Located on Ft Bliss, this very large building holds a number of tanks, artillery, and other vehicles used over he years by the US and other Armies. There is not a lot other than these various military vehicles in the building, in fact it is probably more than half empty space, so lots of room for growth. Still, it provides a great opportunity to get up close and personal with every major tank iteration the Army ever used. All are hands off, but each has a nice poster with the very basic information about the vehicle. Didn't take long to wander through but enjoyable experience as an Air Force veteran from the Desert Storm era. read more

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Visiting Family at Fort Bliss and was lucky enough to visit Old Ironside Museum. There is a lot of history to see here and learn about. It has a variety of exhibits from different time eras in our history. They have a variety of military vehicles on display ranging from tanks to helicopters and others too. The exhibits have great information on vehicles, weapons and arsenal use during time of past wars. Great way to learn how our country is being protected from outside threats. There is lots of memorabilia to see inside of the museum. Camp sites, uniforms, lots of guns, medals, and an activity center for the kids to color and draw. They have uniforms and prop guns available for you to take some souvenir photos. We came on a scorching hot day in the triple digits so I briefly viewed the vehicles they had displayed outside. This museum gives you a different perspective of the vehicles used in trainings and combat. If you would like to visit the museum you will need clearance to come onto Fort Bliss. Come to the visitor center and they can help you out with that. Th museum is free to visit. read more

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I decided to visit this museum while we was visiting the Fort Bliss, Texas and to learn more about the history. The museum itself was very easy to navigate to with the use of a GPS device or Google maps. It has a huge parking lot and it can accommodate small and large groups or vehicles. There is outside exhibits of tanks and also indoor exhibits. So my spouse and I decided to walk through this free admission museum. The museum itself is under some remodeling and from what I could tell it appears that they are creating more exhibits. This museum is handicapped accessible and is a very nice experience. I would highly recommend it to friends and family members. read more

Travelling across the United States, you come across some interesting bits of history. In this case we came across the Fort Bliss museum located on Fort Bliss. Not exactly the easiest place to get to by a lot of people, but we have long been military folks so driving on base wasn't an issue. Walking in we were sort of greeted by the young soldier manning the reception booth. This was a very odd reception, as there simply wasn't any real greeting. We had to figure things out ourselves, and they were not that informative. However, once past that and into the actual museum, there are a ton of interesting historical artifacts from the First Armored Division of the US Army. Now, I come from a strong Navy and Air Force background, and my mother who was with me has only known the Air Force, so experiencing the Army perspective with all of the tanks and other gear that we never saw in the other forces was very interesting. To me, Old Ironsides represents a ship... but the Army has different ideas, and apparently Major General Magruder nicknamed the division after the USS Constitution after seeing pictures of the frigate. There are a large number of exhibits to look at and follow the history of the First Armored Division of the US Army. Absolutely worth going through the museum. While we were there, a large presentation area was in use by about one hundred (give or take) soldiers there to learn more about the division that (I assume) they were a part of. This is something that, frankly, during my time in the Navy I wish had been done with us. Aside from boot camp, I never received any historical training or presentations of the Navy... it was all just operational training. As life has progressed, I have found that learning the history of an organization is just as important, because it gives you perspective of why you are there and what you are trying to accomplish. read more

I've been in El Paso since 2004. That's a long, long time! I just visited this museum with my 10 year old. Not sure why I waited so long. Perhaps because I break into hives every time I go to Ft. Bliss (no, not really). This is a wonderful museum. It has various exhibits ranging from early Ft. Bliss, down to recent events. It also has many exhibits on WWII. It was very informative and prompted many questions and google searches from my daughter. Which is always a plus! read more

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Great place for kids and adults of all ages. Plenty of knowledge and is a free museum, the only thing weighing your pockets down are your phone and car keys. The location has plenty of parking, but in order to get to the location you will need to visit the visitor center located at buffalo soldier gate which is on airport rd. To see everything with in the museum it will take roughly 60 minutes, great place and worth a bit of time to see. I take my boys (4,7,8) to here at least once a month. There is a small interactions area. Supplied in that area are toy guns, activity pages, and glue paper models. 10/10 I will come back again. read more

If you are a military history buff, you'll appreciate the Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museums. Upon entering the parking lot, you'll notice the handful of cool military vehicles, including helicopters, on display. You can easily walk up to one and take a photo. No touche! This museum has free admission so there's no one to collect fees upon entering or point you where to go, which can be a little bit confusing if you've never been. There is a large open space with a small stage area you'll initially see so you'll have to walk around that to get to the actual museum. A small ceremony practice was going on during the time we visited so it sort of felt like we were intruding but no one really paid attention to us. Once you enter the actual museum area though, it is blocked off for privacy so you're not bothering any military personnel using that front room space and they're not bothering you while you browse the displays. You walk along at your own pace, the displays progressively taking you back though time. There is not any background music or any interactive displays so it can get eerily quiet. There are artifacts from clothing to guns with accompanying information, persons of interest, and other related history. The most impressive area (for me anyway) is in the very back that holds old military equipment, including tanks and cannons, set up in a city painted theme. It's pretty neat. The layout is fairly simple and to the point. This isn't a museum I'd classify with "bells and whistles" like some of the big timers have but it's kept clean and the military equipment on display are impressive in person. read more

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Worth the stop. Be prepared to wait at pass and Id for entry pass! No charge! NO WEAPONS! LOTS OF REAL TANKS and old military stuff.

Excellent museum with nice exhibits. Has a great interactive command post for kids with coloring, art activities, uniforms, and a selection of cool mock weapons for kids to play with. We really enjoyed it. It is walking distance from the IHG hotel and best of all it's FREE!! read more

Very nice museum. They had a lot of equipment and tanks. I would have liked to see more information about the vehicles. Only a few outside were marked. It would be nice to be able to go in a tank. The solders were very helpful. read more

After relocating back to El Paso, I'm sorry to admit it, but I finally took the initiative of visiting this very informative museum showcasing the 1st Armored Division of the U.S. Army. Upon arriving, there's an abundance of parking to include handicap in the front. Visitors are greeted with a V2 rocket, plethora of tanks and armored personnel carriers. Each one has a placard describing the specifications and capabilities. Inside your greeted by a volunteer, who today was a gentleman by the name of Roy. I thanked him for his service, which was noted by his baseball hat. There are four glass cases containing models of US, UK, and Soviet era tanks and armored vehicles. Throughout the establishment, there are plenty of static displays depicting different eras and equipment. The most enjoyable information was on Fort Bliss itself. There's one set of restrooms near the front, which are very clean and have changing tables inside. Free admission too. read more

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If you plan to visit this Museum be prepared for the arduous, but necessary process to access. Since, unfortunately, it is on an active military base it is necessary go to a gate which is not the main gate. The Chaffee Gate is hard to find. Once your get here you have to go through the clearance process to get a pass. Everyone in your group has to go into a very small office and present their ID- drivers license. You have to fill out a form and then wait to be called to be photographed before they give you a pass. The MP on duty was friendly and helpful but the civilian working the desk was not. You have to show your ID again at the gate even after getting the pass. Once on the base there are no signs to the Museum so hopefully the person at the gate can give you directions. The Museum itself was great and the personnel there were very friendly and welcoming. It can be a good visit if you are prepared for the lengthy process of accessing the Museum. We were not prepared and thus only 4 stars. read more