Northwest Airlines History Center

Northwest Airlines History Center Visit our Museum at the Crowne Plaza AIRE in Bloomington, MN near MSP Airport and the Mall of America

Our Mission: To preserve and display the memory of Northwest Airlines' exciting and colorful history.

Sure, it was cool to stage model aircraft photos during today’s shift , but seeing these kids having a great time today ...
06/14/2025

Sure, it was cool to stage model aircraft photos during today’s shift , but seeing these kids having a great time today was the real heartwarmer.

Join our crew to be a part of moments like these!
https://northwestairlineshistory.org/volunteer-form/

Overcast and meh for planespotting today? Come on down to the museum today 10 am - 2 pm and we’ll have great photo oppor...
06/14/2025

Overcast and meh for planespotting today? Come on down to the museum today 10 am - 2 pm and we’ll have great photo opportunities (bring your 1:200 scale models to shoot on our diorama!)

And check out our updated layout & take selfies at our new ground handling station!

06/12/2025

Museum hours update: today (June 12) - 11 am to 2 pm.
Friday June 13 - 11am to 5 pm.

Introducing our new Ramp Safety exhibit! Try on a safety vest and hearing protectors, grab a pair of marshaling wands, c...
06/12/2025

Introducing our new Ramp Safety exhibit! Try on a safety vest and hearing protectors, grab a pair of marshaling wands, check for and pick up any foreign objects, learn about commonly-used signals, and get a photo of you waving in an Airbus in this fun and interactive display!

We also have recently brought in some big video monitors with a cycle of presentations and ads, and reworked a number of exhibit layouts. Even more to come this summer, too!

Love sharing (and hearing) stories of air travel, airlines, airports, and airliners? Join us as a museum volunteer at th...
06/11/2025

Love sharing (and hearing) stories of air travel, airlines, airports, and airliners? Join us as a museum volunteer at the Northwest Airlines History Center in Bloomington, MN!

Our museum’s volunteer team powers our work connecting generations across the history of air travel, and highlighting the impacts air transportation have on our region and world.

You can join in with just three or four hours a month, and we definitely want to hear that DC-9 tale! Hit the link to let us know you’re interested, and we’ll be in touch: https://northwestairlineshistory.org/volunteer-form/

Did some moving around at the museum yesterday in preparation for new features and exhibits! And our big new video monit...
06/08/2025

Did some moving around at the museum yesterday in preparation for new features and exhibits! And our big new video monitors are up and running. This will be an exciting summer!

In a Herman mood today.
06/03/2025

In a Herman mood today.

Info on what we used to call the RNPA Summer Cruise - now open to all airline staffers, retired or active, above or belo...
05/30/2025

Info on what we used to call the RNPA Summer Cruise - now open to all airline staffers, retired or active, above or below the wing!

05/29/2025

[Edit] we will have two staff on hand this afternoon, after all! So come on down and check us out!

(But still, if we had another couple folks who can flex in, that would be great!)

Still need a few more volunteers to help with Thursday PM hours; need to close at 2 today as it’s important to have at least two folks on-shift for safety and to be able to give our visitors a quality experience.

Earlier this season we’d shared some outdoor scale-model photography - always a challenge to find a background that sugg...
05/25/2025

Earlier this season we’d shared some outdoor scale-model photography - always a challenge to find a background that suggests airport activity while not having any element look too big against one’s aircraft in the foreground.

Also, one never can count on the weather to cooperate for model shoots - rain, wind, clouds and shadows. So, why not build an ideal scene from scratch?

I took an “empty” photo at the MSP spotters’ park and had it printed 2’ x 3’. Then had a birch plywood board cut to 1’ x 3’ and laid out the scale width of taxiway W. Some model grass on the “far” side helps the board blend in with the photo backdrop.

Now with a macro lens I can shoot all the narrowbody equipment in my 1:200 collection (the DC-10 mostly works, but the 747-400 is too wide.)

Would those of you who collect aircraft at this scale be interested in a “shoot your collection” event at the museum this summer?

Such a joy to host over 2 dozen from the NWA 1981 Class 1 Flight Attendants yesterday!
05/17/2025

Such a joy to host over 2 dozen from the NWA 1981 Class 1 Flight Attendants yesterday!

Pleased to announce our May timetable!Thursdays 11 am - 5 pmFridays 11 am - 5 pmSaturdays 10 am - 2 pmWe are always look...
05/08/2025

Pleased to announce our May timetable!
Thursdays 11 am - 5 pm
Fridays 11 am - 5 pm
Saturdays 10 am - 2 pm

We are always looking to bring more volunteers on board to help pad & expand this schedule, work on new exhibits, interview people, etc.

Address

Museum: Crowne Plaza AiRE, 3 Appletree Sq. , Bloomington. Administration & Archive: 10100 Flying Cloud Drive , Suite A306, Eden Prairie
Bloomington, MN
55425

Opening Hours

Thursday 11am - 2pm
Friday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+19526984478

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Northwest Airlines History Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category