The March Field Air Museum in Riverside is proud to participate in Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families which started on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend (May 26) and continuing through Labor Day (September 3), 2018. The March Field Air Museum is one of three participating museums in the Riverside area.
Regularly open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March Field Air Museum will also be open on Memorial Day and Labor Day 2018 (both on Mondays). The museum strives to promote an understanding of humanity’s reach for the skies, and historic March Field’s pioneering role in the development of flight. Engaging exhibits and knowledgeable docents bring the subject to life, with thousands of artifacts and nearly 80 historic aircraft on display ranging from a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer (which launched powered flight worldwide), to early examples of military aircraft and some of America’s most iconic military planes (including World War II bombers), to the world’s fastest air-breathing manned aircraft (the SR-71 Blackbird) and a modern-day MQ-1 Predator (remotely piloted aircraft).
This year, more than 2,000 (and counting) museums in all 50 states are taking part in the Blue Star Museums initiative that represents the fine arts, science, history, nature centers, children’s museums and, of course, aviation. The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard), National Guard and Reserve members and up to five immediate family members.
The March Field Air Museum is located alongside Interstate Highway 215 at Van Buren Boulevard, just south of downtown Riverside and adjacent to March Air Reserve Base.