LONDONDERRY, NH — Looking for just the right gift for an aviation or history lover? How about toys that encourage kids to put down their electronic devices and just play?
Then stop by the Aviation Museum of N.H., where the museum store is open for last-minute shopping from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day through Friday, Dec. 23.
The Aviation Museum is located at 27 Navigator Road (off Harvey Road), in Londonderry, N.H. adjacent to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
The museum’s store carries unusual products not found elsewhere, such as the museum’s custom line of “N.H. Aviation History Jams” made in the Granite State by award-winning Laurel Hill Jams of Bedford, N.H.
The jams come in five flavors, each named after a Granite State aviation pioneer.
“Bernice Blake Blueberry” celebrates the Manchester woman who in 1933 became the state’s first female pilot to earn a commercial license. “Thaddeus Lowe Multi-Berry” honors the N.H.-born ballooning pioneer hired by President Abraham Lincoln to command the Union Army’s new balloon corps during the U.S. Civil War.
For those with a sweet tooth, Flyer chocolate bars, made by chocolatier and hot air balloonist John Paris, make great stocking stuffers.
You’ll also find Aviation Museum mugs, baseball caps, and umbrellas. Merchandise includes Rosie the Riveter socks or ornaments so you can celebrate a cozy Christmas morning while paying homage to World War II history.
The museum store stocks a wide range of model planes suitable for all ages. The store also carries a rotating supply of vintage toys and airmail stamps for the philatelist in your life, or just to add an extra special touch when sending your Christmas cards this year.
All proceeds benefit the museum, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving aviation history and inspiring young people to pursue careers in aviation and aerospace.
Other holiday gift options at the museum include individual or family memberships, which allow the recipient to be a part of the Aviation Museum’s activities for an entire year.
Membership perks include free admission, borrowing privileges in the museum’s Slusser Aviation Lending Library, a subscription to the Aviation Museum’s ‘Aeronaut’ publication, a 10 percent discount in the store, and more.
Individual memberships are $35; family memberships $70. The museum can take membership orders by phone at (603) 669-4820, via email at ldearborn@nhahs.org, or online at www.aviationmuseumofnh.org.
Museum gift certificates are also available for purchase and may be redeemed for museum entry or used in the gift store.
The store will be open through Friday, Dec. 23 and is free to all. The Aviation Museum is open on Friday, Dec. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; regular admission rates apply.
The Aviation Museum will be closed on Christmas Eve, Saturday, Dec. 24. The museum will be open on Sunday, Dec. 25 from 1 to 4 p.m., with no admission charged but donations welcome.
The Aviation Museum also carries N.H. Heritage Museum Trail passports. For $25, you’ll get a Heritage Trail passport granting one-time admission to 21 museums across the Granite State. (Separate admission to all museums would cost more than $200, so it’s a bargain.)
Passports are good for one year. They’re a great way to explore the state’s museums, including Canterbury Shaker Village, the Currier Museum of Art, Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, and many more.
For more info on Heritage Trail museum passports, visit https://nhmuseumtrail.org/passport/
The Aviation Museum of N.H., located at 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, N.H., is a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization dedicated to celebrating New Hampshire’s role in aviation history and inspiring tomorrow’s pioneers, innovators and aerospace professionals.
Named “Best Place to Take Kids” in southern New Hampshire in the 2022 HippoPress Readers Poll, the Aviation Museum of N.H. was recently awarded the prestigious ‘Non-Profit Impact Award’ by the Center for N.H. Non-Profits.
For more information, visit www.aviationmuseumofnh.org or call (603) 669-4820. Follow the Aviation Museum on social media at www.facebook.com/nhahs.