Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
20 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
21 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
24 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
24 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Weston-super-Mare The Helicopter Museum

The Helicopter Museum

The world's largest museum devoted solely to the whirlybird comes complete with its own chopper graveyard.

Weston-super-Mare, England

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Helicopter Museum   Alan Wilson on Flickr
The Helicopter Museum   Alan Wilson on Flickr
The helicopter graveyard.   Alan Wilson on Flickr
The Helicopter Museum   Alan Wilson on Flickr
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Growing nearly organically from one man's private collection since 1958, the Helicopter Museum is one of the world's only museums singularly devoted to rotor-powered aerial craft, and the collection has grown so large that there is now a even a sort of graveyard right on site.

Starting in the late 50's with an obsessive hoard of helicopter parts, Helicopter Museum founder Elfan ap Rees did not actually get his hands on a full helicopter until 1969. However once his first full chopper was in place, more soon followed. Rees acquired everything from commercial aircraft to military fliers and even a few independently developed prototype craft. As the collection grew a new space was found on the Weston-super-Mare airfield and after decades of restoring the rotary aircraft and snapping up any complete vehicles they could, the museum officially opened to the public in 1989, complete with a coronation ceremony attended by the Duke of York.

Today the collection contains over 80 helicopters and countless pieces of incomplete autogyros including pieces of the decommissioned XCH-62, one of the largest helicopters ever built. They have collected so many hulls and husks of craft that there is now also a field near the museum that is used as a strange resting place for grounded helicopters, rusting away like countless car yards the world over, accept instead of no longer being able to hit the road, these poor ships will never be able to soar the skies again.        

Related Tags

Helicopters Aircraft Museums And Collections Museums

Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

rbenn250

  • rbenn250

Published

September 25, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g191282-d212365-Reviews-International_Helicopter_Museum-Weston_super_Mare_Somerset_England.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Helicopter_Museum_(Weston)
The Helicopter Museum
Locking Moor Road
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare, England, BS24
United Kingdom
51.347921, -2.929383
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Clevedon Pier

Clevedon, England

miles away

Burnham-on-Sea Low Lighthouse

Burnham-on-Sea, England

miles away

The Cheddar Man and Cannibals Museum

Cheddar, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,233
Stories 145

Nearby Places

Clevedon Pier

Clevedon, England

miles away

Burnham-on-Sea Low Lighthouse

Burnham-on-Sea, England

miles away

The Cheddar Man and Cannibals Museum

Cheddar, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,233
Stories 145

Related Places

  • McCulloch J-2 Gyroplane.

    West Chester, Pennsylvania

    American Helicopter Museum and Education Center

    A converted hangar displays dozens of helicopters, from a famous 1943 rescue chopper to several autogyros.

  • Tucson, Arizona

    Pima Air & Space Museum

    Browse an impressive collection of passenger and military aircraft dating back to World War II.

  • Exposed interior of the 747

    Atlanta, Georgia

    The 747 Experience

    One-of-a-kind museum inside the first Boeing 747-400 ever made.

  • A Curtis P-40N Warhawk flown by the Flying Tigers.

    Robins Air Force Base, Georgia

    Museum of Aviation

    A fascinating aviation museum where you can chat with the veterans who once flew the aircraft on display.

  • Early jet parking.

    Chino, California

    Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum

    A museum dedicated to restoring vintage aircraft, located at a working airport.

  • Cosmosphere.

    Hutchinson, Kansas

    Cosmosphere

    The world’s largest combined collection of U.S. and Russian aircraft got its start in a poultry building.

  • Hammondsport, New York

    Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Museum

    Curtiss is a forgotten figure in the early history of flight.

  • Westland Lysander

    Central Bedfordshire, England

    Westland Lysander at the Shuttleworth Collection

    A rare example of the RAF’s flying spy taxi.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.