Liberty Aviation Museum {Review}

Liberty Aviation Museum {Review}

One of my family’s “quirks” is to find interesting and off the main path places to visit when we go somewhere new. And on our last trip to Port Clinton, Ohio, we were lucky enough to be able to visit a place called the Liberty Aviation Museum!

Liberty Aviation Museum showcases operational, historical aircraft and vehicles, including “Georgie’s Gal” a WWII B-25 Mitchell Bomber, a U.S. Navy WWII TBM Avenger, PT-boats, and more. Witness the restoration of a 1929 Ford Tri-Motor and dine in the 1950s-era themed Tin Goose Diner.

The museum is located on the grounds of the Erie-Ottawa Regional Airport in Port Clinton, Ohio. Needless to say, the kids, especially the young boys in my group, immediately got excited at seeing planes coming and going as we parked and headed inside.

We were met at the desk by an employee who signed us in for our tour and even opened the store so we could look around while we were waiting for our tour to begin.

Our personal tour was wonderful! We were taken around the collections, both in the main building as well as the second building which just opened to the public a few weeks ago! It’s filled with all sorts of airplane memorabilia including seats, propellers, china, and more. Plus, there are pictures and old advertisements of different companies and aircraft related items including models, maps, and figures. Most of these cases or items have a small sign displayed to give you more details, but honestly, our tour guide covered it all!

Next, we entered a hangar with a huge yellow plane which is a Harvard IV (T6J): WWII Advanced Trainer. It seemed to be a monster of a plane, it took up so much space. We were told after WWII, it was used by the Italian Air Force until it was retired in the 1970s. The best part? It’s available for hire for events and fly-bys!

In the same hangar included several refurbished vehicles such as Jeeps, motorcycles and several cars, all of which are in pristine condition and proudly on display for the public. Our guide also explained this is where they will bring in Big Band musicians and hold dances!

After a small walk to the second building, we were treated to an active project: restoration of a 5-AT-B Ford Tri-Motor, historically known as the “City of Wichita”. The crew was working on a few finishing touches as it was due to take a few flights around the islands later that day. But we were able to stick our heads inside the passenger section and listen to the history of that type of airplane and the flights it would have normally taken. Soon it will be able to take passengers again, so that we can experience what the earlier airline travel would have been like.

Also housed in the same hangar/building is a wonderful collection of ambulances, boats, tanks, vehicles as well as military items that have been donated over the years. Thankfully, there were all sorts of signs/history markers on display in case you wanted to know more about a particular item. I can’t even tell you what incredible pieces of history we saw, there were so many! And you can’t forget the awesome gift shop in the lobby, full of collectibles, toys, books and more!

We also visited the Tin Goose Diner for lunch, which is a fully restored vintage 1950’s diner, open 7 days a week.

This is a great place to stop as a family, as a field trip, or even for veterans to visit an awesome place of American and world history. The Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio, is a definitely must-see place the next time you’re in town. Make sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for the latest information.

Disclaimer: I visited here as part of a media tour through Lake Erie Shores & Islands. Make sure you visit their webpage if you’re visiting for wonderful ideas and savings! Thank you Lake Erie Shores & Islands!