Great little museum inside the first airport terminal in Houston, Texas. Ran by volunteers and not crowded at all (we were the only ones at the time). Volunteers will tell you the history about the building and location. Many donated artifacts to look at. You can even see planes take off on the runway in the back of the terminal. Can spend 1-2 hours here. Reasonable rates. Worth it for the family.

So much history. Great place for the family to visit. You can watch the plains land and take off. Will definitely be back for wings and wheels.

Took my daughter from California here. She had a blast as she is heavily into everything 1940s (hair, clothing, dance, music). Very nice people and guides that work here.

Absolutely loved this place, really cool airline memorabilia for a really good entry price, call before you go so you can check our the carter air mail terminal, would go back in a heartbeat truly

I was able to visit and host a shoot at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, can I just say how much I LOVED this venue?? Not only does it have amazing history, its also very beautifully renovated, and there are so many cool spots and planes you can photograph.

The volunteer staff inside are very friendly and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed our tour about someone so passionate about the history of commercial aviation in the Houston Area. Historic building right next to Hobby Airport makes a cool venue.

What an awesome little place. Its filled with so much history and beautiful collections that have been donated by locals. The guys there were super nice & helpful and the planes look amazing there. Even the tickets are cheap so no excuse to not go.

This museum blew all expectations to pieces. It was a great experience. Tons of memorabilia to look at. Both my 16yr old son, & 10yr old son were thoroughly entertained. We are already planning on going back soon. The Volunteers are knowledgeable and genuinely happy.

Nice exhibit great staff. Was perfect for rainy day

Great place to visit and take the family. Lots of history on Hobby Airports beginnings. Located on the westside of the runways, its easily accessible from Telephone Road. Fees are $5 for adults, $2 for children and kids under 2 are free. They have 4 full size planes to see as well as the original terminal from 1940. They have at least a hundred to scale models of actual planes as well. They have a short film and a gift shop. If you have two hours or so, this is a great way to spend it learning about the workings of Houstons original airport. Enjoy!

It was an excellent exhibit for commercial airplane enthusiasts as well as people interested in the past. They had a lot of cool things to see. The bathrooms were set back to how they were at that time and it looked very amazing. They had a plane they took us to see as well. It’s very near one of the currently used airports in Houston. It’s a great place to go and see!

$5 admission. Can quickly see it in 45 minutes and call it good, or read every sign and spend 3 hours. Docents are friendly and helpful.

Really interesting place, somewhat off the beaten path but worth the trip to check it out. Makes for a great complement to a day at Johnson Space Center if youre hanging around I-45 for the day.Did you know the precursor to Hobby Airport had international flights in the 40s and 50s? All kinds of great facts and details from that era, including a vintage plane you can climb into. Family friendly!

Great little find near Houston city centre. Full of amazing memorabilia from the golden age of air travel. It was great to see how much air travel has changed. Also as a bonus its at an active airport, so plenty to see of flights coming and going. Excellent value for money

Great place. Great save for Houstons aviation jistory

This little museum is charming and volunteers are sweet. The place was under construction in areas when we went but the displays were interesting and put together well.

I thought I was going to be bored surprising my husband with this place but turns out I was really entertained and had way more fun than I thought I would. I really thought I was going to be cross eyed with boredom watching my husband enjoy plane stuff but I really couldn’t tell who had more fun, him or I...

This was an amazing museum!! We loved it so much, the volunteers were very knowledgeable and extremely nice. We liked the self paced look around the main terminal, and then the guided tours to the plane and the warehouse. Our toddler didn’t want to leave the flight simulators. Would love to go back in the future to see how it changes.

Absolutely amazing experience and worth every penny. The volunteers go above and beyond to ensure that you have the most informative experience. I learned a great about Houston that i didnt know. I suggest that you go and experience a trip to the past.

As a pilot Im always looking for really cool places to live through aviation history...and this is one of them! The museum is gorgeous and the volunteers there really are invested in its history. You can see by walking around that some of it is still a work in progress...and thats good! Highly recommend!

This was a great hidden gem in Houston! We loved the tour. It was awesome to stand in the middle of the terminal an imagine all the employees and passengers coming in and out at one point in time. I think we stayed there for two hours!

Excellent tour and history of air travel in Houston!

