“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” with this quote Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. It has been 50 years since the moon landing and to commemorate this feat we are hoping to stop by Wapakoneta, Ohio, where he was born on our way out east.
Armstrong Air & Space Museum
In Wapakoneta you can visit a museum that commemorates Armstrong’s life and the moon landing.
The museum resembles a futuristic moon base. The design of the architect, a Wapakoneta native, was selected from a national contest.
Here you can learn about Armstrong, other Ohioans who have attempted to defy gravity, the Space Race, and current space exploration.
Marvel at many one-of-a-kind artifacts including the Gemini VIII spacecraft, Neil Armstrong’s Gemini and Apollo spacesuits, and an Apollo 11 moon rock.
See two full-size aircraft, both of which were flown by Armstrong. A 15-year-old Armstrong learned to fly at Port Koneta, a long-gone Wapakoneta airfield. He flew a yellow Aeronca Champion now on exhibit.
This is no static museum; it is filled with motion and sound. There are seven interactive exhibits, ten audio/visual elements, and three simulators.
Visitors can practice landing the lunar module and space shuttle, or docking the Gemini capsule, as Neil Armstrong did in 1966.
The 56-foot dome in the center of the museum houses the Astro Theater, a unique venue that allows guests to enjoy the 25-minute documentary about Apollo 11’s lunar landing. There is no additional charge for the simulators or the film.
Hours: From October to March — Tuesday – Saturday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM; Sunday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Monday: Closed
From April to September –Monday – Saturday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM; Sunday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Open 9:30 AM – 5 PM all other holidays.
Admission: Adults $10, Seniors (60+) $9, Children (6-12) $4; Veterans $8, Active Military with ID Free; Children (5 and Under) Free.
Address: 500 Apollo Dr, Wapakoneta, OH 45895
Directions: The Museum is located at 500 Apollo Dr., just west of I-75 at Exit 111 (First on the Moon, Bellefontaine Street) in Wapakoneta, Ohio, approximately 60 miles north of Dayton, 90 miles south of Toledo, and 75 miles northwest of Columbus on US 33. Wapakoneta is centrally located between Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Detroit.
Neil Armstrong Boyhood Home – Eagles Landing
After you see the museum you can do the short drive into Wapakoneta to see the house he was born in. Here there is a historical marker in the yard of the home. The house is a private residence but you can stop by and check it out just minutes from the museum.
Address: 601 W Benton St, Wapakoneta, OH 45895
Wright Cycle Company
To see the beginnings of aviation before we made it to space checkout the nearby Wright Cycle Company, which is part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. The museum commemorates the bicycle company started by Wilbur and Orville Wright, the first men to fly an airplane, in Dayton, Ohio.
In 1896 the Wright brothers began manufacturing and selling bicycles of their own design, the Van Cleve and St. Claire, named after their ancestors. They invented the self-oiling hub and devised the innovation of machining the crank arm and pedal on the left side with left-hand threads to prevent the pedal from coming unscrewed while cycling.
The Wrights used their profits from the cycling business to finance their aviation experiments. They went to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in the cycling off-season to tryout their airplane designs.
There work in Dayton included fitting a bicycle wheel horizontally above the front wheel of one of their St. Claire bicycles and used the apparatus as a test platform to study airfoil design.
They built a six-foot wind tunnel on the second floor of their bicycle shop at 1127 West Third St., the last location of their bicycle business, and from October to December they conducted pioneering tests in the tunnel of over 200 shapes of scale-model wings.
In that same building, they designed and constructed their gliders and first airplane, the Wright Flyer, which cost under $1,000 to build.
Also, Armstrong grew up near here and was interested in flight from a very young age and went on his first flight when he was five and when he was 15 started flying lessons.
Hours: March – Oct. 9 am – 5 pm; Nov. – Feb. 9 am = 5 pm, Wednesday through Sunday, Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Admission: Free
Address: 22 S Williams St, Dayton, OH 45402
Wilbur Wright Birthplace and Museum
About 70 miles away in Indiana is Wilbur Wright’s birthplace. This is a ways out in the country so be aware of that.
You can see the home site where Wilbur Wright was born as well as a full-size replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer.
You will find a Main Street area. Here you can see print and bicycle shop, based on the Wrights early business ventures. You can also see a barbershop, dress shop, general store and school from the early 1900s, the era they lived in. One display includes woodcarvings made from wood from the original house and fence.
The grounds also include a visitor’s center and gift shop.
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 10 am – 5 pm; Sunday 1 pm – 5 pm, Closed Mondays.
Admission: $8 per person and $2 for children.
Address: 1525 N CR 750 E, Hagerstown, IN 47346, US
