navy lakehurst heritage center private tours

Went on this tour today with my extended family and some friends (13 of us in all), ranging in age from two months (seriously) to qualifying for the senior citizen discount at Dunkin' Doughnuts. Before you get started:- You'll need to plan ahead, tours only occur a few times a month (2nd and 4th Saturdays during the warm months, just the 2nd Saturdays during the cold ones) - http://www.nlhs.com/- You'll need to submit your party members' information, including driver's license numbers, two weeks in advance so that background checks can be performed. This is an active base.- Unfortunately, foreign nationals are not allowed to attend tours because of the nature of the facility.- This is a 2 1/2 hour tour. Plan accordingly.- Led Zeppelin is not part of the tour.With that out of the way, this was an awesome way to spend a day. The Hindenburg disaster is one of the most famous air disasters in world history. We've all seen the video and heard the audio (if not, just search youtube). As my friend said today when we were in that field, it's eerie standing in the exact location where this happened.After the crash site, you head into Hangar #1 where the great zeppelins were stored when they were off duty. This place is mind-blowingly huge, and yet the Hindenburg only had about a foot and a half of space at the front and back ends when she was docked in this building. Part of the hangar tour is a pair of museums. One doubles as a gift shop (the magnets are cool and cheap at $2), but has memorabilia from The Hindenburg, as well as the American airships. The other has old army uniforms and helmets and hundreds of military models, most of them not zeppelin related.Advance warning, this tour is a bit long, but the tour guides make up for it with their enthusiasm and knowledge of minute details of the history of airships. One of the guys there even saw the Hindenburg the day that it crashed, as his mother had pulled him out into the yard to see it fly overhead. There isn't another museum like it anywhere. When my toddler got antsy and I had to take him out of the one museum area, one of the guides even went looking for me and took us into the hangar so the little guy could move around without disturbing anyone, which he definitely did not have to do.If you ever get the chance to do this, do it.

The Heritage Center is one of my favorite types of historic sites - a space dedicated to a unique bit of history and run by enthusiastic volunteers. Research into the history of airships led me to the Navy Lakehurst Heritage Center on the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and I'm so glad I stumbled upon this place.The Heritage Center tells the story of the American military's use of rigid airships and blimps. As part of the tour, we visited the location of the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 and learned about Lakehurst's location as a port for airships. We then went to Hangar No. 1, which housed the airships at Lakehurst, to view a small museum and hear about the history of the airship program. We next headed into the hangar itself and finished at the Ready Room and POW-MIA Room containing exhibits related to American military history. The exhibits are informative but don't expect a perfectly arranged space with slick museum labels. This is more a cabinets crowded with photos and interesting artifacts and stuff hanging from the ceiling type of place. Tours are run by volunteers and their stories and knowledge are what make your visit worth the trip. The two gentlemen who led my tour were cheerful and eager to share their knowledge. A few pieces of advice. Since the Heritage Center is on an active military base, tours are only offered a few times a month and you must register several weeks in advance. All info is at http://www.nlhs.com/nlhstours.htm. There is quite a bit of standing, although the volunteers did provide chairs for those who needed them. It's possible to leave the tour early if you're not able to stay the entire time. The Hindenburg site is quite windy so bring a jacket. Even if military history isn't your normal area of interest, the history of American airships is so unique that it's worth the trip.