An exciting interactive experience awaits you at the Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida. Located about 45 minutes from Tampa, it contains the world’s largest private collection of vintage airplanes and offers plenty of aerial action.
Enter the self-guided tour, and wind, music, and a video of clouds let you vicariously experience a parachute jump. After a multi-media display of early flight, from hot air balloons to the Wright Brothers’ flight, you witness an aerial dogfight from the trenches of the Western Front.
Then you board a B-17 Flying Fortress and become an integral part of a bombing mission as you reenact a flight at 25,000 feet over enemy territory. Eight real-time motion simulators let you participate in the action in a mock battle over the Pacific. At the hangers and during the Back Lot Restoration Tour, you’ll see more than 40 planes on display.
Introductory flights on a Flightstar Ultralight are also available for an additional charge. Fantasy of Flight, 1400 Broadway Blvd., S.E. Polk City, Fla. Hours: Open daily (except for Thanksgiving and Christmas) from 9am to 5pm. Group rates available. Admission: $24.95 Adults; $22.95 Seniors; $13.95 Children (5-12 years); free children under 5. 863-984-3500 www.fantsyofflight.com .