway. The air traffic was broadcast over a speaker so you could hear everything the air controllers and pilots were saying- which was genuinely really interesting. That particular area was also very well-maintained and clean. Overall, this place was worth visiting once, but I couldn't see myself going back. Alaska has such an amazing air history, but not much of it was documented here. The place is run on donations and admission fees. Everything within the museum has been donated. It's such a shame to me, because I feel like there could be SO much more filling this place- but it just hasn't grown to its full potential yet. It has a great selection so far, but I do hope that it expands a bit more over the next decade or two. This place could be SO much more interesting if it had a more extensive collection of items, more written information on everything they're showcasing, and if they had planes with all of the parts still intact (also planes that you can actually step into!). I will be donating to this museum over the next few years, and I truly hope it can grow into what it can be. It can be a really awesome place if it was just thought out a bit better.  Read Less

The aviation museum is the best place to learn about the history of flight in Alaska. Both commercial and private. The staff is...  Read More

The aviation museum is the best place to learn about the history of flight in Alaska. Both commercial and private. The staff is friendly and they are always hosting special events like wine tasting and guest lecturers. Also conveniently by the airport so you can visit on your way to anywhere.  Read Less