Collings Foundation Museum. Great car, tank and plane Museum.

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This may be the best Military Museum in Massachusetts. Collings Foundation. Classic cars, WWII tanks, artillery, vehicles and aircraft. Apparently they keep most of these machines in working order. When they have events you can pay for a plane ride from a grass airfield on the Museum grounds. I had a chance to fly in a biplane Boeing Stearman PT-17 made in 1943.

 
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Yeah, it's a great place. Have been quite a few times. This was also the place that neighbors tried to get shut down, and the town attempted to shut down by saying what they were doing did not meet the requirements for a museum. Support them as much as you can.

They also have a wings across America tour, where you can rent seat time in a wide variety of their other aircraft. Highly recommend getting on their mailing list.

Not to steal their thunder, but there is also another very nice WWII museum in Framingham. My wife represents them. Used to be solely by appointment, but I believe they are opening up to public hours now. Not active like collings, but great static displays
 
Thanks Friday. Any cool Museums please share. Found out about Collings when they came to the Beverly airport last year. I did fly in a B-24 there. At the event at Stow on fathers day I flew in a Boeing Stearman PT-17. Worth the $200 for the plane ride.

 
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They (Collings) now have a back seat in an F-4, and I believe are in the final stages of making an ME-262 airworthy. There is also a P-51, B-17, the Storch (I got to witness it flying backwards one October). Amazing the amount of effort they have done to restore and get these aircraft flying again!

In addition to the Stearman, They usually also have a T-6 Texan trainer available for rides. Awesome when they buzz the airstrip. That one was running out of Stow, not the grass strip, however.
 
Fixed some lights there once, what a place!! I was like 'could you guys move these tanks out of the way so I can get a ladder in here and get to these lights for you' and they were like 'if you stand on the turret can you reach the lights?' 'Well yeah, but that thing is from WWII and this is a museum!' 'Dude, it's a tank!!' me 'OK' and I fixed the lights.

I think they're open to the public at the stow museum a few weekends a year. This might be one of those weekends???
 
Here's a link to Collings Foundation webpage -- http://www.collingsfoundation.org/

One of the former B-17 pilots for Collings Foundation spends Saturday mornings at the WWII Museum in Natick at the B-17 exhibit. Was there last Saturday from around 10am-12:30pm. Veteran of 34 combat missions over Germany. Is now ninety-four years old. Fascinating man to talk with.

The Museum is open to the public on Saturdays and a few Fridays during the summer. Can find schedule here https://museumofworldwarii.org/
 
The foundation also has a traveling air show. I went to one at the Beverly Airport last year. They had a B-17 and a B-24 You could walk from the nose threw the bomb bay and out the rear of the bomber. They also had a B-25 and a P-51. You could pay for a ride in all these aircraft.



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I paid $400 for a ride in this B-24.
 
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they are busy wrangling with the town to open a big new museum on their property (they got a ton of toys not even in state yet, including a panther tank that would be only north of mason dixon line. ft benning has 5 of them under tarps))
 
Not to steal their thunder, but there is also another very nice WWII museum in Framingham. My wife represents them. Used to be solely by appointment, but I believe they are opening up to public hours now. Not active like collings, but great static displays

Yeah, have her maybe check out the one in NATICK too.
 
Just signed up for the newsletter. Buddy in work goes all the time, he's a nature/aviation photographer. He showed pictures he's recently taken.
 
they are busy wrangling with the town to open a big new museum on their property (they got a ton of toys not even in state yet, including a panther tank that would be only north of mason dixon line. ft benning has 5 of them under tarps))
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Yes, buddy told me they just acquired a bunch of "new" toys and need the space.
 
Collins museum is probably on the worse street in Stow. Since money ain't a thing, they should buy peoperty in a better location IMO
 
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