Museums to visit on Joint Base Lewis-McChord

I was pleasantly surprised with the Lewis Army Museum. I was expecting something small with mediocre displays but they have actually put a lot of thought, effort, and money into this museum.

The museum is inside a beautiful old building and has lots of tanks, guns, and more outside. The outside area is always open. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free and non-military are also allowed to come visit via escort.

The left side of the museum is about Camp Lewis being established and the history. We are personally Air Force and it was really neat to me to read about the history of the Army base here and how it came to be in this area.

You can see set ups of original barracks here at Fort Lewis and histories of the brigades stationed here over time. The last area on this side is the memorial walk through for those we’ve lost from Fort Lewis.

The other side of the museum is a history of the wars that people stationed here at Fort Lewis have faught in. Some of the wars from the beginning I had never even heard of, all the way up to Operation Iraqi Freedom. There is a little gift shop inside and free coloring sheets for the kids.

For more info about the Lewis Army Museum, click here.

McChord Air Museum
This is more of the museum that I was expecting, small and lots of memorabilia. Not to say it wasn’t enjoyable, it’s a great place to visit on those rainy days. There’s are a few fun spots for the kids to climb in for photo opportunities.

There is a little bit of history about McChord Air Force Base and some history of the Air Force itself. You can find a little gift shop in the front. If you are not military you can still visit the museum, just call the number on the website for access info.

For more info about the McChord Air Museum, click here.

Finding the fun everywhere life takes us!
Love, Olivia Michelle