A MUST see for anyone interested in local history, early American bicycling, early American motorcycles, as well as early aviation and naval aviation history. There's is so much packed into this big, dark block of a building, its amazing. There is a one hour movie that really is a well made, must see...preferably before exploring the exhibition. Curtiss was involved in so many different things during stages in his relatively short life, and the museum gives substantial display area to each and all of his interests. Very well worth the entry fee. read more

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum - First naval hydroplane. Acrylic painting by ASAA artist, Merana Cadorette - Museums Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

Great place if you're interested in planes and history. Worth a visit for all ages. Nice history about the local area as well. read more

The age of innovation when the Industrial Revolution pushed the boundaries an me like Glee. H. Curtiss dreamed big and literally reached for the stars. From humble beginnings to legendary flight we learn about one of Hammondsport's most famous resident. It is well worth the stop to see the collection and history. Our family found it interesting from each of their perspectives. My favorite is the restoration of a 1943 Curtiss P-40 E "War Hawk". I purposely didn't take pictures as the experience is well worth seeing for yourself. read more

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum - Museums Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

Made this a stop on a road trip and enjoyed the experience. Lots of admission discounts available for military, AAA, age-based etc. I've been to a similar aircraft museum where I first heard of Curtiss, but this included more history of engines with bicycles to motorcycles to cars to planes. You could get really close to the displays here. You still can't touch them though so this could be hard for small children. The only negative thing is that they had QR codes you could scan to see inside of the cockpits if you couldn't reach up to the windows, but there was no internet service so I could not watch them. I did however leave with a list of questions to Google that we went over over lunch such as how does a chainless bicycle work and why did pilot watches have faces that were rotated 90°. Great adventure for a couple hours that made you think. read more

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum - Museums Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

Great museum! The facilities are wide, spacious, tidy and very well kept. They have activities and an area for kids, which is pretty awesome. My favorite part was to get to see the workshop where they are reconstructing an aircraft. It's amazing! Also, to see the staff working (on Sunday) and get to talk to them was priceless. Highly recommended for all ages! To the museum: I saw an Olmeca head in the back of the house. I can't think of a reason why it was there! The Olmeca civilization is a part of my culture and I was shocked to see it there. read more

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum - History - Museums Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

Just down the street from the Best Western Hotel is the Glenn H. Curtis Museum. It's dedicated to the memory of pioneer aviator, Glenn H. Curtis who was a resident of Hammondsport. It's a wonderful place to spend a couple of hours and walk around and take in all the airplane inventions from yesteryear with relating to early aviation and local history. There are also motorcycles, bicycles, boats, cars, antique tools that were also invented years ago. It's very cool to see how they improved and progressed over the years with each new invention. The museum also features a 75-seat theater, with a large open area for special events and a newly remodeled Museum Store. I was able to purchase a great sweatshirt, and pick up some cool gifts. Visitors are also welcomed to visit the Museum Restoration Shop. You can talk with volunteer craftsman and watch them work on historic aircraft. The staff were all very friendly and knowledgeable. This museum is a definite must if your visiting Hammondsport, NY. read more

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A world-class museum showing the huge contributions of local Glenn Curtiss to early aviation. Curtiss may not have received the notoriety that Wilbur and Orville Wright received, but his achievements advanced the progress of flight for decades to come. We spent a few hours here and it wasn't enough, so we will be back.... read more

World Class air & motorcycle museum with a local Finger Lakes flare. A "must see" for All locals & def., ALL tourist ! Not sure how much for admission these days(post Covid 19).. A Must See at any price $$. Let's roll pjg read more

My daughter and I made a stop in to this very cool museum! We really enjoyed looking through the historical relics from a time long ago. It was neat to explain a lot of what we were looking at to my daughter, who is 11. We stopped to grab a picture for the virtual geocache at the end of the driveway. Thanks yelp for bringing us here! read more

