Air Zoo: High-flying fun in a down-to-earth setting
Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s you at the Air Zoo!
Located less than 15 minutes from Kalamazoo, the Air Zoo is a 120,000-square-foot facility that combines the educational experience of a museum with the hands-on excitement of an amusement park. You’ll feel as if you’re actually in the air or even outer space. Visitors experience the weightlessness of zero-gravity space, the daredevil thrill of flying a World War I biplane and the excitement of a mission to Mars — without ever leaving the building! These are just a few of the aeronautical simulations at the Air Zoo.
Formerly the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, the museum got its new name and direction in 1999. The museum originally opened in 1979 as a more traditional aviation museum. Nowadays visitors can take a 3-D tour aboard the Space Shuttle, fly a bombing mission over World War II Germany at the Missions Theater and much more. You can even view the Earth’s weather patterns in real time at the Magic Planet exhibition!
You can also inspect more than 50 aircraft, including a SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, one of the fastest and highest-flying reconnaissance aircraft in history. Other airships on display include the F-14 Tomcat, just like the one featured in the blockbuster movie Top Gun; a replica of the first hot-air balloon, invented by the Montgolfier brothers in 1782; an actual Boeing 727, a replica of a Fokker Tri-Plane, an actual World War II-vintage Curtiss P-40N Warhawk and a replica of the flyer crafted by Orville and Wilbur Wright that became the first successful airplane in 1903.
As soon as visitors enter, they’re greeted by the world’s largest indoor mural: The 25,000-square-foot mural by Rick Herter traces a Century of Flight and is listed in the Guinness World Book of Records. Herter’s mural measures 900 feet in length by 32 feet high.
General admission to the Air Zoo is free and includes the Magic Planet, the antique and replica aircraft, the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame and more. Individual ride tickets cost $2; however, an unlimited ride ticket costs $6.95 for those 36 inches or taller, $10.95 for those 42 inches or taller, and $12.95 for those 48 inches or taller. Children 2 and younger always ride free. Want unlimited rides for a year? Get the Frequent Flyer Annual Pass, which costs $23.25 for children aged 3-15, $26.25 for seniors 60 and older and $29.25 for everyone else. You’ll save money on your second visit! Buy your pass in person or by calling (269) 382–6555 or (866) 524–7966.
HelloMetro Tip: Air Zoo makes a great location for a birthday party. The Basic Birthday Party Package costs $75 and includes invitations, popcorn, drinks, plates and napkins, an Air Zoo T-shirt for the birthday child and photos of that child in the PT-22 Ryan cockpit. Customized screen cakes begin at an additional $25. Click here for a brochure with details. Make reservations by calling (269) 350–2848.
Posted by Ivonne Rovira