First time visit, must say we enjoyed it and learned something new of our 1940 Air Terminal in Houston. My husband & I enjoyed it, our toddler also had fun seeing all types of aircraft on this tour. Everyone was simply generous and explainable, the guided tours to the warehouses. Very fun and something new to learn from. Will definitely come back here when our son gets older to learn more about our Houston history

Awesome place had a great time.

Well curated exhibits, takes about 30-45 mins to go through. Definitely dont miss the plane in the back.

If you are in the area and have a little extra time, definitely worth a quick visit. Lots of artifacts from the past and I could not believe how simple things were back then. Unfortunately, the plane pictured in some of the gallery shots was not there, so I could only tour the terminal. You might check to see if it is coming back if that is important to you.

Enjoyed the information and the history. The museum is located in the original Houston Municipal Airport Terminal opened in 1940 and the oldest existing aircraft hanger located within walking distance.Items from many obsolete airlines are displayed as well as the original beacon provided by Howard Hughes. Born and raised in the Houston area he returned via plane often to play golf and visit his local businesses. Some of the terminal is in good condition, other areas await funding for more work.It is amazing to consider the differences in todays airport with security, electronic monitors and massive terminals versus free front door parking, quick purchase of paper ticket, and walking out the backdoor to climb into a plane. The runaway 1940-1955 was literally outside the backdoor of the terminal.The hanger included an old Telex machine used to alert the next airport the plane was in the air and/or arrived safely. Several vintage aircraft are displayed including a helicopter, Cessna T-50, and a Lodestar.1.5 - 2 hours for your visit is probably sufficient as this is a small museum. A cool side benefit is being within a few hundred years of SWA flights taking off and arriving at a nearby runway.

It may be a small museum but it was quite interesting. Staff was very friendly and informative

This is a fun place to take the kid to see all the old planes in the hanger. The building itself probably only deserves 3*, its in need or repair. The museum seems to be run my enthusiasts, which is great. Its $5, so if you have a hour or two to kill and like planes, its a place to go...

Great place for people interested in aviation and history. The staff are so friendly, respectful, and accommodating. My two year old had a great time!

Its really a cool museum to check out. Its the only and first Art Deco airplane museum in Houston. There are very few left in the United States. Every third Saturday of each month they have the wheels and car larger event its a must go...

Had a few hours to spare waiting for flight so stopped in to check this place out.Restored historic 1940 Houston Airport terminal in the art deco style.Great info about Houstons aviation history and lots of flight memorabilia.The volunteer provided lots info

AMAZING! Location AND the guys working there are awesome!

Staff was really overwhelming and over bearing highly recommend any other museum. Couple that with the lack of material concider it a waste of 10 bucks.

Nice architecture. Friendly volunteer staff.

I attended several events here and can’t wait to come back by myself!

The Hobby Area District’s prime landmark (besides Hobby Airport, respectively); hopes of future commerce and mixed-use via residential/retail is the hope of developing the Garden Villas/Telephone Rd/Hobby Area District. . .Houston Metro: we need you on the future two railline proposals to Hobby Airport via Broadway St and Telephone Rd for the optimal re-gentrification of our HobbyArea District

Really interesting little museum. Glad to see that some places fight to maintain small old places as a small museum . Is like traveling back in time

I head over to the 1940 Air Terminal about 4 times a year. I have been doing this for the past 5 years. This is a great place to spend an hour of your day. If I could give any feedback, it would be that they need to work on their exhibits as not much, if anything, has changed in the last 5 years. The gift shop also leaves a lot to be desired.

Take a step back in time to view Texas aviation history, aircraft, paraphernalia, art deco-style museum, and Houston aviation history. Plan on two hours to view everything. Reasonably priced for families.

Such a hidden gem. Hubby wanted to go, and I couldnt figure out how people spent hours there. .. But I was sad to leave after 2.5 hours! Really interesting, and the volunteer guides are just wonderful. Do not skip this one!

Small museum but full of aviation history. The staff was very knowledgable, informative, and friendly.

The building is fairly small and we were not permitted to go upstairs, but the old terminal is very well restored with lots of great memorabilia. Only $5.00 and free for vets. Its easy enough to get to and Hats off to our guide. He was very informative and gave us a perspective we could never have gotten on our own. A real enthusiast. Plan on being there for about an hour and a half to get the real feel of the museum.