The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is a required pilgrimage for anyone who is a serious flying buff. The Wrights might have been first, but Curtiss did more for flight in his lifetime than the Wrights. Many of his accomplishments, along with others, are on display in the great museum. First point, Curtiss was born in Hammandsport, New York, in the Finger Lakes area of Western New York. It's an out of the way place, no doubt, probably an hour and a half south of the New York Thruway, although it's only a few minutes off I-86 from the Bath exit. It's worth the trip. Curtiss was a bicycle builder (so were the Wrights) who raced and was always trying to find a way to get more speed and performance. He went on to make and race motorcycles before he was introduced to flying, and the rest is (literally) history. You'll follow his growth and career path as you walk through the museum. The museum is on NY 54 and you can't miss it, a Curtiss-built C-46 cargo plane marks the front gate. Read the historical marker as you enter, and there's another marker near the door. As you approach the entrance, note the runway landing lights that line the sidewalk. Once inside, you'll have a chance to peruse a display of motorcycles, and I was happy to find a piece of home with some Harley-Davidson products on display. I was there when a feature (read: temporary) display of Snoopy and Red Baron was a part of my visit. Near a replica of Curtiss' "June Bug" (you saw one outside with the marker) is another little piece of home, a miniature car built by A.O. Smith. Also on display is a Curtiss JN-4D, fondly known as a Jenny. It was a plane of choice for barnstormers and the flying circus. Curtiss designed a 5th wheel RV that is on display, and scattered throughout the museum are Curtiss aircraft and sea planes. You'll find boats, aircraft engines, and a wide variety of automobiles of the Curtiss Era. Don't miss the Curtiss P-40 with its familiar "shark nose" paint job, parked under camouflage, and next to it is a WWII jeep built by Ford. Outside, you'll find a caboose from the short line Bath & Hammondsport Railroad, and if you go into Hammondsport (which I recommend) you'll find a depot from the same railroad. The Curtiss Museum turned out to be far more than I ever expected it to be. I'm a casual fan of aircraft and flying (I'm more of a car guy, actually) but this place was well worth the time to visit. read more

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If you are a fan of Naval Aviation and the pioneers of flight adding in antique motorcycles you will enjoy this museum!

It is very important to know the truth about history. Glenn Curtiss is no well known. Legal wrangling by the Wright Brothers bushed him out. Big money and manipulated law changed history but truth is exposed so go and see it. Wonderful read more

Very worth the trip if you're in the area! The museum is very modern and not just for airplane enthusiasts, the diversity of exhibits offer something for everyone. Besides lots of airplanes and history on Glenn H. Curtiss himself, there's also motorcycles, cars, boats, a local wine history exhibit, Victorian era antiques, local history items, a caboose out back, and more! If you're into planes, you'll be impressed with the models they've restored and perhaps surprised with some of the local history behind them too. Interested in seeing a restoration in progress? The workshop out back is open to visitors as well. Like wine? The wine exhibit on local wineries is informative and takes you back to early wine making in the region. Like random stuff? Don't miss the impressive Victorian hair wreath or the large four leaf clover collection! The large museum is modern with a lot to see, plan to spend at least an hour here. read more

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Orville and Wilbur who??? I can't believe how the story of American aviation has evolved in such a way that the average American only knows of the Wright brothers and not much else. This museum was so interesting and explains who Curtiss was and how he fit in to the story of American aviation. What a story it is! Curtiss' first factory built motorcycles, so this museum has quite a collection of motorcycles as well as aircrafts (and even a few bicycles and boats!) The Curtiss museum isn't huge, but it's bigger than you'd expect. One could get through in an hour, but if you are really into motorcycles and planes there's plenty to keep you for a couple of hours. They are even working on the restoration of a Curtiss P-40 in the back workshop. When we visited, someone was in the workshop and so we had the opportunity to ask questions about the restoration. I'm going to tell everyone about this museum and I'm bringing my dad with me next time! read more

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Great museum, staff is kind, gift shop has a bunch of goodies. Some workshop tools you can spin. Kids area has legos that will distract them. If you like planes and motorcycles this is the place to go. read more

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum - Museums Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

What a great place! you can read all the praise given to Glenn Curtiss by the other reviewers but they are well deserved based on this museum. Definitely start with the movie. It provides the story, history and backdrop to all the displays you will see. Plan on a few hours to really enjoy it. read more

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum - Extra - Museums Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

I arrived early in the morning before they opened, and received a pseudo tour from the very nice lady who was opening up the museum. We shared a ton a info about the area and the history of Glenn Curtiss; quite the treat!! It was very nice to walk around all the aircraft, engines, and cars. In the back lot there is an active restoration project for a P-40 read more

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The museum is very spacious and well-organized. It will impress you with multiple stories and unique artifacts. Totally worth visiting. read more

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum - Museums Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

