"Best military museums you have visited?" Topic

I recently had the great pleasure to spend a day at the Musee de L'Armee in Paris. This experience got me thinking about what other military-themed museums would be worthwhile to visit. So, I'm turning to you. Please inform me (and the rest of us) which military museums you would recommend to fellow wargamers. Feel free to elaborate on what made these museums so special.

Paris was quite a thrill, the first time I went.

L'Hôtel des Invalides…and Bonaparte!

As a canadian, I like the War Museum in Ottawa, too…for an unmilitary people.

Museum of WW2 in Natick MA. Hands down.

I really enjoyed the arms collection in the Doge's palace in Venice. They have an interesting collection of Late Medieval and Renaissance arms

Imperial War Museum London and its annexes

Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola FL.

WWI Museum in Kansas City

Technically not a military museum but the Udvar-Hzay in DC has the Enola Gay (the Bockscar in the Air Force Museum at WPAFB), which is very cool to see in person.

Rotunda Museum in Woolwich.

Wasn't an official museum, but had more armor than any in the world, I suspect, at least at the time.

It was the Littlefield Collection, in the SF Bay Area foothills, before it was broken up and auctioned off.

A very impressive collection, with many running vehicles.

A real shame it couldn't have remained together.

Bovington tank museum

National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico Virgina. Incredible!

Ft. Ligonier is one of the best SYW museums I have seen.

Overall though I'd have to say the Royal Armory in Leeds.

But I am kind of partial to Bushy Run Battlefield.

National Museum of the Pacific War and the Nimitz home in Fredericksburg, Texas

The Museum of Military History, Vienna Austria is very impressive. Sections devoted to SYW, Napoleonic wars, 1859, 1866, WWI, WWII, Imperial Austria against the Ottomans. Lots of flags and uniforms. Area of Cannons and tanks as well outside. Well laid out with a lots of artifacts. Very impressive museum.

National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico Virgina.

Good call kallman.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
bunkermeister.blogspot.com

The Anne S.K. Brown collection at Brown University. link

The ultimate collection of books, images and miniatures.

Charleston SC has an excellent collection of flags, weapons, uniforms, etc. It has an extensive collection of heavy artillery ordenance from the war including the only bolt I've ever seen designed for firing at masonry.

USMC Museum is magnificent. Leeds is awesome.

Bovington, especially on the Battlegroup South weekend – Tanks, Wargames, Beer, BBQ what more could there be?!!!

Tally Ho!

Guards museum in London.

small but packed with mementos from every battlefield they fought on.

The curators are old Guardsman & worth talking to.

Bovington Tank Museum – best collection of tanks in Europe

Imperial War Museum Duxford – best collection of aircraft in Europe

Royal Armories, Leeds – very good for Dark Ages to modern weaponry.

Imperial War Museum London – good for WW1 to modern.

Deutsches Panzermuseum Munster – German Tank Museum – not as good as Bovington but still very good.

Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim – German Museum of automobiles and aircraft with a very good collection of WW2 and Cold War vehicles.

Aberdeen MD – lots of armor outside

Ft Knox before they moved everything cool to Ft Benning

Tank museum at Bovington, but the IWM Duxford (aircraft, armoured vehicles) runs a close second.

Bovington.

But the Military Museum, Beijing and the less well known Chinese Tank Museum deserve honourable mentions. Here are the links:

eng.jb.mil.cn

link

Heeresgeschichtliche Museum, Arsenal, Vienna, Austria
Festung HohenSalzburg, Salzburg, Austria
Fortress Museum, Naarden, Nederlands
Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia

Classical Museums

1) Army Museum London

2) National Historical Museum, Athens

3) Army Museum and Royal Armoury, Stockholm

4) War Museum, Athens

5) Imperial War Museum, London

Floating Museums

1) Averoff, Athens

2) Wasa, Stockholm

Battlefields

1) Chickamagua , USA

2) Chatalcha, Turkey

The Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang, North Korea, anyone?

I did a quick write-up on the museum when I visited there a few years ago: TMP link

Ezza

The Omaka Air Museum in New Zealand

The one I've visited the most is the Imperial War Museum, London.

Other favourites include Duxford, Bovington and HMS Belfast.

The main military museum in Budapest (the one in old Buda) is worth a visit, it has very interesting collections of small arms. The other one in the old bunker on top of Gelert Hill is OK too.

