Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum

Stepping inside the vaulted building of the Aviation Museum is breathtaking. Evergreen Museum is a treasure trove of significant aircraft, artifacts and memorabilia that share in the illustrious history of aviation and space travel. The seventh largest air and space collection in the country, the museum is a glass and stone monument to the fearless pioneers of this great industry. Light pours in through floor-to-ceiling windows several stories high, reflecting off the myriad surfaces of the airplanes suspended from the ceiling and surrounding the centerpiece of the collection: Howard Hughes’s massive flying boat, the Spruce Goose.

Photo By Rob Delahanty

 Richard, a volunteer at the front desk, says that many people are mystified when they walk into the museum. “They look around and say ‘Where’s the Spruce Goose?'” Not that he faults them for overlooking the enormous plane. “It’s hard to comprehend something this big,” he explains. He points them in the right direction, but their sense of awe remains – awe of the plane and the museum itself. “It’s gorgeous,” say Mark and Darlene, visitors from Idaho. “There’s a lot more here than we expected.”

Photo By Rob Delahanty

A virtual army of retired fighter pilots and veterans from all branches of the service volunteer as guides at the museum, sharing their knowledge and experiences with visitors of all ages. Samantha Boehm, Marketing and PR Coordinator, stresses that Evergreen’s primary purpose is promoting education and history. Thus, the museum invests heavily in opportunities for the younger generation to learn about history from those who lived it. “When a guide tells you what he flew and what it was like, it’s amazing,” Samantha says. “It brings it to life.”