Cradle of Aviation Museum

Located on the historic Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York, the Cradle of Aviation Museum celebrates the region that helped launch the Age of Flight—and the Space Age beyond.

Dedicated to preserving Long Island’s rich aerospace heritage of discovery and innovation, the Museum showcases over 75 air and spacecraft, spanning from early hot air balloons to an actual Lunar Module. Visitors encounter artifacts that shaped history, including Charles Lindbergh’s first airplane, a World War I Curtiss Jenny, and aircraft that represent the pioneering spirit that earned this region the name “Cradle of Aviation.”

The Museum stands on land once part of Mitchel Air Force Base, near historic Roosevelt Field—where record-setting and world-changing flights helped define modern aviation. Today, in a state-of-the-art facility, the Cradle of Aviation brings those stories to life through immersive galleries, interactive exhibits, and a giant full-dome planetarium that explores the universe above.

From the first fragile biplanes to mankind’s journey to the Moon, the Cradle of Aviation Museum connects past innovation to future possibility—inviting visitors of all ages to discover how Long Island helped shape the skies.