- What: The Estrella Warbird Museum, 4251 Dry Creek Road, Paso Robles, California 93446, (805) 238-9317. Open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Admission is $15; senior, child, and veteran discounts available. Active-duty military admitted at no charge.
- How to Get There: Getting to Paso Robles is easy. If you’re coming from the north, take Highway 101 south. From the south, it’s the 101 north. Then it’s California SR 46 east in Paso Robles, Airport Road north, and watch for the signs.
- Best Kept Secrets: Perhaps Paso Robles itself. This is a beautiful part of California. For a world-class dining experience, ride Highway 101 just a few miles south to McPhee’s Grill in Templeton (make reservations; you’ll not get in otherwise).
- Don’t Miss: Combining a visit to the Estrella Warbird Museum with a ride along the Pacific Coast Highway and visit to Hearst Castle. It’s an outstanding weekend trip.
- Avoid: Missing the other sights along magnificent Highway 101 and Paso Robles’ wine country. The Missions, in particular, are worth seeing.
The Estrella Warbird Museum in Paso Robles is an awesome destination made even better by its surroundings and the road to it: U.S. Route 101 (also known as Highway 101). Highway 101 is El Camino Real (the Royal Road). It was the trail used by Spain’s Franciscan missionaries in the 1700s and 1800s to spread the gospel (or enslave the Native Americans, depending on your perspective). Salinan Native Americans inhabited the region for thousands of years before the Franciscans. The settlement that became Paso Robles was built to a master plan created in 1868 by Drury James, the outlaw Jesse James’ uncle. The region’s water supply, fertile soil, hot springs, and mild climate were and still are ideal for agriculture (almonds, vineyards, and olives). The riding through this region is fantastic. If you are headed to or through Paso Robles, a stop at the museum makes for a grand destination.
The Estrella Warbird Museum is on a former military airfield 6 miles north of Paso Robles. It started as a USMC air station in early World War II. The Marines turned the base over to the Army, and the Army named it Estrella Army Airfield (the area north of Paso Robles is the Estrella region). The War Department sold the base to San Luis Obispo County, and then SLO sold the airport to the City of Paso Robles for one dollar.
The museum collection features military aircraft and much more. The aviation displays include fighters, cargo transports, helicopters, and related support equipment. The fighters range from a Korean War vintage F-86 to a Vietnam era F-4 Phantom to our current F-16 Falcon (a fighter I helped engineer almost 50 years ago). Military vehicles of all sorts are on display, including several from George S. Patton’s Red Ball Express. As you enter the museum, there’s a military small arms exhibit and then a munitions display. Several military vehicles, including World War II motorcycles, next take center stage. The military motorcycles include a U.S. Army 750cc WL Harley-Davidson V-twin flathead and a British Army M20 500cc BSA single. The museum also houses the Woodland Automobile Display. This includes both vintage automobiles and race cars (with an emphasis on dirt track racing). A water-cooled Harley Knucklehead engine used for midget racing is particularly interesting. It’s a Drake-modified Harley V-twin that was decades ahead of its time, producing close to 100 horsepower back in the day.
The riding in and around San Luis Obispo County is awesome. Paso Robles is a wine-producing region, and the area around the Estrella Warbird Museum has plenty of vineyards on magnificent California roads. You can ride west on State Route 46 to get to the Pacific Coast Highway, one of the premier motorcycle roads in the world, and Hearst Castle. There are beautiful missions attesting to the region’s early Spanish influence, including the nearby San Luis Obispo and San Miguel Missions. As California destinations, the riding to these places is great year-round.
More photos of the The Estrella Warbird Museum.
