Pearson Airfield

Ever wanted to strap into a genuine flight simulator? The Pearson Air Museum (1115 E. 5th St., 360/694-7026, www.fortvan.org/pages/pearson-air-museum [1], 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Wed.–Sat., 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sun. in summer, open Wed.–Sat. only the rest of the year, $8 adults, $5 seniors and active duty military with ID, $3 ages 6–12, free for kids under age 6) offers you the chance. The museum also displays dozens of aircraft and memorabilia from all periods in aviation history.

The adjacent Pearson Airfield is one of the oldest operating fields in the nation; its first landing was a dirigible that floated over from Portland in 1905, and the first plane arrived seven years later. This was also where the Russian transpolar flight ended in 1937.