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All the United States Oregon McMinnville Evergreen Aviation Museum

Evergreen Aviation Museum

Home of Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose.

McMinnville, Oregon

Added By
chuck
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The museum as seen from the road.   self
The museum as seen from the road.   self
A view of the nose of Spruce Goose. The door is sized for an adult to walk through, and the airplane in front is a WWII Curtiss P-40 fighter.   self
This shows the scale of things   heyyouoverthere / Atlas Obscura User
Well before the Grateful Dead patented their logo   heyyouoverthere / Atlas Obscura User
Looking down the belly of the Spruce Goose   heyyouoverthere / Atlas Obscura User
The Spruce Goose with additional exhibits under its wings.   Chassy / Atlas Obscura User
Titan II Missile Launch Room Replica   Chassy / Atlas Obscura User
Titan II Missile & Replica Silo   Chassy / Atlas Obscura User
Manned Space Flight   Chassy / Atlas Obscura User
US & Russian Moon Exploration   Chassy / Atlas Obscura User
  Anna Minster / Atlas Obscura User
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About

The Spruce Goose, or H-4 Hercules—also called the flying lumberyard—only took flight once. It lifted some 70 feet off the water and flew for around a mile. That was to be the wooden behemoth's only moment of glory.

Built from laminated wood to conserve metal during the war, the Spruce Goose was, in fact, built almost entirely from birch. Howard Hughes himself detested the nickname for the plane, one of three "flying boats" he had been contracted to build for the government to the tune of 18 million dollars.

After its first and last flight, the Spruce Goose was kept in a specially designed hanger for 33 years. After Hughes's death in 1976, however, the plane was set to be disassembled. Saved at the last minute, the plane was displayed throughout the world before finally coming to rest in her custom-built home, the Evergreen Aviation Museum.

The Museum is home to many aircraft, from a replica of the Wright Brothers' 1903 Flyer to a Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird. There is a separate IMAX theater and Space Museum with numerous exhibits pertaining to space flight. A water park topped by a Boeing 747 (the starting point for a slide) completes the complex.

As of 2016, the Collings Foundation purchased most of the vintage World War II aircraft and plan to move them to Stow, MA. The Spruce Goose and other civil aviation craft remain.

Related Tags

Strange Science Museums Aircraft Instruments Of Science Retro Tech

Know Before You Go

The Museums and IMAX complex is located at:
500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way
McMinnville, Oregon 97128

Community Contributors

Added By

chuck

Edited By

stonecw, LexiConqueror, Chassy, Anna Minster...

  • stonecw
  • LexiConqueror
  • Chassy
  • Anna Minster
  • heyyouoverthere

Published

May 10, 2010

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Evergreen Aviation Museum
500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way
McMinnville, Oregon, 97128
United States
45.203725, -123.141479
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Spruce Goose

McMinnville, Oregon

miles away

Erratic Rock State Natural Site

McMinnville, Oregon

miles away

Wheatland Ferry

Salem, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of McMinnville

McMinnville

Oregon

Places 3

Nearby Places

The Spruce Goose

McMinnville, Oregon

miles away

Erratic Rock State Natural Site

McMinnville, Oregon

miles away

Wheatland Ferry

Salem, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of McMinnville

McMinnville

Oregon

Places 3

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