The Old Rhinebeck Aerodome is one of those hidden gems that make writing MidAtlanticDayTrips so rewarding!
But despite the title of this article, there really weren’t any trains there, other than an old caboose near the runway that didn’t look as if it was in very good shape.
But there were many historic and reproduction of historic planes. And some really cool looking OLD automobiles! If you love all things that mechanically fly, this is the place for you!
If you’re looking for a quirky place to spend a few hours, well then, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is the the place for you. If you love engines and such, then again, the ORA is the place for you.
And if you want to see some old historic and classic cars, including a 1908 Brush Runabout and a Sears Motor Buggy, then the ORA is the place for you. And as its name suggests, if you love airplanes, ORA is the place for you.
With more than 50 vintage/historic aircraft and more than 40 vintage cars, trucks or motorcycles, ORA provides an extensive exploration of the history of flight and flying machines, through model airplanes, life-size replicas, historic airplanes themselves, as well as flight-capable reproductions.
Throughout the year, ORA offers up to 30 air shows. Before and after the airshows, you can sign up for (in advance) an air tour in a 1929 New Standard open-cockpit biplane.
This is a really quirky place to visit. I wish we could have visited during an air show, but unfortunately, we had just one rather rainy weekday morning to visit.
The museum aspect of the ORA provides a history of flight and the development of the airplane. In one hanger/shed you see replicas of the early flying machines, including multiple historic canvas-covered wings, roughly covering flight between 1900 and 1913.
Then you move to the next hanger, which covers pre-WWI flight, with historic planes.
The third hanger by the museum covers post-WWI flight.
Many of the historic planes were owned by Cole Palen, who founded the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in 1958 to share his life-long love of airplanes with the world.
Getting there: 9 Norton Road, Rhinebeck NY 12572
Hours: Museum is open daily mid-June through mid-October. Airshows every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. between mid-June – mid-October but may be cancelled due to inclement weather.
Website: www.oldrhinebeck.org
