Castle Air Museum

One of the largest collections of retired military aircraft on the West Coast, spread across the old runway grounds of Castle Air Force Base, with more than 70 historic planes on outdoor display plus an indoor exhibit hall. The base itself operated from 1941 until its 1995 closure, and the museum has since repurposed the actual runway and taxiway areas to display aircraft in a setting close to their original operational context. Walking among the outdoor planes, several of which visitors can enter, gives a scale and physicality that a typical glass-case aviation exhibit can't match. It's easily the single most substantial attraction in the entire Atwater and Merced area.