Visit the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Nebraska
While planning a road trip through the Midwest, I was asking around for things to do in Nebraska. A friend recommended the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska. I’ve visited several aerospace museums and love wandering their collection of aircraft and military history, so we made a stop. It was fantastic, and something I recommend for those near Ashland.
Here’s a rundown of what you can expect at the museum and a few tips to help you maximize your visit.
Directions and Tickets to the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum
The Strategic Air Command (SAC) & Aerospace Museum is located roughly four miles southeast of Ashland, Nebraska. It’s less than one mile from the I-80 freeway exit, which worked great for us, since we were on our Midwest road trip. You’ll know when you’re there, because there’s a military jet and several rockets and missiles that stand out from their surroundings.
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The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and there’s no parking fee. Tickets can be purchased onsite at the admission desk. There is no option to purchase your tickets online and there is no need to schedule a time or make a reservation.
Adult tickets are $16. Seniors, Active/Retired/Veteran Military (with ID) are $12, while children (ages 4-12) are $8. Children under 4 are free with accompanying adult. Public tours occur daily at 11 a.m. and last roughly two hours.
The Aircraft Collection at the Museum
There are more than three dozen aircraft on display at the museum, ranging from small to extremely large. They are grouped in two different hangars or ends of the museum, but here’s a rundown on some of the planes on display so you have an idea of what you’ll find:
- B-17G “Flying Fortress”
- B-25N “Mitchell”
- B-57E “Intruder”
- C-47A “Skytrain”
- F-86H “Sabre”
- F-117 “Nighthawk”
If you’re like me, most of those letters, numbers and names don’t mean anything to me. Except for the B-17 and B-25 from my interest in World War II history. Check out their Aircraft Collection online if you want to dive in deeper to the planes, their names, and what they look like.
While you’re at the museum in person, you can read about each of the planes to get a better idea of what their role was in the air. I’m sure your kids will be amazed at the size of some of the planes and the tires that support them. They are massive!
Historical Exhibits on Display
Around the edges of the hangars are various historic displays. There were several that were really interesting and peaked my interests. For example, they have a B-25 on display, which is the type of plane used in World War II by the Doolittle Raiders. If you aren’t familiar with that story, you should read all about it at the Doolittle’s Tokyo Raiders exhibit.
Another exhibit, Courage From Above: Strategic Bombers of World War II, had me stop in my tracks to read about the 15th Air Force. This group was based out of Italy and my grandpa, Leo Carlton, was part of that group. After only 10 missions, his plane was damaged on a bombing run to Munich and they landed in Austria, being taken as POWs. So I love to read and learn more about that group to see what I can learn about my grandpa and his time in the B-24J “Liberator”.
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I also appreciated the Women in Aerospace exhibit. The skies weren’t exclusive to men. Many women pioneered new things in aerospace and played a role in the skies during World War II and beyond. My wife and I spent some time reading about some of the aviators, which included icons like Amelia Earnhart.
There are so many great exhibits, so take the time to break away from the marvel of the large and small aircraft and read about the people who flew them.
Check out the Spacecraft at the SAC
As you know, space is something I’m passionate about. After all, my travel name is Carltonaut (combining Carlton with Astronaut). I was excited to see an area of the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum dedicated to space travel. Although there isn’t a space-flown capsule on display like many of the other museums I’ve explored, they have some test capsules and equipment.
For example, the Apollo Boilerplate was built as a trainer of sorts to look at configurations, size and more to help in the construction of the actual Apollo capsules. You can get a sense of how big (or small) the command modules were and then try to image three people living in them for several days at a time on the way to the moon. There’s also a test capsule that was launched to an altitude of 310 miles over the Atlantic Ocean to test various components of the capsule. This piece is on loan from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, so I’m not sure how long it will be on display at the SAC Museum.
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There are several other things on display that relate to space, including a spacesuit (as seen in the photo above). The exhibit tells the story of Ashland, Nebraska, native Clayton Anderson, who flew two space shuttle missions, one in 2007 and another in 2010. It’s always great to see how average people with that drive to succeed make it happen, and in Clayton’s story, he ended up going to space… twice!
Other Things to do at the Museum
Beyond checking out the aircraft, missiles, rockets and spacecraft on display, there are other activities to experience at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. In one of the hangars, there’s a “game” area where kids and adults can engage. If you want to challenge a friend to a friendly game of Battleship, they have that. There are several other activities to check out in this corner of the hangar.
Wanna experience a flight simulator? They have those at the SAC Museum for an additional fee of $11. They looked fun, but I was worried I would end up getting motion sickness and opted to not experience it.
The SAC Lunch Cafe is a great place to stop and grab, well… lunch. 😉 They offer a variety of meals so you can extend your visit to the SAC museum and not have to worry about what to bring for lunch. It’s only open from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., so don’t wait too long to grab lunch.
I was impressed with the size of the Museum Store. There were so many things that looked absolutely amazing, it was hard to decide on a single souvenir. We went with a patch and a pin to add to our travel collections. But there were some great science experiments, shirts, hats, toys and much, much more. Get a taste of what they have available by visiting their online store.
The Details
Address: 28210 West Park Highway, Ashland, NE 68003
How long to spend: Plan on about 2-3 hours so you can explore all aspects of the museum.
Cost: $16 for Adults. $12 for seniors and Active/Retired/Veteran Military (with ID). $8 for children (ages 4-12). Children under 4 are free with accompanying adult.
Hours: Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Website: https://www.sacmuseum.org/
Phone: (402) 944-3100
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