National Naval Aviation Museum – Orange Beach Marina – Pensacola, Florida

While docked at the Orange Beach Marina in Alabama, we used the marina’s loaner car to drive the 30 miles or so to Pensacola for the long-awaited museum visit. The Pensacola Naval Air Station is home to the Blue Angles and has been a Naval Station since 1826. It is also host to the Naval Air Museum.

With displays of aircraft from WWI, dirigibles, aircraft carriers, presidential helicopters, WWII, Vietnam, and more, we knew immediately that we were in for a treat. Housed in two very large museum buildings (two floors in the original building), funded entirely by private donations, the building is large enough to have planes hanging from the ceiling. It was difficult deciding where to start our tour. They also have a restoration facility where it can sometimes take up to seven years to restore some of our Nation’s most prized and historically significant aircraft. From here we’ll let the pictures do the talking, I’m sure after seeing these photos, you’ll be making your way to the National Naval Aviation Museum at the first available opportunity.