1940 Air Terminal Museum image

1940 Air Terminal Museum

Tourist attraction Museum

Spacious art deco museum featuring memorabilia, aircrafts & uniforms from aviation history. People often mention museum, history, aviation, time, great, airport, airline, love, staff, visit,


Address

8325 Travelair St, Houston, TX 77061, United States

Website

www.1940airterminal.org

Contact

+1 713-454-1940

Rating on Google Maps

4.70 (589 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Thursday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Friday: (Good Friday), 10 am to 5 pm, Hours might differ
  • Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Sunday: (Easter), 10 am to 5 pm, Hours might differ
  • Monday: Closed
  • Tuesday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Wednesday: 10 am to 5 pm

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: museum (30) history (16) aviation (10) time (9) great (8) airport (7) airline (7) love (6) staff (6) visit (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 A R. 1 year ago on Google
    This is hands down my favorite museum in Houston. Perfect for aviation geeks or just casual enthusiasts! They have so much history on display here plus the volunteers are helpful and knowledgeable. I especially love open ramp days when you can go up to the third floor observatory deck and see planes come in and take off. This is also a great place to plane spot. The parking is on site and plentiful as well. Admission is only $5!
    11 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 David P. 1 year ago on Google
    We showed up late, they did not charge us, and we got great pics and video with the planes outside. They were getting ready for a wedding and still let us enjoy ourselves. The pics and video came out EPIC!
    8 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 András S. 8 months ago on Google
    It’s a lovely small museum, but a must see for anyone who is into airplanes or aviation! It’s literally at the airport by the runway so you see the planes taking off and landing too. Super friendly staff!
    7 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Kathryn Taylor N. 2 years ago on Google
    We love this museum because it’s full of history and little details. We also took our engagement photos here and they’re so cool! Photo credit to Shauna Kiely Photography.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Markus Hyder (. 2 years ago on Google
    This is a Houston hidden gem. Even growing up in the city, I had no idea that this museum existed. Literally thousands of old photos and aircrafts were on display. The staff of volunteers were not pushy or aggressive at all. They allowed us to take our time and travel back in time. The guys were so nice to my 3 year old son and allowed him to tour the retro plane outside in the back. The museum itself had so much history inside that you could literally get lost in time. This was a wonderful experience for me and my kiddo. We are planning on returning every month.
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Elaina S. 2 years ago on Google
    We celebrated our wedding reception here on 06/12/21. The museum is beautiful and full of such rich history, Juan (of Juan Events) was an excellent man to work with and gave us a great military discount!
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Veronica L. 2 years ago on Google
    Made a stop at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum this morning and were very happy we did. The staff/volunteers were very informative and nice to talk to, they have a collection of private and commercial airline peices it was neat to see what an airport looked like in the 1940s. They are still actively working on the restoration and have a wings and wheels event a few times a year.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Katia O. 9 months ago on Google
    Beautiful building. Volunteers were nice and knowledgeable. Reasonably priced admission for the experience. Will definitely recomend to our friends.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Douglas Sweet j. 1 year ago on Google
    Definitely go to the gem . Mr. Jim was a wealth of information as well as kind and accommodating to my film camera club. Please consider visiting and supporting this place.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Darlene P. C. 7 months ago on Google
    I've been meaning to visit this museum for a long time and I finally had the chance to do so recently. For history lovers, this place is phenomenal. As soon as I stepped inside the building, I could smell history. The structure is definitely old and dated but this only makes it more attractive and interesting. My favorite part was stepping inside the historic airplane in the back of the museum and watching modern airplanes take off from Hobby Airport. I really enjoyed my visit and highly recommend this museum to all Houstonians and history buffs.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Maribel Quiros (. 2 years ago on Google
    My husband loves this museum. The kids enjoyed themselves and we bought some souvenirs. The admissions fees were adults $5 each, kids $2 each. It's a historic airport with tons of interesting things to see.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Isaac B. 6 months ago on Google
    Great hidden little gem rich in local history and Texas aviation history! There’s a lot of airline artifacts, and the C-56 Lodestar executive aircraft on display is a really fascinating piece of post-WWII aircraft conversions that was prevalent from the 1950s-1970s. This is worth the visit!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Brian S. 1 year ago on Google
    There was a special on for admission. It was $5.00 per adult. Thanks to Lucy for the most friendly welcome. Just wish that they had XL polos for men for sale. We did purchase a fridge magnet For such a small venue/museum we spent upwards of 2 hours reading about the history of this terminal. So glad that the powers to be and the volunteers stepped up to preserve this very interesting artifact. Remember that their roof is leaking and they need your support to get it repaired.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 ItzFilippo 1 year ago on Google
    The best aviation museum ever! We went there and the staff was kind and helpful, they also allowed us to go inside the airport newar the taxiways. The museum experience was simply splendid and there were a lot of items on display. Highly, higly recomended.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Tania A. 1 year ago on Google
    Its a small museum but they had quite a lot of artifacts from airlines of yesteryear, including my beloved Pan American World Airways. I enjoyed looking at all the memorabilia. Id definitely recommend it for historians and airline enthusiasts.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 david F. 5 months ago on Google
    Wonderful museum and staff. Beautiful art deco architecture. Highly recommended for aviation enthusiasts and those who love art deco :)
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 shanna l. 9 months ago on Google
    This museum didn't have very much to see but what they did have was very cool and very interesting. The entire museum had been rented out for the afternoon so we were only able to stay for maybe 30 min. I'm guessing there was probably more we could've seen if the museum had not been rented and getting ready for a banquet. I also thought there were planes to see behind the building but we weren't able to go back there due to the same issue. So if you are planning to go, I recommend calling 1st and making sure it is open and hasn't been rented out.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Taryn A. 1 year ago on Google
    I visited the museum with an aviation buff, but I do love museums. This place was packed with ephemera so if that's your thing (spoiler- it was for me!) I highly recommend this place. It's amazing to see what air travel was like in this specific slice of time. It was still fairly new and celebrated. It shows too. The museum is only partially restored. The rest shows the building as is which allows for great little details I think would be missed. There are rooms with the progression of uniforms, images of then and now, and a video of the history on the museum itself. There was a room with memorabilia from pilots and you could listen to live air traffic control as the airport nearby was going about daily operations. I though this a was fun dip into history.

