Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium, Oklahoma

What is Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium?

The museum occupies the northwest corner of the airport grounds. The exhibit floor mixes old airplanes with displays on aviation history and activities meant to be touched and tried rather than just read.

The planetarium is the other half of the name. It has a full-dome screen, the kind that curves overhead so the sky seems to wrap around the audience. The museum also runs educational programs, with rooms set up for school trips, summer camps and Scout groups, so teaching young visitors is a big part of its work.

History of Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium

Records give 1998 as the museum's starting year. The planetarium came eight years later, in 2006, turning an aviation museum into a place that covers both flight and the night sky. Its airport location ties the collection to a working airfield rather than a downtown gallery, which suits a museum built around aircraft.

Visiting Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium: tips

The museum is close to the Route 66 corridor through Tulsa, so the detour is short. It is not free to visit, and it is listed as wheelchair accessible. Plan on one to two hours, a little more if you want to catch a planetarium show.

The Tulsa Zoo is about 1.9 miles away, which makes an easy pairing for a family day. The Sinclair Service Station is about 4.7 miles off, and The Outsiders House Museum is about 5 miles away. A restaurant sits less than half a mile from the museum.