Very limited access

Very nice people there that operate the place. $5.00 and $2.00

Very informative love the pictures and the uniforms my eight year old also loved it

We visited this hidden gem today with a group of 3O+ senior adults. There were a number of volunteers to guide us through the museum and then outside on the tarmac to take a look in an antique plane and a helicopter. Very interesting museum especially for those of us that remember many of the old airlines that are no longer around, former flight crew uniforms, Howard Hughes, etc. Also, some great volunteers! And — you can’t beat the admission fees $5 for adults, free to veterans and $2 for children under 12. Thank you Amy for setting up our guided tour!

A glimpse into the past commemorating the golden age of Houston air travel.

Was not expecting much when we went here but i must say that we had a blast here with all 4 of our kids. So much memorabilia and history. Also the gentleman that was volunteering and giving the tour was very knowledgeable. The exhibit overall was way better than i had expected. This is a hidden gem for sure. They also have a hanger right down the road with more cool stuff in there. If you havent been you need to go!

Wonderful hidden architectural gem. Great airline history an amazing building

Good little museum, well maintained

A place I didnt know about. The original Houston airport terminal, turned into a museum. Mostly air travel memorabilia, a couple of airplanes. Not something that will keep you busy all day, but definitely interesting and worth the stop. A little difficult to find, a couple blocks off of Telephone Rd. Worth the effort to find it.

Cool small museum. They have an older plane that you can walk through and tons of other old airliner stuff to look at. Volunteers there were nice and knowledgeable.

We had a great time wandering around the old terminal. The best part was seeing the old air plane on the tarmac.

Fantastic little museum. A must for every aviation fan

Beautiful old piece of Houstons history. Only problem is houstonians dont really care about history. If this place could multiply its attendance it would quickly become a amazing place to visit but with the low attendance the renovation of this museum will take ages. So do you care about history? If so show up and support the renovation.

I recommend a visit to this significant & interesting historical gem that tells the story of the airport that became Hobby and the people and businesses that helped along the way. It is loaded with great artifacts and memorabilia. Did you know it was named Howard Hughes Airport for about 5 months back in 1942? The architecture of the terminal building is gorgeous and was designed by Joseph Finger who also designed Houston City Hall. We had a wonderful time and thank the people that saved the terminal and hangar and continue to share the history.

An extraordinary hidden gem. Not many know about this museum and the importance of this 1940s Air Terminal. All the employees are amazing. I have also met friendly volunteers who were passionate about their work. The lobby of this Air Terminal will take you back in time!

Excellent history captued at this museum. What a gem!

Must see museum in Houston! So much to learn in here! Friendly staff, amazing docent. Check if you can visit the hangar or see the planes of Hobby Airport !

I was there for an Airliners Collectors show, but look forward to seeing the Terminal in a more natural environment to truly experience the museum on its own. Met with a few volunteers who worked there. They have fascinating stories and historical facts about the place. Looking forward to returning from Corpus Christi.

Cant believe I did not know this museum was here! It is so cool and the staff have some great stories about it!

A hidden gem full of travel nostalgia; sure to be appreciated by anyone with an ounce of love of air travel.

Fun little museum! Lots of cool stuff to look at and a vintage plane you can go in. Very friendly, knowledgeable staff.

This is an excellent, albeit small, museum located near the Hobby Airport. Its a stunning example of art deco design from a time when air travel was a luxury.The gentleman at that sells the tickets will answer any questions and is a wealth of information. The museum is broken up into two wings that store a ton of mid-century aviation relics and collectibles. The place has been mostly restored to its former glory and there are some old planes on the grounds that you can view.You can spend an hour and a half here if you are only familiar with aviation, but I think its time well spend and should also appeal to fans of mid-century and art deco design

Very interesting and your guide was amazing.

Very interesting and welcoming museum. kind of small but also just $5 entry so it balances out. Definitely worth visit if you want to make some time before a flight at hobby.

Fun museum. Great building, interesting displays, lots of history. Friendly, helpful people. Great small museum experience.

Amazing experience! I had a great time here. John Mcnulty did a tour for us and he knew absolutely everything about the museum! I learned a lot about the history of the air terminal and all of the airlines in Texas in general. I would absolutely come back here! They also offer volunteering opportunities at the terminal for those who are interested.

