College Park Aviation Museum - College Park, Maryland

My son adores airplanes. In fact, he loves them so much that he'll break off a conversation and run outside to see a plane fly overhead. Fortunately, we live near several wonderful aviation museums. We visited the College Park Aviation Museum in College Park, Maryland, to find out more about the Old Line State's close connection to early aviation.

College Park Airport opened in 1909 so that Wilbur Wright could train pilots in Maryland. Still in use today, the airport claims to be the world's oldest airport still in use today. If aviation history interests you, take a trip to College Park and tour the airport's 27,000-square-foot museum.

The College Park Aviation Museum is especially interesting for children. There are several areas where children can participate in hands-on activities. My daughter enjoyed dressing up in a flight jacket, old-fashioned leather flying helmet and long silk scarf. In another area, she used rubber stamps to create her own "air mail."

My son especially enjoyed the flight simulator, where he repeatedly tried - and usually failed - to land his virtual airplane. I have to admit that I became quite dizzy watching him. He also enjoyed listening to local air traffic controllers, in real time, as they monitored flights and guided pilots.

Both of my children liked the "Experimentation" area. Here they made paper airplanes and investigated scientific principles using the wind tunnel. This is a great area for parents of younger children to stop and rest; toys and puzzles are available to keep busy hands occupied.

No aircraft museum is complete without, well, airplanes. College Park's collection is impressive. Some of the airplanes on display are reproductions of early aircraft, but many are originals. There's a 1916 Curtiss Jenny, a 1936 Taylor "Cub," and many more. My favorite is the 1941 Stearman. It was used in the first open-cockpit North Pole flight. Brrr!

The museum has space for temporary collections. When we visited, a photography exhibit was on display. My children weren't very interested, but I've always been fascinated by early aviation, so I walked the gallery's length and admired the photos.

If the weather is nice, you can bring a picnic lunch and eat outside the museum. Watch airplanes land and take off while you eat. There's an aviation-themed restaurant nearby if picnics aren't your style.

Younger visitors will also enjoy the museum's patio area, where they'll find little airplane ride-on toys. This is a good way to divert your children away from the gift shop. You can sit and relax, and your children can burn off some energy.

Check the museum's events calendar before you travel. The museum offers many special events geared toward all age groups. Choose from senior events, a preschool activities club, evening lectures and holiday events. Drive down to the museum to watch an aviation-themed movie. You can learn to build model rockets or discover how the Wright brothers made their wing ribs (no, it's not a new appetizer, it's the wooden supports for the fabric wings of their early airplane).