Warhawk Air Museum

Hands down, this family's favorite place to visit is the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, Idaho. This museum started out in an airplane hangar at the Caldwell Airport with a small collection of donated military items and one plane in their collection, a P-40 Kittyhawk. I was 13 when I saw this plane fly for the first time and I have been smitten since.

Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk "Sneak Attack" 

Now, the Warhawk Air Museum has since moved to Nampa and boasts a 35,000 sq. ft. exhibit complete with 11 static plane displays, a WW2 glider, and a vast collection of memorabilia from World War 1 to the present (Warhawk). The collection comes from local veterans and their families which were donated to the museum. I have lost track of the number of times I have been to the museum, but every time I go, there is something new for me to discover. The museum not only shows items from the military perspective, but interesting pieces of personal life on the home front: newspaper articles from the Idaho Statesman, period automobiles, ration books, children's toys, clothing, a wedding dress made from her husband to-be's parachute, and propaganda. Plus, with the expansion into the history of the Cold War and Space Age, you can see an exhibit on the Berlin Wall and see large moon rocks on display.

World War 1 German Fokker

Rolls Royce

There is so much to see and take pictures of at the museum.  Since everything is packed into cabinets filled with memorabilia anything I try and take pictures of does not do it justice. Aside from an actual visit to the museum which I highly encourage, they have a 360 degree virtual tour you can do from the comfort of your own home. My kids love the virtual tour because they can get right into the cockpit of their favorite airplanes, which is something not encouraged when we visit in person. ;-)

War bonds posters

Pratt&Whitney engine and prop

The Warhawk Air Museum hosts regular events throughout the year. By far, the most popular events are the airshows. The airshow schedule runs from May-August and features the local military planes and guests from  outside of our area. This summer, they held a P-38 Lightning and P-40 Warhawk weekend. Included with the airshow action there was a movie screening of "Between Two Worlds", presentation and Q&A with the World War 2 pilot (Major Arnold) who was featured in the movie "Between Two Worlds", and sponsorship rides. There is nothing like seeing these planes in action! It is one thing to just browse the museum, but to see and hear them fly is a wonderful experience. 

Nose art of the B-25 "Pacific Princess"

The B-25 "Pacific Princess"

Nose Art of the B-25 "Pacific Prowler"

P-40 Warhawk "Parrot Head"

My kids ages 2-9, all love the museum. During the airshows, they have coloring contests for free family membership at the museum, hands on models to explore, and a LEGO lab.

Coloring contestants hard at work. 

One of the highlights of the airshow and a regular museum offering is the sponsorship ride. For about $350 (depends on the plane) you can take a ride in one of the war birds! This has been a huge dream of mine and hopefully one day I will be able to afford it and take a ride. The Warhawk Air Museum has a really cool video of what a sponsorship ride is like and yes, the pilot will even take you upside down and do rolls!

There are also activities specifically for local Veterans. Once a month Veterans may meet at the museum for the Kilory Coffee Klatch (First Tuesday of every month) for a few hours of conversation and coffee and a full breakfast on Veteran's Day. They are also doing a Veteran's History Project, recording the stories of veterans and their experiences. 

Speaking of veterans and their experiences. If you happened on this blog from my English 102 class, this museum has the airplane that was the topic of my research assignment, the F-86 Sabre. My dad has loved seeing the restoration of this old plane because it takes him back to those days in the Korean War. Just visiting the plane elicited more stories from my dad than he could remember just sitting and thinking about it. Those moments are so special to family historians and I was thankful for this plane's addition in the museum.

         F-86 Sabre 2009

F-86 Sabre 2010

F-86 Sabre 2012

Whether you are an airplane enthusiast, history buff, veteran, school group, or just looking for something unique to check out, the Warhawk Air Museum is highly recommended!

The museum also has a really neat gift shop with everything from toys, model airplanes, books, movies, clothing, and my favorite purchase from the gift shop was my Rosie the Riveter lunch box!

The Warhawk Air Museum has winter and summer hours.
Currently, they are open Tuesday-Saturday 10 AM-5 PM and Sunday 10 AM-4 PM.
Closed Mondays and on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Admission prices are:
General Admission: $10.00
Seniors: $8.00
Veterans/Military (with ID): $8.00
Children 5-12: $4.00

In addition:
If you are interested in a nice relaxing place to eat after your museum tour, I highly recommend the Starvin' Marvins Blue Sky Cafe located upstairs from the Nampa airport terminal. Family owned and operated, this cafe is a delightful place to eat for airplane nerds and foodies. Weather permitting, outdoor seating is available on the observation deck and you can watch planes taking off and landing. It is also a spectacular place to eat during an airshow which makes it feel like front row, VIP seating.