Happy Minot Monday! Today I’m talking about our visit to the Dakota Territory Air Museum. Minot Monday is made possible through a partnership with BeLOCAL Minot. Their mission is to help you find local favorites and live like a local quickly. Check them out for ideas of other places to go and local tips.
Last week I knocked another item off of my Fall Bucket List–visiting the Dakota Territory Air Museum. Since they close for the winter (in October) I wanted to be sure to squeeze in a visit. I’d never been before and Gideon and I had a great time exploring together. Here’s what you need to know before you go:
Adjust Your Expectations
It’s not the Smithsonian. The Dakota Territory Air Museum is a small museum in North Dakota. Don’t go in expecting elaborate displays or fancy interactive activities. This is very much a self-led museum that will require you to do your own learning and make your own fun. (In my opinion, there are lots of good things about doing it that way too!)
If you go in with an open mind, ready to learn a few things and see some really cool airplanes, I think you’ll have a good time.
What is the Dakota Territory Air Museum? What Was Our Visit Like?
[The Dakota Territory Air Museum is] a significant historical depository honoring the men, women and machines that have impacted the rich history of aviation.
From the DTAM website
Inside there is a “show room” of sorts with lots of aircraft models, uniforms and memorabilia. After this first room guests can explore three hangers full of aircrafts that range in age, size and mission. (Seeing the planes up close was our favorite part.) There are also static displays outside that you can get up close to.
Within each hanger there was at least one plane you could climb inside and explore. This hands-on experience was the highlight of our visit. Gideon loved being able to pretend to fly the plane (“just like daddy”) and push all the buttons and knobs.
Through play, we acted out parts of flight that Gideon knows through books and seeing daddy do it in small aircrafts: talking to control tower, taxiing, taking off and landing. He’s only 2.5, so exploring these basics was more important than reading the signs and trying to teach him aviation history.
My favorite parts of the museum were the “loft” in the second hanger–which had a lovely library and sitting area, next to huge windows that overlook the airport runways–and the WWII hanger. Who doesn’t love to see War Birds up close?
We spent just over an hour exploring the hangers. For us this was a perfect amount of time.
Who Should Go?
I thought about this a lot during our visit, knowing I’d be writing to you about it. I think our visit proves that anyone can go and enjoy it. However, there are groups that would probably appreciate it more.
- I deem this a great place to take parents who come to visit you in Minot. This is right up my dad’s alley–and several of the other visitors while we were there were middle aged and older men, who really seemed to be enjoying it.
- Groups. The museum offers educational tours for schools and groups year-round. I think a group tour would help the information and history come alive a bit more.
- Young children. This is a great outing for littles who will be intrigued by seeing the planes up close, and learning a bit about them. However, if your child has a hard time staying ” in the lines”, this will be a stressful outing for you. Most planes are roped off, but littles can easily sneak underneath.
Unless going with a group, I envision this to be a hard place to take a middle-schooler or teen (unless they have an affinity for aviation.) Since it’s not very hands on or interactive, this age group may have trouble focusing or being content to look at the aircrafts. (But take my word with a grain of salt. I didn’t go with a teen. I just know it would have been a place I would have struggled with when I was that age.)
Final Thoughts
We have no regrets about going to the Dakota Territory Air Museum. The admission is low, especially for military families (only $5 for visitors over 5). For us, it was money well spent for a fun afternoon.
Let me know if you go and what you think!
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