Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center

Recently we made a trip to Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center near Fairfield on our way to Reno. We combined this with a visit to the Jelly Belly Factory in Vacaville since that is nearby.

Travis Air Force Base

Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center is inside Travis Air Force Base which is still an active base. The Heritage Center has multiple military aircraft on display on the outside. You cannot climb inside any plane. You can walk around and take photos. It also houses an indoor museum which has a representative collection of American military aircraft from various periods: fighters, bombers, trainers, cargo, etc. Other exhibits include a space capsule for children, air force uniforms, the nose of a World War II glider, World War II aircraft recognition models, a Link Trainer, aircraft engines, and the cockpits of planes.

Giant Plane at Travis AFB

Entry is restricted. For US Citizens, you must stop at the Travis AFB Visitor’s Center and check in with the security staff. All adults 18 and over must have a valid photo ID and complete a background check before receiving a pass. Visitors are shuttled to and from the Visitor’s Center and the Heritage Center. For Non-US Citizens: Due to heightened security, all non-US citizens must coordinate their visit to the Heritage Center at least 2 weeks prior to the date of their visit. So in short US Citizens can walk-in without prior appointment but non US Citizens must pre-plan their visit.

Travis AFB

Over-all it took us an hour at the actual site and maybe 15 mins to check-in. It’s a nice place to visit if you are in the area. At certain times of the year they have special functions where they tow the planes from the museum parking lot to a separate area for display.

Inside the museum

An interesting anecdote is that as the shuttle was dropping us back to Visitor’s Center the national anthem started playing on the loudspeaker. The shuttle driver stopped the van on the road and so did the other cars as a sign of respect. Apparently this is common procedure in military bases. It also seems that many military veterans have made Fairfield and surrounding areas as their home. They still like to come to the base and see the military planes and be in that atmosphere.

Space Shuttle