Fantastic museum, run by enthusiastic volunteers. Great atmosphere.

An intimate and interesting museum with friendly and knowledgeable docents. Great history of local aviation, personal and commercial, and a hangar with planes, simulators, tower equipment, and a helicopter, each with their own story. Collection of heyday commercial aviation memorabilia including stewardess uniforms. The art deco building is slowly undergoing historic renovation, and if the completed lobby is an indication, it will be beautiful. A cool hidden gem of Houston.

Surprisingly large collection of Houston aviation memorabilia. Today there was a docent with 50 years aviation experience who was kind enough to share his enthusiasm for Howard Hughes..Well worth the $5 entry fee.

I had time to kill before my flight out of Houston Hobby, and found this cool little museum around the corner. I spent probably an hour and a half poring over the exhibits.BUT, Im a total geek for aviation. The exhibits here are airplane models, paraphernalia, photos, correspondence, etc. My kids would be done here in probably 12 minutes, tops. I had a blast looking through all the history of the Houston airport, and air travel in the region. And, the museum is in the art-deco terminal built in 1940, which is cool in itself.All in all, worth the $5 to get in and worth going once if youre an avgeek.

Well maintained place of history. Guides are very knowable of the history of the airport.

A very nice place for a private it party

Very nice place. The employees were just not interactive. I wanted to check out the planes outside I was told to wait and never got back to.

Its well beyond a great beginning as a historical museum site of Houstons original commercial air terminal! Has lots of very interesting artifacts with information that will have to be viewed again to fully appreciate. Yes, its still a work in progress, by volunteers. Just glad someone is doing this for posteritys sake!

I wish I had known this place existed sooner! I was a flight attendant for 5 years and I am very into vintage fashion so this is a win for me! I found this place because of the Houston Vintage Market and hope to go back soon! They have some amazing stuff in their collection!!

Quite a historical little place. The first commercial air terminal in Houston and its now a museum. For anyone interested in Aviation HIstory this is a must do.

Incredible history of early Hobby Airport

Great museum plus outdoor exhibits

Awesome place to visit! The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Loved the architecture and the exhibits.

Excellent little treasure hidden away. Offbeat, neat little place to go!

This museum was very informative, and well worth the trip. Being able to go out and see the planes take off on the runway was something I had never experienced before.

Amazing volunteers and incredibly rich history. Truly a Houston-must-see!

Had a really great time here as we hosted a private event for our family. It was a pleasant experience except the room was crowded. The event we hosted was a baby shower and the air terminal was a great idea for our theme since it was airplane theme. We took some fantastic retro photos in the museum which gave the pics a classic look. Also got a chance to take a few groups of people to the hangar to see some of the old planes up close.

Loved this place! Its a must see if you like antique things. They have some remodeling going on so if you have crazy kids it might NOT be a great idea to take them.

Great place! Love the atmosphere. I’m a huge fan of the 1930’s 40’s 50’s and 60’s so coming to a place that is stuck in the 40’s was heaven for me. Mainly I came for the building, but the planes and museum pieces are awesome.

A wonderfully restored facility....this was aviation in its infancy...check out the early Telex and messages. Early airline suits...

Very cool, alot of history. It is still a work in progress but worth the stop.

We loved this place. The volunteers are very enthusiastic and they have a lot to be enthusiastic about. Highly recommended for all aviation buffs.

Super interesting. I went with a class of kids and we all had a great time. The hosts were so informative.

Excellent afternoon spent with knowledgeable and humorous volunteers that explain in detail the history of the 1940 terminal.You can actually go into some planes and simulators. Well worth the trip.

Great place. Being restored. Fly in every month.

Really cool stuff, come spend a couple hours here, worth it

Its like time travel...when the planes were all new and the flight fashions were elegant. Such cool, little-known details are revealed during the annual Houston Vintage Festival I attend. Love that we could see an air show and actually touch the planes, which is awesome for kids. Only wish more well-advertised events were held here...

Lots of good aviation history here!

Great History and seeing United 737 Max 9 boeing grounded

Very fun, alot of bang for the buck. Kids enjoy visiting the museum once a month. Great place to watch planes fly out and land

VIP tour great experience and information