Military Aviation Museum

When most people come to Virginia Beach, they don't leave the touristy area of the boardwalk and Atlantic Avenue. However, there is much more to explore beyond the beach! One place, about 20 minute driving distance from the boardwalk, is the Military Aviation Museum. 

Here, visitors can view planes from both World War I & II. The planes are in excellent condition, with most of them still being air-worthy, are still flown near the museum and at air shows. 

We found the docents to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful during our visit, sharing stories of the various planes we were looking at, which gave us a great look into our history.

On some days, you also have the opportunity to fly in a WWII era airplane (With an additional cost). Also, for those at the beach who see planes flying with advertising banners, this is where they take off from. If you're lucky, while you're at the museum, you can see how these planes pick up and drop off these banners, which isn't as simple as you may think. To get the banner, the plane has to do a slight nose dive and with great precision, align the plane to pick up the banner with a hook.  Not so easy!