As promised, here is the scoop on the field trip we took while staying in Lincoln City….
We had no idea what to expect when we ventured to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, OR and it was an amazing exhibit from the get go! A 747 sets on the front lawn near the entrance road which is painted like a runway. Jets representing several eras stand guard on the grounds outside the museums. Another 747 is perched on the roof of one of the buildings. An impressive introduction!
Fighter Jet at the Evergreen Aviation Museum
747 Perched on the Roof
With high expectations, we entered the first museum. “Where is it?”, I asked, searching the extraordinary collection of aircraft surrounding us. “Look up”. Mammoth wings stretched overhead reaching from the ticket booth across to the other wall, shrinking everything else in the exhibit!
Spruce Goose
There she was! The infamous Spruce Goose aka the “Flying Boat”. Built and flown by Howard Hughes during World War II, this gigantic flying machine took its first and only flight on November 2, 1947. Interestingly, hundreds of beach balls were stowed in the wings and tail for flotation as added insurance against sinking! Visitors can enter the front section of the plane and special tours up to the cockpit are available. Although the Spruce Goose is the big draw, the rest of the exhibit is phenomenal. The Aviation Museum houses aircraft from the early flight days of 1903 through to commercial aviation including the B-17 Flying Fortress. The Space Museum features the development of the space age and displays rockets, space capsules, fighter jets and our favorite, the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane and much more. If you want to take flight, visit the I-max theatre, it is well worth it.
Spruce Goose
Spruce Goose
SR-71 Blackbird
F-15
P-51
So, back to the 747 perched on the roof. Take a look at this photo. Any guesses as to what the tubes extending from the plane to the roof are for?
Waterslide!
Fun seekers climb stairs in the building, enter the plane, take the emergency exits into the waterslide and land in a pool several stories below. The ultimate waterslide in the Evergreen Wings and Waves Waterpark!
The Evergreen Museum exceeded our expectations and we highly recommend it. http://www.EvergreenMuseum.org.
Wags Wild Adventure 
So glad you saw some really fun spots in Oregon! Hope the rest of your journey continues to be exciting!
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Thanks so much!
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That’s a neat place to go, I will have to put on my bucket list. As for the Spruce Goose, we worked at Hughes Aircraft in Culver City, and hear all about the plane and Mr. Hughes himself. We knew the plane was storage in Long Beach or somewhere around there, but forgot all about when they created it up and ship it somewhere, now we know. Did you take the slide down into the pool?
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No waterslide for us!
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That looks like a very cool place to visit!
Loving the blog and pics!
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It was definitely a memorable visit!
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As usual great pictures and great Blog.
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Thanks! Hope all is well. We’ll see you soon!
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