The Armor
Experience
Travel back to 1944, as Allied forces attempt to push back German troops, mile by mile, while fighting to liberate a continent. Throughout the year, the Museum of American Armor periodically schedules its nationally-respected "Armor Experience" program, allowing individuals to be immersed in a time and place where civilization hung in the balance.
You are invited to take the lead as you probe enemy defenses, surrounded by what could very well be the French countryside of some 70 years ago. Presented with a tactical challenge to confront a potential ambush, you are outfitted with period gear, placed atop WWII armor, and sent back in time with living historians as you explore the hidden dangers lurking beyond each bend in the road.
The 21st century seems far out of reach as a Sherman tank lumbers around the corner. The sound of troops rushing past your position is heard in the background, as your platoon leader barks orders for you to duck down. A sudden ambush is confronted in the woods. A scout car erupts in smoke. G.I.s shout at you to stay with the wounded. It’s only later when you recall this isn’t, in fact, France of 1944.
“THIS is an extraordinary experience that has been recreated right down to the G.I. coffee. It is quite rare to see these armored vehicles in action, much less be part of a program that so effectively immerses you in the period.”
Dr. Libby O’Connell
History Channel Chief Historian
Book Now
Join the Experience
The Armor Experience is available to premium museum members, and is also offered to select groups—corporations, as a team-building exercise; families, educators, and age-appropriate student groups.
Reserve your spot now!
A $130 donation puts you back in time in the midst of an armor column
The WWII
Experience
WWII Weekend features a sprawling encampment of living historians, armor, and exhibits which are designed to capture the sights and sounds of a conflict which took place when the state of the world itself hung in the balance.
The weekend includes an armor parade, a simulated pitched battle between opposing forces—and intergenerational experiences that not only make history come alive, but remind us of the heroes in our own families.
In addition to American and Allied armor, a replica German Tiger tank and a Sturmgeschütz assault tank serve as a dramatic reminder that liberating Europe 75 years ago was never a given. Confronting these full-sized replicas are scores of military reenactors who replicate the tactics first employed on the battlefields of Europe.
World War II Encampment Weekend also challenges visiting youngsters to participate in drills and maneuvers while they learn about events that continue to shape their world. Numerous exhibits and displays provide them with a unique immersive experience, one of a kind in the New York metro area.
Armor Museum board member Michael Sapraicone states, “The Armor Museum offers a powerful presentation that evolves year to year that keeps alive the legacy of our nation’s military and the gift of freedom they have given us.”
“This museum is a unique commitment by public and private sectors to preserve and present a seminal chapter in the history of our nation... and our world. It is worth a visit by every American family, regardless of their ethnicity, because this is the story of all of us. World War II Encampment Weekend should be on everyone’s calendar.”
Dr. Libby O’Connell
History Channel Historian Emeritus
Learn More
Join the Experience
The World War II Experience is open to the public, and serves as a unique immersive experience for families, youngsters, and veterans alike.
Contact the Museum of American Armor for further information.
Tanker
Weekend
Tanker Weekend at the Museum of American Armor has become a much anticipated tradition for all of Long Island and the New York metropolitan area. Scores of historic tanks and armor vehicles take to the field in a unique and powerful display of America’s military might some 75 years ago.
Rare vehicles—including the amphibious LVT used by the Marines in the Pacific, and a massive tank transporter, “The Dragon Wagon”—roll from the museum’s complex, where they are joined by a host of other operational icons from World War II. These include enemy armor such as a Tiger replica equipped to confront the Sherman and Stuart tanks, the Hellcat tank destroyer, along with artillery, support vehicles, and British armor.
This once-a-year event presents the only opportunity in the New York Tri-state area that allows close access to the armor that saved democracy and ensured our freedoms. More importantly, it provides visitors with a far better appreciation of the role our “Citizen Soldiers” have played over generations, answering the call, defending our nation, and protecting our future.
"The Armor Museum is one of the most important county destinations that allows us to honor our veterans, while educating a new generation of Americans about a legacy of sacrifice and bravery.”
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran,
on the Armor Museum and its collection.
Learn More
Join the Experience
Newsday, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have all covered the Armor Museum’s extraordinary array of operational armor, and the Long Island Council of the Social Studies has presented the museum with an award for its outstanding educational efforts. But until you experience an armor column advancing on your position during Tanker Weekend, you haven’t been truly immersed in military history.
The Armor
Experience
Travel back to 1944, as Allied forces attempt to push back German troops, mile by mile, while fighting to liberate a continent. Throughout the year, the Museum of American Armor periodically schedules its nationally-respected "Armor Experience" program, allowing individuals to be immersed in a time and place where civilization hung in the balance.
You are invited to take the lead as you probe enemy defenses, surrounded by what could very well be the French countryside of some 70 years ago. Presented with a tactical challenge to confront a potential ambush, you are outfitted with period gear, placed atop WWII armor, and sent back in time with living historians as you explore the hidden dangers lurking beyond each bend in the road.
“This is an extraordinary experience that has been recreated right down to the G.I. coffee. It is quite rare to see these armored vehicles in action, much less be part of a program that so effectively immerses you in the period,” says Dr. Libby O’Connell, History Channel Chief Historian.
The 21st century seems far out of reach as a Sherman tank lumbers around the corner. The sound of troops rushing past your position is heard in the background, as your platoon leader barks orders for you to duck down. A sudden ambush is confronted in the woods. A scout car erupts in smoke. G.I.s shout at you to stay with the wounded. It’s only later when you recall this isn’t, in fact, France of 1944.
The Armor Experience is available to premium Museum members, and is also offered to select groups— corporations, as a team-building exercise; families, educators, and age-appropriate student groups.
“This is an extraordinary experience that has been recreated right down to the G.I. coffee. It is quite rare to see these armored vehicles in action, much less be part of a program that so effectively immerses you in the period,”
says Dr. Libby O’Connell,
History Channel Chief Historian.
Learn More
Join the Experience
A Classroom
Time Machine
In addition to honoring those who have defended our freedoms, an essential part of the Armor Museum’s mission statement is providing a compelling intergenerational educational experience for visitors, students and families.
What has now become an annual date on the calendar, Armor Museum—in cooperation with the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums, and Long Island Living History—hosts a spring WWII “Field Trip” for high school and middle school students from throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Thousands of students have participated in this program, which allows young people to witness the museum’s armor vehicles in tactical exercises, after visiting various field exhibits and displays that provide context for one of the most important conflicts in modern world history.
“We need to appreciate that history, and specifically, the events surrounding World War II, is receiving less and less class time in an era when appreciation of our past is more important than ever. This field trip to the Museum of American Armor needs to become part of every school district’s calendar.”
Michael Sapraicone
Museum Trustee and former member of a Long Island Board of Education
Learn More
Join the Experience
To find out how your class can sign up to be immersed in an era that continues to define the world, please contact the Museum of American Armor for further information.
