Family Fun at the Yankee Air Museum

Venue Reviews  |  Posted by: Tedd Long  |  09/19/2021

If you have any future pilots in the family, you'll love opening their eyes to the world of aviation at the Yankee Air Museum, a Smithsonian-affiliated aerospace and science museum located at Willow Run Airport, just up the road in Belleville, Michigan. The museum features a dozen static aircraft, rare historical aircraft ranging from World War I to Desert Storm, and a terrific set of rotating exhibits.

We first visited a few years ago for the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow they put on each August and we recently returned for a day-long visit. 

Since its sitting in the middle of an active airport, its a unique and exciting museum venue. Founded in 1981, the Museum quickly grew when it acquired its first flyable aircraft, a B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell Bomber, and a C-47 Skytrain, offering the public the chance to fly in some of America’s most iconic aircraft. Today, you can book your Air Adventure flight on one of the museum’s five historic aircraft, from May-October.

To learn more, check out their website at https://yankeeairmuseum.org/air-museum/

Plan Your Visit

What: The Yankee Air Museum

Where:  The Museum is located at 47884 D. Street, Belleville MI 48111 at Willow Run Airport. The museum is easily accessible from both I-94 and I-275.

Hours: The museum is open year-round, but might be closed or have reduced hours due to holidays and special events. Generally, the museum is open 10 a.m. until 4 p.m Tuesday-Saturday. Hours on Sunday are from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

For the Kids: The Yankee Air Museum features some great activities for children. Our kids loved the MagFormers, Imagination Playground blocks, as well as the Boeing 747 interior display in the Exploration Station area. They also had fun in the KC-135 cockpit display, the "Simple Machines in Aviation," a STEM-focused exhibit, but most of all they had a blast flying the simulators. In a partnership with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and the Leslie Science & Nature Center, the museum also participates in STEM day camps in the Ann Arbor area. 

Cost: Tickets for museum members are free. Online general admission tickets for adults are $12; $8 for seniors 60+ and veterans/military; $8 for children ages 3 -12. Children 3 and under are free. 

For more local history, check out my history blog at www.holytoledohistory.com.