Cradle of Aviation Museum & Alley Pond Hike

When and Where

When: December 06, 2025
Timeline: 8:30 am — 5:00 pm

Join us for a full-day outing that combines aviation history, STEM learning, outdoor adventure, and great food — all in one! We'll visit the famous Cradle of Aviation Museum for a structured Aviation Merit Badge program, then take a short hike at Alley Pond Park on the way home. Expect fun, discovery, and good times with your patrol.

When: Saturday, December 6, 2025. Depart at 8:30 AM, return around 6:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Location: Cradle of Aviation Museum (Garden City, NY) and Alley Pond Park (Queens, NY).
Departure/Return: Meet and return at OLA (Our Lady of Angels Church parking lot in Brooklyn).

🚀 Aviation Merit Badge at the Museum

Scouts will participate in the official Aviation Merit Badge workshop hosted by the Cradle of Aviation Museum’s education team. The program includes hands-on experiences in aerodynamics, aircraft parts, flight simulators, and a full exploration of the museum’s aviation exhibits.

Please note: Scouts are expected to review the Aviation Merit Badge pamphlet in advance and come prepared to complete requirements during the visit. Bring a blue card signed by your Scoutmaster and any completed prerequisites.

The merit badge program typically runs from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, so we will plan to arrive by 9:30 AM.

🥾 Hike at Alley Pond Park

On the way back to Brooklyn, we’ll stop at Alley Pond Park in Queens for a light hike. This peaceful nature area offers wooded trails, ponds, and bridges — the perfect way to stretch our legs and balance out the indoor part of the day.

🍕 Food Stop

We’ll cap off the day with a casual food stop for pizza, burgers, or diner fare, depending on timing and group preference. Bring $15–20 in cash for your meal.

🧢 What to Bring

• Class A uniform (for museum visit and travel)
• Comfortable shoes and layers for hiking
• Signed blue card
• Pen and merit badge worksheet (optional)
• Water bottle
• $15–20 for food

About Cradle of Aviation Museum

Located in Garden City, NY, the Cradle of Aviation Museum features over 75 air and spacecraft, a planetarium, and award-winning STEM programming. It tells the story of Long Island’s contributions to aviation history — from the Wright Brothers to the lunar module.

A 150,000 sq. ft. aerospace museum in Garden City, Long Island, dedicated to the region’s aviation legacy. The site was once Mitchel Field and Roosevelt Field. The museum opened in the 1980s and has eight chronological galleries.

Exhibits include:

• Charles Lindbergh’s Curtiss Jenny
• WWII Hellcats and Thunderbolts
• F-14 Tomcat jet
• Apollo Lunar Module LM-13
• Civil aviation displays and the JetBlue Planetarium

Interactive features:

• 30+ hands-on exhibits and simulators
• Sit-in cockpits from different eras
• Staffed by retired engineers and pilots

This is not our first time here! Troop 23 last visited the museum in January 2020, and it was a big hit with Scouts and families alike.

About Alley Pond Park

A 655-acre park in Queens featuring forest, ponds, marshes, and meadows. Our easy hike will be near the Alley Pond Environmental Center.

Possible highlights:

• Wildlife sightings (birds, hawks, waterfowl)
• The Queens Giant (133 ft Tulip Poplar, 350+ years old)
• Historical mill ruins and native flora