ft. lewis military museum

Very,very, and very nice and educational, recommend to anyone, must see when visiting JBLM. Fun for all ages, and kids will also love the museum.

I tool my 10 year old boy here on spring break. He likes military history and big tanks. There are things to see outside and inside the museum. Outside is a wide range of military equipment - artillery, tanks, experimental vehicles, medical and more. Inside is newly redone. There are historical sections that go back to the opening of the base to each war era after. Uniforms, weapons, tributes to medical service members plus. Some interesting WWII Nazi pieces. Our favorite was Saddam Hussein's statue head brought back from Iraq by local service members after they blew it off a palace. Also, check out the courtyard behind the museum as it has a huey helicopter in it. Getting on base is easy, just follow the website visitors guide for vehicle paperwork and ID. Go early to get your pass to avoid the crowd at the visitor's center area which seems to get busier after 11am. You can go other places on the base when done at the museum. One option, if you have kids, is to go through the main gate (opposite of gate you enter to museum) go straight a few miles and on right by helicopter landing area is a great playground. Nice way to spend part of a day.

This museum had been under renovation for the last few years and I’ve been patiently waiting for its reopening. It was certainly worth the wait. The museum is not as spacious as I thought it would be because it shares the historical building with other entities, but it was very well laid out. Since it is an Army installation it focuses on that service’s (and its local units’) contributions to preserving our freedom. The displays are arranged in historical order with uniforms, arms and accessories from those periods. It covers practically all of America’s wars and major conflicts, with quite a few articles of our foes of the time. On the grounds outside the museum is a wide range of military vehicles and artillery pieces. A drawback is that not of all the exhibits are marked and you are exposed to the elements, so pick a nice day to visit to get the full effect of everything the museum has to offer. The museum is manned by active duty soldiers so please remember to thank them for the efforts in maintaining a great museum and for their service to our country.

On a trip to Seattle the tanks and rockets alongside I-5 just south of Tacoma caught my eye. A quick internet search led me to the Ft. Lewis site. I returned on the weekend with my grandson. Grandchildren are always a great excuse for unplanned adventures. We enjoyed the static displays of old military vehicles: tanks, howitzers, anti-aircraft guns, jeeps, trucks, and, of course, rockets. There's even an old UH-1D "Huey" helicopter in the courtyard. Really neat stuff to my grandson. And me. Your grandkids will love the store.Inside the museum is a warren of displays. Numerous period displays depict military life of soldiers (men and women) from early colonial times to the present. With a military theme, of course. Displays are complete with period correct uniforms and weaponry. Well worth the time. Visitors must register at the Ft. Lewis visitors building.The visitors center is just off I-5 at, I believe, what is the North gate. Vehicle and personal credentials (for those over 16 years of age) is required.

gave me a lot of history about the military around this parts. It was nice looking at the old equipment and weapons.

I've been waiting for the museum to complete it's renovation. When it finally did, a good friend and I paid a visit. One thing that I didn't know was that the museum facility started out as a canteen operated by the Salvation Army. The displays are all well thought out and executed. I especially liked the display about the role of the Army during Washington's territorial days. I also liked the displays of the uniforms that officers and men have worn throughout the near 100 years the fort has been in existence. Great place, and wonderfully staffed!

Free is good. That's what you have here. The inside exhibit has the history and uniforms of all US history. The outside exhibit has a out 30patient military displays deteriorating from missles to tanks. You can tell they are rusting out and not well kept. It looks like the museum is volunteer ran with not many resources for upkeep. Still worth an hour of your time to see.

I was very impressed with their collection the last time we visited. In addition, my father was stationed there many, many years ago. This gave me a real connection to him. The museum is undergoing renovation, so we hope it will be reopened the next time we are in Washington State.

From what I can see driving by it seems very interesting. Renovations have had this place closed since like '08 with no sign of ending. Look elsewhere.