The Royal Armouries in Leeds is OK, again it has an interesting collection of small arms including a semi-automatic Lee Enfield.

I quite enjoyed the Musee de L'Armee but found it too big for the time I had available, although I paid homage to the Ogre.

The naval history museum in Venice is very good and has a very eccentric collection of stuff.

In communist countries the main museum in Havana has some interesting stuff including the boat Castro came over in, but actually the secondary airfield near the special forces base is far more interesting with a good collection of operational Soviet helicopters as well as loads of elderly SU-100s dug in around it. Just don't take any photos.

There are also a fair few museums in Vietnam, the main one in Saigon is a bit gruesome, but far and away my favourite was the Chu Chi tunnels NW of Saigon, which also featured a fairly relaxed shooting range with a decent range of rifles and machineguns.

The above are all great

One place that was not mentioned but is fantastic (if off the beaten trail) is the Military History Museum in Vienna

hgm.at/en

And if you want a fantastic look at armour – try the Armoury of Upper Austria in Graz (very far off the beaten track)

link

1 world war 1 museum in Kansas city
2 Imperial War Museum London
3 Aberdeen Proving grounds before they moved it.
4 Civil war Museum at Newe Market Battlefield Va

Bovington for tank day is on my bucket list,

How about:

Royal Armed Forces Museum in Brussels.

Great collection of uniforms, art and weapons from Napoleonic wars to WWII.

New Waterloo battlefield museum is well done.

Hartenstein Airborne Museum in Arnhem.
Dutch Army Museum in Delft is great for its' Napoleonic collection.

The Army Museum in Chelsea for pre WWI British army history. Household Cavalry Museum as well.

I have heard that the WWII museum in New Orleans is good but I haven't been there.

I'll throw in a couple that were unexpectedly great surprises.

The Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska. A pretty fantastic collection, especially if you're a fan of Cold War Era aircraft. The restorations and staffing are mostly done by retired SAC guys in the Omaha area.

The Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles in Lexington, Nebraska. If you happen to be traveling along I-80, this one is worth a few hours. It's an amazing collection in the most unlikely place. Tons of trucks and tracks, including some real rarities, such as the original prototype for the Humvee. The non-vehicle stuff is an mix of good (weapons and equipment) and bad (crappy army men and war toys).

The First Division museum, Col. Robt. R. McCormick home, & Cantigny Park in Wheaton IL is excellent.

Haven't been to enough to say, but Istanbul Military Museum wows with sheer volume and span:

link

Toledo is less impressive, but deserves a nod for the displays on toy soldiers-making:

link

Managed to see the IWM WW1 exhibit in Melbourne earlier this month:

link

I have never been to the UK, but even so I am willing to bet Bovington will come up top.

Thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming! From the suggestions offered, the one I found most interesting given my current wargaming interests was the Military History Museum in Vienna.

I was delighted to see that you take do a virtual tour of the museum … check it out folks! It is awesome.

link

Army Museum, London

A few in Bastogne, the one in Graz,Austria
Ahrnem ,the old Gettysburg one

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome!
oldrhinebeck.org

I've been to a number of good museums, including a number of ones mentioned so far, but none as spectacular as this, planes belong in the sky ^,^

The Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. The B36 wings span the entire roof of the museum.

Istanbul museum pretty good. There's the claim that Turks are descended from the Huns at the beginning, and some shall we say interesting claims about the Armenians…

Aside from that, lots of stuff, armor, weapons, etc. And you can sit next to cadet Mustafa Kemal and have your picture taken.

I recommend the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon, London as a fantastic range of RAF craft.

Another one I like is the Fleet Air Arm museum in Yeovil.

One not mentioned yet is the museum of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, (Chelsea Pensioners), probably one of the best collections of military badges and medals around. As a bonus it's not far from the National Army Museum in Chelsea.

The Museum of Interventions in Mexico City. Very cool part of the city, near Frida Kahlo house and the Leon Trotsky museum. One can easily see all three sites in a reasonable day. It is located in a monastery built on the ruins of an Aztec temple and then defended by the Mexicans at Battle of Churubusco. Good mix of everything dedicated to foreign intervention in Mexico. Chapultapec Castle is also worth a visit, but I'm a French in Mexico nut.

Patton Museum in Kentucky