The Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum

The Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is located at the Cape May County Airport in New Jersey. The site used to be the old Naval Aviation Base during World War II and is listed on the National and State Registers of Historical Places. The Cape May County Airport is still in operation today with the museum housed in Hangar One.

You'll find free parking right in front of the museum with handicap parking spaces available. It's open year-round and is never crowded unless you're visiting during a special event. Once you park you'll want to head into the building via the entrance and into the gift shop where you'll pay your admission. The clerk will put a wrist band on you which is really a "day pass" into the facility.

We visited the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum last year, so we opted to skip the mini movie on the history of the naval base and airport. If you want to watch it, you'll find it playing in a room right beside the gift shop. It will last about 15 minutes and then you'll proceed through the doors into the actual hangar to see all of the cool exhibits.

I recommend that you dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. The hangar is air conditioned and they do have fans running to circulate the air. With that said, it still gets hot in there on a 90 degree, humid-filled day. If you plan on climbing in and out of the fighter jets, helicopters, boats, jeeps, etc. please wear comfortable walking shoes so that you can climb the short flight of stairs.

As we walked around we were really impressed with the variety of fighter jets, airplanes, helicopters, military vehicles, coast guard boats, jeeps, etc. that they had on exhibit. As you walked from one exhibit to another, you'll want to stop and read the provided information, so that you're learning along the way. Some of the displays have interactive features which are really fun for the kids to do.

Our grandchildren were along with us and I really appreciated the photo opportunities that are sprinkled throughout the museum. You'll find some life-size cut-outs, open-air vehicles, sitting areas, etc. that make for fun family photographs. The lighting can be a little "iffy" in certain areas, so I recommend using a decent camera with a flash as needed.

We spent a total of 2 hours exploring the NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum and it makes for a great rainy day, educational activity for the family to do while visiting the south Jersey Shore. Once you're done in the museum you can head back into their gift shop to pick up gifts and souvenirs. They offer books, t-shirts, hoodies, hats, toys for the kids, collectibles, home goods, etc. We feel that their items are reasonably priced.

Hungry after your visit? The Flight Deck Diner sits right across the street and offers breakfast and lunch at a fairly decent price. They offer your classic diner-style foods and have menu offerings for children too. For a diner, their food was pretty good and we received nice service from the wait staff.

You can learn more about the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum at the Cape May Airport by visiting their official website online and by following them on Facebook and/or Twitter for updates and current specials.