  • 5/5 Peter S. 2 years ago on Google
    Granted, the building and its surroundings could use some refurbishing love. And I kind of expected something different from the exhibition, i.e. artifacts and stories about aviation air traffic in Houston. But I still want to give this place a 5 star rating, as the museum offers an extensive collection of historic aviation artifacts, ranging from airline playing cards to historic photos, aircraft models, uniforms, and other goods that really give an impression of how airline travel was in the 1940s-1980s. One also learns a lot about the history of american airline companies. The volunteer presents, whose name I've unfortunately forgotten, took great care of me and showed me around parts of the exhibition and even part of the still-active tarmac of Hobby airport, to which this museum is directly adjacent. In general, the museum was well though-out, interesting, and clean.

  • 5/5 Brandon L. 5 months ago on Google
    Very cool place! Kids liked it too.

  • 5/5 Rene S. 5 months ago on Google
    From the moment you enter this small museum they welcome you friendly and give you a brief description of the place. Very entertaining and with a great story in the exhibition room.

  • 4/5 Sue q. 8 months ago on Google
    I enjoyed my tour in this small place, has all what you need to know about flying history

  • 5/5 Christopher W. 8 months ago on Google
    I had a good time here at the first airport in Houston. This museum features artifacts from the early days of aviation. It includes items such as pilot and flight attendant uniforms, china and silverware used to serve dinner in flight, luggage, etc. This place was also home to the Women's Air Force pilots during the 1940s. This is a fascinating place rich in history. I'd visit this place again in the future.

  • 4/5 Kenneth C. 1 year ago on Google
    $10 admission seems high for the size of the exhibit, but I'm getting old now, so all I do is complain about how expensive things are. 🤣 I do encourage you to visit, in order to appreciate the fashion of the time.

  • 5/5 Ar M. 1 year ago on Google
    I’ve visited this place a few times with my son. The admission is $5 and self guided. I think it’s pretty interesting to learn about history. I especially love the wing with the different airline uniforms. There’s a plane in the hangar that they allow you to view and on special occasions there’s an old southwest plane that they allow you to go inside. Very fascinating. Just note, this museum isn’t an exciting experience but I think it’s valuable and worth a visit. On days when you have extra time I’d suggest watching the planes take off from Hobby. Sometimes you can see the Rockets private plane.

  • 5/5 Ricardo V M. 2 years ago on Google
    Love this place! It had so many rooms full of intresting memorabilia! The volunteers were very friendly! Jim (volunteer) showed us around and showed us the airplane outside! The museum also had TONS of info about all the airlines in the 1940s! A must do!

  • 5/5 James W. 1 year ago on Google
    Provided DJ Services for The Shirley’s 11-11-22, load in was great, staff was very helpful and allowing ample time to setup and breakdown. Event Manager Juan was very helpful and patience with all vendors

  • 5/5 April P. 2 years ago on Google
    Fantastic museum....great way to spend the afternoon. Extensive collections and memorabilia. Perfect for anyone who is an aviation enthusiast and also those who are not. Plenty for everyone and all ages. We will definitely be back. Our tour guide was very kind and amazing at explaining things. Our sons are studying to be commercial pilots so this was right up their alley. Great day. Thank you to all of those who work hard to keep this museum open.


Call +1 713-454-1940 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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