It's a bird! It's a plane! Actually, it's a whole bunch of planes.
Written: Oct 17 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A for effort - this is an beautiful facility. The huge planes are very impressive.
Cons: The rides will make you sick, the educational aspects could be improved.
The Bottom Line: Maybe I'll go back when I have kids who love these types of rides.
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| chelledun's Full Review: Kalamazoo Air Zoo |
For those of us who regularly drive through southern Michigan or northern Indiana, the Kalamazoo Air Zoo is practically inescapable. Large billboards touting its wonders line several major highways and their number seems to increase with time. After years of talking about it, mr_chelledun and I finally dedicated a day to checking out this combination museum/airport/amusement park.
Know Before You Go
Despite its name, the Kalamazoo Air Zoo is actually located in Portage, Michigan, in the southeastern portion of the state. This little town is quite obsessed with aviation, as reflected by the plane inspired décor and business names which line the road to the Air Zoo.
Air Zoo is open for operation from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free, which is nice but not as awesome as it sounds in that tickets are required to access to Air Zoo's many rides. Individual tickets cost $2.00 and each ride requires one or two tickets. To avoid the hassle of buying and counting individual tickets, we each purchased an "all you can ride" bracelet for $12.95 per person. I'd say we probably about broke even. An annual "all you can ride" pass is also available for around $30.00 but that would necessitate a lot of riding to justify.
Free parking is available on site with the main lot by the first building. The second building is a pleasant seven to ten minute walk away but those with mobility difficulties can drive there and repark.
Building 1
Guests enter through the larger and newer of Air Zoo's two buildings, which incidentally features the largest single mural in . . . Michigan? The world? I can't remember. It is a very big mural, covering the walls of a very big room. Various historic and modern planes are scattered around the giant floor space, interspersed with motion simulators and other rides.
In the interest of avoiding any queues that may develop, we headed straight toward the rides as soon as the museum opened. This was probably a good thing, as all the ride operators we encountered were relatively slow and more interested in chatting with their friends than starting the rides. Our first experience was a multi-passenger 3-D Space Shuttle Simulator ride of the variety that one often sees at zoos and museums. This was not one of the better examples of such rides in that the 3-D quality was very poor and our trip to outer space was made about as exciting as a trip to the dentist. Even the kids behind us seemed board. We went next to a full-motion Flight Simulator which literally flipped upside down when steered incorrectly. The ride was better than the space shuttle in terms of quality, but also more nauseating. Speaking of nauseating, we next rode the Montgolfier Balloon Race, a brightly colored, relatively tame-looking ride. (See images at http://www.airzoo.org/page.php?menu_id=14). In fact, this is Dumbo on steroids and spins so quickly we didn't know if we were going to make it through the whole ride without being sick. Good times!
After we were sufficiently dizzy, we moved to exploring the building's more stationary exhibits. The coolest of the planes, by far, is the futuristic, menacing, Lockheed SR-71B Blackbird - an extremely high speed aircraft in service through the late 1990's. This plane, like many others, was lit so it seemed to glow for added effect. Many of the planes are brightly and elaborately painted, such a one North American B-25J Mitchell that looked like a duck. There are also very not-lifelike mannequins positioned amongst the planes, which is kind of funny. Sadly, there is not much printed material to explain the various planes or their roles in history. The small, dull billboards in front of each plane detailing dates of service and little else did little to either inform or interest us.
We really wanted to see the 4D movie that plays in this building. Unfortunately, the theater is very small and we just never hit the timing right. Once we got in line only to have the theater fill completely and we would have had to stand and wait at least another half hour until the next showing.
Building 2
An outdoor foot path marked with little aircraft leads to the second pavilion. On the day we visited, this path lead directly through a small cluster of historical reenactors inviting us to participate in an "amputation." This is unlikely to happen on the day you visit. What is likely to happen, though, is an opportunity to watch a plane landing or taking off from the airfield behind this building. We saw a giant military helicopter land and an old-fashioned bi-plane depart. Daring guests can snag a ride for $60.00 or so.
The second building is humbler in appearance than the first, but in my opinion more interesting in content. We enjoyed looking at several cases of interesting WWII aviation memorabilia. There were many very personal items - letters, articles of clothing, propaganda flyers, and gifts from abroad. A display of all the different men's and women's uniforms from the time is also available. There are many nifty WWII planes in a huge hanger toward the back of the building. Again, I would have liked to see more interesting and through printed information to go with these displays.
We next toured a moderately-sized room filled with artifacts and exhibits devoted to space travel. There is a scale model of a space shuttle, complete with "kitchen", "toilet," and "Coke machine." Posters pay tribute to the two shuttles which have met tragic fates. There is also a glass-enshrined piece of "moon rock", which is pretty awesome. Personally, I thought this part of the museum was the most interesting because space stuff is always cool, but I've definitely seen similar displays done better elsewhere.
In keeping with the space theme, mr_chelledun couldn't resist a twirl on the spinning Space Ball. This two-person ride is exactly like one of those gyrospheres that used to appear at malls and amusement parks all over the country. I opted out, and mr_chelledun wished he had. Immediately after finishing, he turned to me and said, "Okay, I'm ready to go home now."
Shopping and Dining
Air Zoo has the requisite café serving hot dogs, chicken strips, popcorn, and candy. This facility is nicer than most in that it provides balcony seating overlooking the very impressive first building and its planes. The food is just okay. Next time I would probably skip the lunch and just get some popcorn.
A gift shop on the main floor sells aviation-related paraphernalia along with some general science stuff. Museum-specific T-shirts, postcards, magnets, and keychains are available. Prices are a little lower than average for a museum.
Overall . . .
As one who is neither an aviation buff or a lover of feeling spinning in circles, the Kalamazoo Air Zoo is not exactly my thing. The focus is very much on the rides, which are little better than the nauseating Scramblers and "motion simulators" you'll find at your local fair. I do think the facility and its planes are beautiful and I'd like to see some attention paid to beefing up the non-ride displays. Overall, this was a three-star day but I certainly don't need to go back any time soon.
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Families
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