[Veritas1911]

I would like to compile a list of historical militaria museums, places of interest, etc. within our area for weekend getaways (i.e. within a days drive). I haven't been to very many but the following that I've been to are definitely a must see. Please post only ones you'd recommend.

Atlanta Hisitory Center, GA (http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/) - Good exhibition on the "Turning Point: The American Civil War." Looks at both Union and Confederate view points and focuses on Shermans Atlanta Campaign.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, GA (http://www.nps.gov/kemo/) - Where the Atlanta Campaign started. Near Atlanta and a must see after visiting the Atlanta History Museum.

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, GA-TN (http://www.nps.gov/chch/) - Where the Campaign for Chattanooga started. Not far from Chattanooga.

Patriot's Point, SC (http://www.patriotspoint.org/) - The USS Yorktown, Planes and Flight Deck, and the Medal of Honor Museum are a must see.

Fort Frederica National Monument, SC (https://www.nps.gov/fofr/index.htm) - Established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe to protect the Southern boundary of his new colony of Georgia. A bit sparse with only outlines and remnants of the colony but for $3 you can't go wrong.

That's really all I've been to but I would like to visit more like Andersonville and Currahee Military Museum in Toccoa if they are worth the trip.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[jbilbrey]

I'll add some from the KY, AL and FL area. I have visted all of these museums at least once (some more than that) and found them worth the stop.

Patton Museum, Ft. Knox, KY (http://www.generalpatton.org/index.asp) This is an excellent armor museum but also has small arms, uniforms, soft skins, etc. on display. Knob Creek is close by (although I have yet to make it to one of the famous shoots).

Wings of Liberty, Ft. Campbell, KY (http://www.fortcampbell.com/index.php). This museum specializes in the 101st Airborne Division's history. The current museum is on base. One has to get a security pass at the main gate to access the museum. Also, photography on base is prohibited. However, I have asked for and was granted permission to photograph the outside exhibits in the past (post 9/11).

Veterans Memorial Museum, Huntsville, AL (http://www.memorialmuseum.org/) This museum has a good display of firearms used in various conflicts from 1800's up to the present day. The uniforms primarily cover the United States and CSA. Other exhibits indoors cover a French 40-en-8 boxcar, various soft-skins including prototypes for both the Jeep and Humvee, armor, and an AH-1 Cobra. More armor exhibits, a UH-1 Huey, and a PBR are on display outside.

Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin Air Force Base (http://www.afarmamentmuseum.com/) This museum covers the US Army Air Force and U.S. Air Force Armament from World War I up to the present. A P-47, P-51, F-80, and F-105 are on display inside. Small arms are also on display inside. Outside are various USAF fighters, bombers, and helicopters from the 1950's up to the present day.

National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola Naval Air Station (http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/) This museum covers Naval Aviation from the beginning to the present day. It is a must-see if one is interested at all in Naval Aviation.

USS Alabama, Mobile, AL (http://www.ussalabama.com/) The Battleship USS Alabama and the Submarine USS Drum are on display in Mobile Bay. Various pieces of armor and artillery guns are on display near the ships. There is also an aircraft museum on-site.

James

 

[SlimTim]

Excellent idea, THANK YOU for starting this.

I'd like to add to the information about Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, GA-TN.

While there, be certain and visit this museum:

The Claud E. and Zenada O. Fuller Collection of American Military Arms contains almost every type of shoulder arms used by the military forces of America. There are several rare or unique items in the collection. The Harpers Ferry Blunderbuss, manufactured in 1808, and the Texas Rifle (1844) are the only ones known to exist. The Jenks Rifle, the pattern for the model 1840 Musket, the pattern for the model 1817 Rifle, and the Sharps, with coffeemill in the stock, are extremely rare. The Confederate section, while not complete, contains some outstanding weapons.

Located in the Chickamauga Park headquarters building.

http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hh/25/hh25n.htm

SlimTim

 

[Veritas1911]

Marietta History Museum (GA)

Marietta History Museum (GA) - http://www.mariettahistory.org/ - Forgot to add this one, the Marietta Museum of History located in Marietta, Georgia. During the Civil War the hotel temporarily served as a makeshift hospital and morgue. It has a good Civil War collection featuring the history of the Georgia Military Institute, the story of the only slave buried in the Marietta Confederate Cemetery and the distinction of involvement in the infamous Union plot to steal the Confederate Locomotive called The General. The military gallery has various artifacts from Dachau Concentration Camp, USS Oklahoma and Utah Beach. I took the kids there when they were younger and if I recall they had a movie viewing of a documentary type film on The General.

 

[Veritas1911]

Currahee Military Museum

Went to the Currahee Military Museum in Northeast Georgia in Toccoa.

http://www.toccoahistory.com/

As you may recall from your history books (or Band of Brothers DVDs), Camp Toccoa is where the famed 506th Easy Company trained (as well as the 501st, 511th, 517th).

The musuem has a great number of artifacts that include a nice collection of firearms, uniforms, helmets, bayonets, medals, etc. It also has shipped a stable where Easy Company was housed all the way from Aldbourne England.

The 1:1 guided tour was well worth the admission price of $5. I recommended it.

 

[Bill-Rube]

Andersonville Prison and National Cemetery:

http://www.nps.gov/ande/

 

[Glen K]

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, GA (http://www.nps.gov/kemo/) - Where the Atlanta Campaign started.

As a side note, the Atlanta Campaign did NOT start at Kennesaw Mountain... It started when Sherman moved out of winter quarters in Chattanooga and began moving south. It had been going on for nearly two months before the battle at Kennesaw took place.

