We recently headed over to RAF Cosford museum for a family day out, and what a fab place it is! With so much to see, from huge aircraft and fighter jets to military vehicles, uniforms and all sorts of memorabilia, there was plenty to keep us occupied.
It’s one of those places where you don’t necessarily have to be a massive aviation fan to enjoy yourself either. There’s so much history packed into the museum, and being able to get right up close to some of the aircraft really gives you an idea of just how enormous they are.
We had a brilliant time wandering around, taking far too many photos and stopping to look at all sorts along the way. So, if you’re thinking about visiting RAF Cosford Museum yourself, here’s a little look at what you can expect and what we thought of our visit.
Booking Our Visit to RAF Cosford Museum
Before our visit, we booked our tickets online. Entry to RAF Museum Midlands is completely free for everyone, with just a £6.50 parking charge (including online discount), which I think is really fair considering how much there is to see and do.
Booking online also helps the museum manage visitor numbers, so there’s plenty of room for everyone to enjoy the exhibits safely. It’s especially useful during busier times and around the popular RAF Cosford Air Show, when you can imagine the area gets much busier than usual.
When booking your free tickets, you’re given the option to add a donation to help support the museum, but there’s absolutely no pressure to do so. If you’d rather decide once you’re there, we spotted card donation machines dotted around the museum as we made our way through the different exhibitions, which makes it really easy to contribute during your visit.
We also bought a guidebook. We do on most visits to places, and they are just £3 if ordered at the time of booking.
Arriving at RAF Cosford Museum
We travelled by car, and getting there was nice and straightforward. The car park is really spacious too, with plenty of room, and once we’d parked it wasn’t far at all to the main museum entrance, which is always a bonus when you’re heading out as a family.
There’s a little play area for children near the entrance, as well as a café inside if you fancy grabbing something to eat or drink. We took our own lunches, and the boys wanted a takeaway on the way home.
Once inside, we gave our tickets to the member of staff at the desk, collected our guidebook and off we went.
Getting Up Close to the Aircraft
This was obviously one of the biggest highlights of RAF Cosford. You can see photographs of these aircraft online, but they really don’t give you a sense of scale. Standing underneath some of them and looking up is something else entirely.
There is such a mixture too, from aircraft most of us will instantly recognise to some of the more unusual and experimental designs that we hadn’t seen before.
The boys enjoyed getting a closer look at everything, while Craig and I probably spent just as much time reading the information and taking in all of the little details.
The National Cold War Exhibition
One of the most impressive areas for us was the National Cold War Exhibition. The building itself is huge, with aircraft displayed above and around you, so there’s something to look at whichever way you turn.
This is where you’ll find the three British V-bombers. The Vulcan, Victor and Valiant together under one roof. You really don’t appreciate just how enormous some of these aircraft are until you’re standing underneath them looking up!
There’s plenty to see beyond the aircraft too, with military vehicles, tanks and displays throughout. One thing that really caught our attention was the Freedom display, which includes an actual section of the Berlin Wall. There are information boards packed with history alongside the exhibits too, so there’s lots to stop and read as you make your way around.
It’s a really interesting part of the museum and definitely somewhere we spent a good chunk of our visit.
Is RAF Cosford Museum Accessible and Autism Friendly?
As a family, accessibility is always something we have to think about when planning days out. Our youngest son is autistic, and Craig’s condition means he has to take it easy, so being able to take things at our own pace and stop for regular breaks makes a big difference to us.
We found RAF Museum Midlands really easy to get around. The hangars are spacious, with plenty of room around the aircraft and displays, and we never felt like we had to rush from one area to the next.
One thing we particularly appreciated was the amount of seating throughout the museum. There are loads of benches dotted along the different routes, which was fab for Craig when he needed to stop and rest, and equally handy for Joben, who often likes to take little breaks when he gets a little overwhelmed.
I imagine this is also really helpful for older visitors, particularly as there’s so much history here that may bring back memories. You can stop, have a sit down, read the information boards and take everything in without feeling like you need to keep moving.
The toilets are located back in the main entrance area and aren’t far to walk to at all. We also found them to be spotless during our visit.
Overall, we found RAF Cosford Museum a really accessible family day out, and those little things – plenty of seating, spacious exhibitions and facilities close by and super friendly staff, made it much easier for all four of us to enjoy the day.
The guides around the museum are lovely too and really add to the experience. They’re full of interesting facts and knowledge about the aircraft and exhibits, and are more than happy to stop for a chat or answer any questions. It makes exploring that little bit more fun, especially when you get to hear things you might not have picked up from the displays.
I really enjoyed coming across the displays telling the stories of real people who served in the RAF. Dotted amongst the aircraft are life-sized figures with information about the men and women behind them, and I found myself stopping to read so many of their stories. It’s a lovely touch and really brings a more personal side to the history. This lady is Corporal Lilian Bader, who joined the WAAF in 1941 and trained as an Instrument Repairer, becoming one of the first women in the air force to qualify in that trade.
And everyone loves a bit of dressing up! …
We had such a great family day out at RAF Museum Midlands and came away having seen far more than I expected.
And judging by the number of photos we came home with (these shared, are just a handful of them), I think it’s safe to say we found plenty to look at!
Would you like to visit the Royal Air Force Museum?
That really does look like a great place to visit. It looks so full of history with lots to see. Fantastic photos! It sounds like a brilliant family day out.