Air Zoo- Kalamazoo, MI

Air Zoo- http://www.airzoo.org/

Ages- 3 to 9 (much older would see the rides as “kiddy”).  I’d take anyone who is interested in flight or airplanes.

Cost- Free with Museum Family Pass (available at Ann Arbor Hands On Museum)

General Admission - $10
Includes access to all of the Air Zoo's aircraft, exhibits and:

• Century of Flight Ferris Wheel
• Paratrooper Jump
• Montgolfier Balloon Race
• Flying Circus Bi-Plane Ride

Ultimate Ace Package - $16.50
Includes everything under the General Admission Package, PLUS:

• 3D Space Shuttle
• Corsair Challenge
• Mission to Mars
• Full-Motion Flight Simulators
• RealD 3D/4D Missions Theater

Location-  (near the Kalamazoo Airport)  6151 Portage Road, Portage, MI 49002 - Phone- 269.382.6555  :  866.524.7966 (Toll Free)

Parking- Free on site

Other attractions nearby- Western Michigan University is fifteen minutes away;  Kalamazoo College is fifteen minutes away; and Kalamazoo Valley Museum is ten minutes away.

Places to eat nearby- Kitty Hawk Café at Air Zoo; Bell’s Eccentric Café is ten minutes away;  Olde Peinsula Brewpub- 10 mins away; Food Dance-10 mins away, Slow’s BBQ- 10 mins drive, Union Street- 5 min drive, several eateries on Wayne State’s Campus

Why to go there: They have rides.  They have airplanes and history.  They have NASA/space stuff.  It is in an old hanger.  If you ask, you can go visit the old museum.  It is in Kalamazoo, a pretty cool area with pretty cool restaurants/breweries.  You can work in a college tour.  Kids will learn and have fun.  It is right off of the expressway.  This is one of those places where your kids can be a little more free to roam.  There is little chance they will hurt anything (everything is roped off).  You can check out the virtual tour here.

What to do beforehand: Go over flight and some of the history of it.  Get kids thinking about how flight has affected us in many different ways.  Also, there is a chance to think about the military and their contributions to flight.  There also is enough space memorabilia to focus on space flight and travel too. 

Another interesting “pre” activity is to think about the design of airplanes.  There is the physics.  Use this activity to delve into that.  There also is the artistic side of plane design.  The colors.  The shapes.  The overall picture a plane projects.

Be careful:  Pretty full on the weekends, try to get there early.  Except the café in the museum, every place is ten minutes away, so plan to bring snacks.  You only need the basic entrance for anyone under 7.

Summary:  Wouldn’t be a great fit until 3, but Kalamazoo Air Zoo is money after that.