 

[dive1tom]

1. USS Alabama www.ussalabama.com
2. Fort Morgan www.ftmorganmus.org
3. Fort Gaines www.dauphinisland.org/fort.htm
3. D Day Museum New Orleans www.ddaymuseum.org
4. The battlefield at Chalmette Plantation
5. Lookout Mountain Battlefield www.lookoutmountain.com
6. Air Fource Museum Ft. Walton/Destin http://www.destin-ation.com/airforcearmamentmuseum/

Just to name a few.

 

[wandering_ronin]

USS Kidd in Baton Rouge, LA

Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, Camp Shelby Mississippi (just south of Hattiesburg)

Vicksburg battlefield, Vicksburg, Mississippi (USS Cairo museum)

There is also a civil war naval museum in Columbus GA, but I can't remember the exact name.

 

[BillP]

Three missed, all aviation related:

Robbins AFB aircraft museum in Warner Robins GA south of Macon. Very nice collection in new buildings.

8th Air Force museum in Savanannah area. Small but interesting. Major B17 unit.

Army Air Museum at Ft. Rucker AL. They have the only remaining Army P2 Neptune from my VN flight unit, so it's special to me.

 

[wintermute]

Andersonville Prison and National Cemetery:

http://www.nps.gov/ande/

I have an ancestor that was captured at Rogersville, and later died and was buried at Andersonville.
The Andersonville Prison site also has a POW museum, honoring POWs from all eras and conflicts.

Shiloh has always been a favorite of mine. No big museum, but beautiful scenery.
http://www.shilohbattlefield.org/
http://www.nps.gov/shil/

 

[point622000]

Hi All,

If you get a chance PLEASE visit the NEW Marine musuem in Quanico Virginia. WOW !

It is done up very well. The displays are done up so well, my wife thought the maniquines were real. The Nam display and the winter withdrawel from the Yallau river were very well done.
There were shells flying over head and machine gun and morter fire all over the display. It was about 30 degrees cooler in that area just to get the message across!

The also put out the first & second flags that flew over Iwo Jima. They change them out every few months. I saw the first small flag!
They have a large outdor display but it was raining when we were there.
The wife is handcapped so we only did the indoor stuff!

Best to all,
point6

 

[therev]

Last spring me and my son rode our Harley to Patriot's Point...what a cool place.
And we visited some friends in Wilmington, NC and went to the USS North Carolina in Wilmington harbor....

http://www.battleshipnc.com/index.html

I was gonna put some pictures up, but they're too big apparently...I'll try later

george

 

[owilly]

The Veterans' Museum - Dyersburg (Halls) TN

http://www.dyaab.us/

"The Veterans' Museum was founded on the site of The Dyersburg Army Air Base in 1997. The base had been a training facility during World War II for B-17 pilots.

While the Museum honors our veterans from that era with displays, photographs, and history of the base, we also honor all of our veterans with displays from the different wars and conflicts in which the U.S. has been involved."

I have not been to this one yet, but hope to soon.

Stacy

 

[limpetmine]

Florida

The Air Force Armament Museum is close by, in Fort Walton, IIRC, and this is a good museum that you want to go see;
The C-130 Gunships fly out of Hurlburt Field, and they have one of each of all of the gunships they've flown, from the DC-3 to the C-130, and everything in between.
Birmingham, Al has the Museum of Flight, which while small is good. they are now restoring one of the early Corsairs that was recovered from one of the Great Lakes. (I might have the a/c wrong)
The best a/c musuem in the area is the one at Warner Robbins, Ga. They have a great collection, have one of the RC-58 Canberra's, the one with the streched wing. Almost as long as the U-2, but HUGE. Great place.
There is an exit on that strech of I-75 that has a Jupiter missle standing up. At the truck stop, IIRC.
Shiloh, TN. for a great battlefield from 1862. Hiked it many times. In Corenth, MS, nearby they have the interpretive center, which is well done.
Stones River NMP, in Murphreesboro, small, but an important battle that sealed the doom of the south, opening the s.e Tennessee area to the flood of blue.

 

[limpetmine]

yup..

Excellent idea, THANK YOU for starting this.

I'd like to add to the information about Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, GA-TN.

While there, be certain and visit this museum:

The Claud E. and Zenada O. Fuller Collection of American Military Arms contains almost every type of shoulder arms used by the military forces of America. There are several rare or unique items in the collection. The Harpers Ferry Blunderbuss, manufactured in 1808, and the Texas Rifle (1844) are the only ones known to exist. The Jenks Rifle, the pattern for the model 1840 Musket, the pattern for the model 1817 Rifle, and the Sharps, with coffeemill in the stock, are extremely rare. The Confederate section, while not complete, contains some outstanding weapons.

Located in the Chickamauga Park headquarters building.

http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/hh/25/hh25n.htm

SlimTim

I've got pictures of this collection. The fellow quit collecting about 1915 or so, that is about where his stuff stops. He has some rare Krags, a ramrod Springfield, lots and lots of early stuff that I know nothing about.
I'll try to find them and post a few.

 

[Veritas1911]

National Firearms Museum

Not exactly a day's trip from here but it is well worth the effort. I was able to visit over the holidays and I was completely amazed with all they had. Needless to say, I will be going back because one cannot due the visit justice in just a day.

http://www.nramuseum.org/

Here's a link to my photo show of the rifles

http://www.flickr.com/photos/veritas1911/sets/72157610337235125/show/

 

[Veritas1911]

Atlanta History Museum

Took the family to the Atlanta History Museum last weekend. Here's a compendium of photos from the "Turning Point" permanent exhibit on the Civil War. Trust me, you'll enjoy it. Enjoy the pictures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/veritas1911/sets/72157622619169011/

 

[Tennboy]

8th Air Force museum in Savanannah area. Small but interesting. Major B17 unit.

I especially liked the Messerschmitt ME-109 hanging from the ceiling and the MIG-21 cockpit. Outdoor aircraft include a B-47.