This museum has an eyeball from the monkey soup in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Have I got your attention, finger lake winery visiting hipsters? The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum is cool, and you should go check it out on the way to the nearby Keuka Lake wineries. Admission is only $8.50 for adults and pocket change (not really, but cheaper) for students and kids. Not like the place needs to be sold--the parking lot was full when we drove up. Glenn H. Curtiss was a genius. The photographs of him are amazing because his face never changes in any shot. However, this man made BIG CHANGES in the way we travel today. There was a map of the world absolutely covered with pins from international visitors--it just shows you how many people are excited about his achievements. The collection at the museum fits airplanes, motorcycles, boats, and trailers, as well as an entire Restoration Room. It's just huge. In a span of about two hours, I checked out record-breaking seaplanes and heroic aircraft with shark faces from WWI. I saw Indiana Jones' hat. That's there too. There is the biggest four leaf clover collection that I have ever seen, dozens of intricate doll houses, humongous engines, motorcycles, a Women in Aviation exhibit (We Can Do It!), and a wreath made out of hair. It's really pretty until you realize it's hair--those silly Victorians. Curtiss also made big money making seaplanes and aero-trailers and super-fast motorcycles a reality. There is an exhibit dedicated to his luxe living, including his fancy (and sunshine yellow!) 'Florida automobile' on display, and his wife's lovely jewelry. I found it fascinating to see what ingenuity can buy. I'm going to be serious for a minute. I wanted to climb into a plane. You can't do that here, and that made me a little bit sad. However, you can climb into a Train Caboose outside the museum. There is also an aircraft flying video-game simulator, and dress-up clothes so that you can look like a pilot, even if you can't pretend to be one in a big airplane. The best part was checking out their Restoration Room, complete with the museum's latest project paused in the workroom with tools neatly lining the walls and papers strewn about with project plans. It was like snooping in your neighbor's workshop, if your neighbor works on restoring airplanes and army jeeps from WWII. Good stuff. read more

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Comprehensive focus on areas history as well as Mr. Curtis. I'd have enjoyed more women history of aviation, cycles etc. Perhaps show history of Camp Cory or area camp history like boy scouts, camp Gorton. Perhaps find camp individuals that had careers in military or aviation? read more

This is one quirky museum. We had been meaning to visit this place for years and with relatives in town we decided to make the 1.5 hour trip down to Hammondsport. Who knew that Glenn Curtis was such a key innovator in all of these different industries. Too bad he has never been given his due in the history books. Fascinating! There is alot to see in this museum and in some ways that is the problem because in feels like a mish-mash of different topics with no coherent theme. Ok the bikes, motorcycles, planes make sense given Glenn's inventiveness but then other memorabilia is thrown into the mix: doll houses, boats, wine making, movie props, cameras, civil war cannons, etc. All of this was interesting but it made it hard to follow the GHC story when interspersed with all of these other collections. It felt like people with other collections needed a place to house them and this museum took them in. Don't get me wrong this is a must see but just kinda odd... read more

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum - Fastest man in the world motorcycle - Museums Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

Awesome museum. Learned so much about Glenn Curtiss and Curtiss motorcycles and aircraft. He really is the first in flight! I highly recommend this museum to anyone. It has so much for young and old. read more

Excellent museum! Really learned a lot about Mr. Curtis. Very reasonable charge. Loved the whole set up.

Something for everyone! Planes, cars, motorcycles, boats, even some old fire apparatus! Plan on spending 2-3 hours here to get the full experience. Very informative! My only complaint is that some are of the restorations were less than correct, but for the most part it is still a great museum that you can explore at your own pace. As a bonus, in a separate building, they are restoring a P-40 WWll era plane that was involved in a crash in the swamps of Florida back in the 40s. During our visit, at least 4-5 people were working on her fabricating and riveting pieces to get her back into shape. Very cool! read more

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The Curtiss Glenn Museum is a real jewel amidst the fingerlakes. While the Wright Brothers may have had the first powered flight, Glen Curtiss was part of the race for flight and was a key player providing planes for the World Wars. The museum traces his history from his days building bicycles, all the way to winning the wars. The place is wall-to-wall classic airplanes (some real, some replicas) and would be a treat for anyone who loves aircraft. It is great for kids. The place is also used to host local specialty fairs like dollhouse collectables and the like. Be sure to check ahead of time to see if the local event is something you or your loved ones might also enjoy. read more

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This museum just had tons of interesting memorabilia. We looked for over an hour and didn't really see it all. Very clean place, fun things for kids to do and nice gift shop. Employees were welcoming and knowledgeable. Definitely worth the price of admission. read more

This place had been on my bucket list for a while. Admittedly, it is kind of in the middle of nowhere. Hammandsport is a great little town right on the lake though, so you can easily make it a day trip. TONS of Glen Curtiss memorabilia. From motorcycles to planes, to engines, to propellors, and other stuff all under one roof. At times it did seem to be a bit disorganized, but the amount of stuff they had was way more than I expected. I'll be honest, I usually lose patience with the overwhelming amount of stuff in a museum, but I was honestly captivated by all of the items here and I genuinely spent 2hrs walking around and looking at everything. It truly is a great museum. They are currently restoring a P-40 in the back and you can see the progress. The gift shop has a lot of interesting things for purchase. All in all, it was a pleasant surprise. After you finish your museum visit, take a drive on down the road to Hammandsport and have lunch. There are a few nice little shops surrounding the town square and some great places to eat. Keuka Lake is just past the town square. If you still have time left, there are several wineries nearby for a great tasting adventure. read more

