Naval Aviation Museum, Goa

Off Vasco-Panaji coastal highway, NH-17, on the Bogmalo road, lies the Naval Aviation Museum, one of the only two military aviation museums in India. Tracing the history and evolution of Indian Navy over the years, the museum has an expansive and comprehensive collection. The outdoor display in itself is huge with 13 decommissioned aircrafts on display like the Fairey Firefly, a British fighter and anti-submarine aircraft, dating back to World War II. The indoor collection is spread over the two-storey gallery. You can read up on significant battles that have been fought over the decades by Indian Navy and Airforce and get to see weapons that are typically attached to submarine and ships as well as cannons, torpedoes, bombs and sensors used by Indian Navy.

Even more exciting, yes, there's more, are the really massive replicas of INS Vikrant that played a key role in the Indo-Pakistan 1971 war and INS Viraat, which is not only the flagship of Indian Navy but also the oldest carrier in service. Giving a bit of dramatic overtone to your visit, there might be Navy's aircrafts and jets whizzing through the sky on their daily practice runs at the Naval Air Base next door. While the museum visit might have you tempted to get into one of the fighter aircrafts on display and take off, you can console yourself with miniature versions available at the gift shop selling memorabilia.