Calling all Moms and Dads! If you are looking for a great beer event that is family-friendly or just a way to spend a few hours on a date night at a relaxed and fun event, look no further than the American Helicopter Museum’s Hops and Helicopters Beer Event!
Basics:
• Address: American Helicopter Museum, 1220 American Blvd West Chester, PA 19380
• Event Length: 5 PM – 9 PM
• Admissions: General: $30.00 Designated Drivers / Under 21: $10.00
• Website: https://www.hopsandhelicopters.com/
Know Before You Go:
• Children Welcome
• Very Easy Parking
• Museum Access with Event Ticket Provides Fun for Children and Adults
• Beer, Cider, Wine, Food, and Music
Our Experience
Last November I decided to surprise my husband with tickets to the Hops and Helicopters Craft and Home Brew Beer Event at the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester. While the event was held in late fall last year, this year the event will be held in September which will provide for an outdoor / indoor experience, an improvement to an already great setup.
We truly enjoyed this event! With the price of admission, he received a tasting glass and unlimited beer from the many craft beer establishments featured at the event. (Check out the 2018 lineup here.) Unique to other beer events, there was a very nice home brew feature, so if you are a home brewer like my husband, this is an especially great opportunity to network and talk to other craft brewers. Bonus: many of the breweries brought free “swag”, which was a very nice touch. In addition to free swag, there were some really great raffle prizes with tickets available for purchase with proceeds going to a good cause. Featured wine and cider, food for purchase, and some non-alcoholic beverages for Designated Drivers and kids rounded out the amenities found at the event.
The atmosphere at this event is very distinctive, as the backdrop to the beer are life-sized helicopters and the entire museum is open to guests of the event. You can actually walk through several large helicopters, see the history of helicopters in Chester County, and play around with the fun and interactive exhibits. Being around three months pregnant at the event, since I was obviously not beer tasting, my husband and I both still had a great time together because of the ample amounts to explore! This aspect made the event special not only for my husband but also for me and I was grateful that we could enjoy ourselves and the event was not only alcohol-centric; well worth the price of admission! One of our favorite exhibits was a bicycle powered helicopter, as seen in the photo below. In order to make the small helicopter rise, you must pedal a bicycle which we found out is no small feat so be sure to not miss the opportunity to test your endurance and try it out! The museum gift shop was open throughout the event, with many neat STEM and helicopter inspired toys, so you can get your children a souvenir of their own whether they came along or not!
Overall, this event was a fun time and there were many children with their parents as well. We would highly recommend this event if you are looking for a way to get out of the house, explore and learn, and raise a glass to kickoff your weekend!
Cheers!
Kidding Around in Chester County 