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We live several hours from Glenn H. Curtiss Museum but it was well worth the trip. Friendly staff, reasonable prices, including senior and military discounts. There is so much to see and not just planes and motorcycles. Many items are on loan so I am sure that the displays are ever changing. They also have a well stocked gift shop with books and shirts, hats and magnets and many other items. Make time to visit this museum, you will not be disappointed. read more

Great little museum packed with information about the early days of aviation. Curtiss was also a speed demon on motorcycles. Lots of info on seaplanes. read more

History unfiltered! Great experience delivered by knowledgeable people. Highly recommend a visit! If you are a motorcycle fan, an aviation fan or just looking for some history of the area, this is the best place to be! read more

Rick and I went to visit this museum. I thought it was going to be all guy stuff. Airplanes, boats, motorcycles, bicycle, cars. There was do much more to see. Doll houses, space movie props, doctors equipment, old washers. Lots of great stuff to check out. Something for everyone. If you get a chance, I think you will enjoy it. read more

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Such a fascinating museum. I can't believe I didn't know more about Glenn Curtiss. From creating motorcycle engines to airplanes. He is the father of naval aviation and an integral part of our nation's history of flight. The museum is well laid out, holds interesting artifacts, has a plant being restored right before you and a fun kids section. Definitely recommend a visit if you're a fan of motorcycles, aviation or history. read more

Please make the time to stop there! He and his family were absolutely fascinating. We were totally absorbed by all of the attractive, well-kept displays. It's a shame that he isn't more famous. read more

If your ever in Hammondsport Ny. Check out the Curtiss Wright museum. It's a must on your todo list. It covers aviation, Cars, and motorcycles. Going to tell everyone to go. I will be going again. read more

Glenn H. Curtiss Museum - One of the many things you will see there - Museums Near Me - Hammondsport, New York

Who knew?!? Wonderful collection of a valuable period of our history. Enjoyed every minute, can't wait for our little ones to get old enough to appreciate :) read more

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The history of KEUKA Lake and Curtiss was fascinating. The displays had lots of history and information. My feet were hurting and there were plenty of chairs which I could easily move from display to display!! The ladies in the gift shop were very knowledgeable as they answered my many questions that the displays didn't fully answer. I had taken some friends from Maryland who were quite skeptical to drive 45 miles to a museum about a man that they'd never heard of. We left when the doors were being locked and we all vowed to come back for another day Make sure to stop and watch the America plane fly AFTER it was moved out of the building down to KEUKA Lake in 3 pieces and reassembled read more

This place is a gem!! Amazing collection of engines planes motorcycles doll houses boats automobiles bicycles incredible hand carved miniature planes plus active restoration workshop. One could spend hours here. Definitely something for everyone, of all ages. An unexpected treat!!! read more

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We saw signs for this museum as we entered NY state from PA. It sounded interesting, we've heard of Curtiss in the past, but didn't give it much more thought. Then we found ourselves passing right by the museum on our way to another location in Hammondsport. We made plans to see the museum the next day. The museum is an eclectic amalgamation of collections most of which pertain to Curtiss but several displays relate to general aviation and to the Finger Lakes region. Our AAA membership gave us $1 discount (we paid $11 each) as do other discounts such as senior. Military discount might be $2. I had no idea Glenn Hammond Curtiss played such an integral role in early aviation! This museum is fabulous and well worth the money and time. We spent over three hours here and even that was a bit rushed. Granted, we watched the one hour video narrative of Curtiss' life (and found it very informative) so that occupied quite a bit of time. We highly recommend the video and suggest you watch it from start to finish. Otherwise, the connection between Curtiss, Alexander Graham Bell and the Wright Brothers will not be obvious. Can't say enough about this museum. read more

This museum was great. Lots of new information to take in. Who knew the man that first flew airplanes was right in our backyard. They do have a student discounts. It was great! Definitely worth checking it out however the town is small so plan accordingly read more

This place was fantastic. The historical artifacts they have are incredible. Really enjoyed visiting, walking around and under an in progress aircraft restoration of a P 40 while talking to the people doing the work. The chronological exhibit of Curtiss life and work was very well done up his death. But they have artifacts to continue this forward with the Curtiss company. Almost hidden were engines for the B 29 and Constellation. The museum had a lot of local stuff nothing to with Curtiss that was also interesting. Well worth the time for engineering history and aviation. Enough real stuff for three museums. read more